By age 21, Shannon Lyon was already in love with music, but something happened that year to solidify his career as a musician.
“At 21, opening for Blue Rodeo in hockey arenas, it really blew my mind and my heart wide open,” he said. “It really got in my blood then and there was no turning back.”
Shannon Lyon is performing at the Coombs Fair August 10.
Opening for Blue Rodeo was in the ’90s and Lyon was back and forth touring the United States and Canada.
In 2000, he moved to Europe and began touring France, Germany, Belgium and Holland. He lived in Germany, Spain and Holland, where, in 2004, he was the first Canadian to be signed to Richard Branson’s record label V2, post Virgin Records. He recorded the critically acclaimed album Wandered in a 17 century farmhouse in the south of Holland.
Soon after the album was released Australia’s Collision Records signed him and he toured that country three times in one year.
Over the years, Lyon has toured with and shared the stage with such artists as Lucinda Williams, Richard Buckner, Jay Farrar, Ray LaMontagne, and Bruce Cockburn.
“I feel really blessed, I’ve been really honoured,” said Lyon. “I feel like a student, I’ve always taken notes and I also feel like a bit of a spy because I get to go out and experience life and I always report back to the song and write about it.”
Just over a year ago, after 10 years abroad, Lyon said something snapped in his brain and he decided it was time to come back to Canada.
Although he’s originally from Ontario, today Lyon lives from town to town, visiting new and “amazing places” and said he’s falling in love with this country all over again.
He has released 11 albums to date and continues to collect material and write songs for his next album as he goes.
He’s currently on a summer tour where he’s doing 24 performances from Ontario to the Island, and he’ll be performing at the Coombs Fair with award-winning musician Ryan McMahon on Saturday, Aug 10 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Entertainment runs from 10:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Sunday.
Here’s the Coombs Fair entertainment schedule:
Saturday:
10 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. Award Presentation
10:15 a.m. - 11 a.m. Rainbow Stew Cloggers
11 a.m. - 12 p.m. Local Artist Showcase
12:15 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. Lance Lapoint
1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Ryan McMahon with Shannon Lyon
3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. Bobbi Schram with Sarah Wood
4:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Peter Mason
Sunday:
10 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Rainbow Stew Cloggers
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Local Artist Showcase
12:15 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. Brian Hazelbower with Dave Kilbank
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Country Music Jamboree
2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. Blain Dunaway