Photo: Victory Tischler-Blue/Courtesy of the artist
by NPR Staff
Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer are sisters with long, acclaimed solo careers. But they've kept their musical lives separate. For the first time, Lynne and Moorer started performing intimate shows on the road together this fall. The song that opens each concert — and suitably titles the tour — is "Side by Side."
"I don't remember not knowing it," Moorer says of the song.
During the 20-minute drive to school, Lynne says that their mom would sing.
"The three of us in the car would sing three parts," Lynne says in an interview with All Things Considered host Melissa Block. "We had an old car. The radio didn't work, so we sang. Singing was just like breathing in our house."
Singing Is Like Home
Moorer says it was their mother who taught them about singing and harmony, but that it was their dad who gave the sisters the drive to perform on stage. It's surprising, then, that it's taken Lynne and Moorer so long to tour together, but Lynne says it feels like home.
"All siblings have it — music is so important to us," Lynne says. "It's a communication tool. It's a way of being emotional without calling up and saying, 'Hey, I'm going to be emotional right now.' Instead, it's 'Hey, pick up the new record.' "
But the two sisters do pick up the phone and share ideas. Moorer, in particular, wanted Lynne to hear "Easy in the Summertime" because it's about a shared, harsh childhood memory.
"Allison and I have never been afraid to bare our souls when it comes to music, because we're so moved by music," Lynne says. "And then, to be able to perform it and have the same emotion — that's powerful. We don't have a problem doing that."
Photo: Angela Kohler/Courtesy of Rykodisc Records
"Easy in the Summertime" alludes to a painful chapter from the pair's childhood. In 1986, their father shot and killed their mother before turning the gun on himself. Lynne and Moorer were only teenagers.
"I feel like I sort of grew up as a writer when I finally wrote ['Easy in the Summertime']," Moorer says. "I've called it recovery in three verses. The first part is what actually happened. The second verse is what I want to remember. And the third verse is how we survived it. Our parents aren't with us anymore, so what we have from that time is each other."
Allison Moorer belts out this bluesey number with Shelby singing backup and harmony - Shelby's moves here are priceless - Great choreography with the microphone stand - Love it! Find the song on the Allison Moorer cd called Show. You can find it on Amazon.
