Shawn Mullins
Shawn Mullins (born March 8, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter who specializes in folk rock, instrumental rock, adult alternative, and Americana music. His 1998 single "Lullaby" hit number one on the Adult Top 40 and was nominated for a Grammy Award.
Shawn Mullins
Daniel C Bentley · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Shawn Mullins
- Born
- 8 March 1968
- Birthplace
- Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- singer · singer-songwriter · guitarist · musician · composer
- Fields
- alternative rock · country music
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Documentary summary
Shawn Mullins (born March 8, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter who specializes in folk rock, instrumental rock, adult alternative, and Americana music. His 1998 single "Lullaby" hit number one on the Adult Top 40 and was nominated for a Grammy Award.
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Shawn Mullins (born 1968) is an American composer, guitarist and musician, among other activities. The composer was born in Atlanta. Genres include alternative rock and country music.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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wikidata · Q1487770 · wikipedia · Shawn Mullins
In this article
Biography
Biography
Mullins worked across singer, singer-songwriter, guitarist, recording artist and composer and 1 further recorded occupations. The registers place that work in alternative rock and country music. This article rests on 33 catalogued compositions, 1 published texts, 34 issued recordings and 2 scholarly references drawn from named institutional registers. Every statement below returns to a source shown in the evidence panel; where the record is silent or divided, the article says so instead of resolving it.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Shawn Mullins • Born — 8 March 1968 • Birthplace — Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. • Genre — Alternative rock, country rock • Years Active — 1990–present • Label — Vanguard Records Columbia Records • Past Member Of — The Thorns • Associated Acts — The Thorns
Early life and military career
Early life and military career
Mullins was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He cultivated an interest in music beginning in his days at Clarkston High School in Clarkston, Georgia (where he made the acquaintance of friend and mentor Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls). Later, he honed his craft in his college days at University of North Georgia (then known as North Georgia College) as a solo acoustic musician and bandmaster of the military marching band (Golden Eagle Band). He attended the University of North Georgia on an Army ROTC scholarship with an intention of possibly pursuing a military career. Although he quickly abandoned this notion in favor of songwriting, the contract nonetheless obliged him after graduation to serve a short term as an inactive infantry officer in the Individual Ready Reserve component of the U.S. Army Reserve. He served in an inactive status, reaching the rank of 1st lieutenant before fulfilling his service obligation and resigning honorably.
Shawn Eric Mullins with Twice Removed and solo career
Shawn Eric Mullins with Twice Removed and solo career
Soon, he added a drummer (Mickey Hendrix) and bassist (Carlton Brown) to form the power pop trio billed as "Shawn Eric Mullins with Twice Removed", a combo that would help carry him to campus-wide and regional renown. Eventually the "Twice Removed" trio parted ways under amicable terms, and Mullins began using a variety of collaborative lineups while building his reputation as a solo artist.
Commercial success
Commercial success
His critical breakthrough came when his song "Lullaby", from the album Soul's Core, became a radio and video hit. In the video for "Lullaby", directed by Roger Pistole, actress Dominique Swain appeared. His song, "All in My Head", featured on the sitcom Scrubs, was written in response to an e-mail sent by producers of the 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. Another single, "Shimmer", was included on the soundtrack for Dawson's Creek and was a minor hit. "Shimmer" was also used in Australia as part of its promotional campaign during the 2000 Summer Olympics, and is still considered in Australia as the unofficial anthem of the games. To date he has yet to match the overwhelming commercial success of "Lullaby", which was also released as a live performance on the charity album Live in the X Lounge II in 1999. In early 2002, he formed the band The Thorns with Matthew Sweet and Pete Droge.
Vanguard Records
Vanguard Records
In 2006, Mullins released his first album on new label Vanguard Records, 9th Ward Pickin Parlor, as well as a new single, entitled "Beautiful Wreck", from the album. The single enjoyed modest success by reaching number one on the Americana and AAA (Adult Album Alternative), and was featured in the Cities 97 Sampler Volume 18. On March 11, 2008, Mullins released his second album on Vanguard, entitled Honeydew. On October 12, 2010, Mullins released his third album on Vanguard, Light You Up.
