It will be a night of stories and songs spanning 25 years of his musical career when Shawn Mullins takes the Imperial Theatre stage on Sept. 5.
“It’s great to get back to Augusta. I don’t get there enough, and I really do love it there,” said Mullins, the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, who will be joined by some musicians with local ties – Patrick Blanchard on guitar and vocals and Duane Wilson on bass. “I’ve played several different spots in Augusta. They all have a different meaning for me.”
Mullins recalled the days of playing at the Soul Bar, which “had a vibe” as well as the Imperial.
“I’m excited about getting back,” he said.
Mullins, who specializes in folk rock, instrumental rock, adult alternative and Americana music, is best known for the 1998 single “Lullaby,” which hit number one on the Adult Top 40 and was nominated for a Grammy.
His song “All in My Head” was featured on the TV show “Scrubs.”
It “was written after an e-mail was sent out by the producers of the new show searching for a theme song. Mullins wrote a demo version and sent it in within 24 hours. It wasn’t selected as the theme song, but the demo version was used in a Season One episode of the series,” according to Mullins’ website.
Also, “Shimmer” was on the soundtrack for the TV show “Dawson’s Creek” and part of the promotional campaign during the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics. It’s still “considered in Australia as the unofficial anthem of the game,” the website continued.
Mullins doesn’t write and record songs in 24 hours these days.
He’s more deliberate now when it comes to his craft.
When he was younger, he went with the first draft of the song rather than taking some time to develop the lyrics.
“I didn’t realize it’s a good thing to look things over. They don’t necessarily come out magical even though you feel like they do. And they do to some degree, but as I’ve gotten older and written a lot more songs, I’ve noticed that I’ve become more particular about spending time on a lyric,” he said.
He’s also more particular when it comes to his touring schedule. He does shorter tours and is selective about the locations. He has a teenage son, and he wants to be present in his life.
While his life and career take a different pace these days, Mullins is happy he’s able to do what he loves.
“I’ve always just wanted to be able to express myself through music and hopefully, there are other people who enjoy it enough that I’ll be able to make a living doing it,” he said.
Joining Mullins on Sept. 5 will be Angie Aparo, who wrote Faith Hill’s multi platinum song “Cry,” as well as songs performed by Miley Cyrus, Big & Rich and Tim McGraw. For tickets, go here.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won writing awards from the Georgia Press Association and was the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council media winner. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
