Shawn Lane (March 21, 1963 – September 26, 2003) was an American musician who released two studio albums and collaborated with a variety of musicians including Ringo Starr, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Reggie Young, Joe Walsh, Jonas Hellborg, Anders Johansson, Jens Johansson and many others.
At fourteen, he became the lead guitarist for Black Oak Arkansas (BOA), and alongside members including drummer Tommy Aldridge, toured over the next four years opening shows for bands including REO Speedwagon, Ted Nugent, Outlaws, Cheap Trick, Molly Hatchet and Blue Öyster Cult.
During 1979 Shawn played in The Streets, recording studio demos with Andy Tanas on bass, Chris Craig on drums and Jimmy Henderson on guitar.
Lane also performed in the fusion band Out of Bounds, with Barry Bays and DeGarmo and Key drummer Chuck Reynolds.
[1][3] He quickly developed his technique on the keyboard as well, taking influence from pianists such as Franz Liszt, Art Tatum and Georges Cziffra.
On September 19, 1992, Lane played in Guitar Player Magazine's 25th anniversary concert at Warfield Theatre, San Francisco alongside Steve Morse, John Lee Hooker, Dick Dale, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Adrian Belew, Ry Cooder and others.
He also performed on the Mark Varney Project's Centrifugal Funk album along with Brett Garsed, Frank Gambale, Jimmy Earl, T. J. Helmerich.
To promote his album, he formed The Powers of Ten band with Barry Bays on bass, keyboardist Doug Scarborough, Todd Bobo on saxophone and drummer Sean Rickman; they opened for Robben Ford's US tour.
Lane developed curricula and taught at several European conservatories, including the American Institute of Music in Vienna with Joey Tafolla and Milan Polak [citation needed].
In 1998 he played the guitar solo on Bang a Drum featuring Jon Bon Jovi and Chris LeDoux, reaching number 68 on Hot Country Songs.
In February 2003, Lane and Hellborg toured India with drummer Andrea Marchesini, playing the Great Indian Rock Festival, Hamsadhwani Theatre, Pragati Maiden, New Delhi.
In 2008, Guitar World magazine wrote, "Few, if any, guitarists can play faster than Lane could, and his arpeggio sweeps and precision-picked lines blasted more rapid-fire notes than the average human mind could comprehend.