Sugar Hill and Rounder Records
Sugar Hill and Rounder Records
On October 23, 2015, Mullins released his new album, titled My Stupid Heart, under Sugar Hill and Rounder Records.
Personal life
Personal life
Mullins has been married and divorced three times. He has one son.
Studio albums
Studio albums
• Better Days (1992,Sullivan Music Group) • Big Blue Sky (1994,Sullivan Music Group) • Eggshells (1996) • Soul's Core (1998, Sony) US number 54, Platinum • Beneath the Velvet Sun (2000) • 9th Ward Pickin Parlor (2006) • Honeydew (2008) • Light You Up (2010) • My Stupid Heart (2015) • Soul's Core Revival (2018)
Other albums
Other albums
• Shawn Mullins (1990) [independent album] • Ever Changing World (1991) [independent album] • Jeff's Last Dance, Volume 1 (1995) [live album] • Jeff's Last Dance, Volume 2 (1995) [live album] • The First Ten Years (1999) [compilation album] • The Essential Shawn Mullins (2003) [compilation album] • Live From Portland Bootleg (2004) [live album] • Jeff's Last Dance, Volume 3 (2005) [live album] • Lullaby: Hits, Rarities, & Gems (2007) [compilation album] • Live at the Variety Playhouse (2008) [live album]
Singles
Singles
• Year — Single — Peak chart positions — Certifications — Album • US — US AAA — AUS — CAN — GER — IRE — NED — SWE — UK • 1998 — "Lullaby" — 7 — 1 — 5 — 2 — 75 — 17 — 83 — 10 — 9 — * ARIA: Platinum — Soul's Core • "Shimmer" — — — 5 — 39 — — — — — — — — — — — — • 1999 — "What Is Life" — — — — — 62 — — — — — — — — — — — 62 — Big Daddy: Music from the Motion Picture • 2000 — "Everywhere I Go" — — — 3 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Beneath the Velvet Sun • 2006 — "Beautiful Wreck" — — — 2 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 9th Ward Pickin Parlor • 2007 — "All in My Head" — — — 16 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Honeydew • 2010 — "Light You Up" — — — 3 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Light You Up • "—" denotes releases that did not chart
Life and work
Life and work
Shawn Mullins was born on 8 March 1968 in Atlanta. Mullins held the nationality of United States. Married to: Amy Mullins. Mullins worked as singer, singer-songwriter, guitarist and recording artist, and the authority record catalogues a further 2 occupations under the same name, among them composer and musician. Mullins was active from 1990. The fields Mullins worked in include alternative rock and country music. Mullins played the guitar and the voice.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1968
Shawn Mullins was born on 8 March 1968.
Catalogued output
Compositions
The entries below are works composed by the subject, as the institutional registers catalogue them; later performances and commercial recordings of the same music are listed separately. 33 further compositions are catalogued under Mullins's name without a date the collections agree on, which is why they are set apart from the dated run rather than placed in it. A selection is set out below and the complete run may be opened beneath it. What Is Life.
The entries follow MusicBrainz
September in Seattle
Twin Rocks, Oregon
Such a Shame
Think It Over
I Told You
Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down
All in My Head
I Set the World on Fire
Ballad of Billy Jo McKay. ’Twas the Night Before Christmas
Among the Living
Give God the Blues
Issued recordings, 1995–2015
Primary material
Issued recordings, 1995–2015
These are published sound issues catalogued under the name. Most postdate the works they carry, and an issue is never counted here as a work of composition. 9 issues carry dates between 1995 and 2015. The run opens with Jeff's Last Dance, Volume 1 and closes with My Stupid Heart. The 1990s are the densest part of the run, with 4 titles, and that concentration is a fact about what the registers have catalogued rather than a judgement on the work itself. They belong to a run of 11 titles in all, from 1995 to 2015.
Issued recordings without a settled date
Primary material
Issued recordings without a settled date
2 further issues are catalogued under Mullins's name without a date the collections agree on, which is why they are set apart from the dated run rather than placed in it. Beneath the Velvet Sun. Mullins discography.
Recordings and discography
Primary material
Recordings and discography
The discography assembled here shows how Mullins's work has been published in sound, not what Mullins made. 23 sound issues are catalogued, carrying dates from 1992 to 2023. An issue is a published recording, distinct from the composition it carries, from a printed score of that composition and from any single performance of it; none of the entries below is counted in the catalogue of compositions above, and several of them carry the same work in different readings. The 1990s are the densest decade of publication, with 10 issues. The performers and issuing labels are as the discographic register states them; where it names no performer the article names none.
Jeff's Last Dance, Volume 2
1995
9th Ward Pickin' Parlor
2006
Eggshells
1996
Jeff's Last Dance, Volume 3
2005
Better Days
1992
The First Ten Years
1999
Everywhere I Go
2000
Light You Up
2010
Honeydew
2008
Soul’s Core
1998
Big Blue Sky
1994
Soul’s Core Revival
2018
Shawn Mullins (Live at the Print Shop)
2023
What Is Life
1999
Shimmer
1999
My Stupid Heart
2015
Beneath the Velvet Sun
2000
Hits, Rarities & Gems
2006
Jeff's Last Dance, Volume 1
1995
Lullaby
1998
Live at the Variety Playhouse
2008
Give Me Love
2021
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Shawn Mullins”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1487770: Shawn Mullins
General reference · Wikidata
Authority records
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Shawn Mullins facts, information, pictures - Encyclopedia.com articles about Shawn Mullins. www.encyclopedia.com.
- 2.Shawn Mullins. www.shawnmullins.com.
- 3.Shawn Mullins - Biography & History - AllMusic. AllMusic.
- 4.Shawn Mullins to bring honest sound and 'the hit' to The Acorn. harborcountry-news.com.
- 5.Honeydew - Shawn Mullins - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic. AllMusic.
- 6.The Thorns - Biography & History - AllMusic. AllMusic.
- 7.9th Ward Pickin' Parlor - Shawn Mullins - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic. AllMusic.
- 8.Shawn Mullins: Honeydew. popmatters.com.
- 9.Light You Up - Shawn Mullins - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic. AllMusic.
- 10.Spevak, Jeff. Looking through Shawn Mullins' Southern lens. Democrat and Chronicle. April 5, 2016.
- 11.Ruggieri, Melissa. Singer Shawn Mullins looks to balance fatherhood, career. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. October 11, 2010.
- 12.Better Days - Shawn Mullins - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic. AllMusic.
- 13.Big Blue Sky - Shawn Mullins - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic. AllMusic.
- 14.Eggshells - Shawn Mullins - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic. AllMusic.
- 15.Shawn Mullins: Soul's Core : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone. 1 October 2007.
- 16.Soul's Core - Shawn Mullins - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic. AllMusic.
- 17.Beneath the Velvet Sun - Shawn Mullins - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic. AllMusic.
- 18.Shawn Mullins: 9th Ward Pickin' Parlor : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone. 3 May 2008.
- 19.Billboard "a 1999 retrospective on Columbia..."
- 20.The First Ten Years - Shawn Mullins - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic. AllMusic.
- 21.The Essential Shawn Mullins - Shawn Mullins - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic. AllMusic.
- 22.Live at the Variety Playhouse - Shawn Mullins - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic. AllMusic.
- 23.Shawn Mullins Chart History - Hot 100. Billboard.
- 24.Shawn Mullins Chart History - Triple A Songs. Billboard.
- 25.Discography Shawn Mullins. australian-charts.com. 196.
- 26.Roberts, David. British Hit Singles & Albums. Guinness World Records Limited. 2006. 1-904994-10-5.
- 27.Australia. 1999.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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