Annie Lynn
Annie Lynn, President of AnnieBirdd Music, LLC, began writing songs when she was 14 years old, while acting in Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” with the Germantown Theater Guild in Philadelphia. Asked to write “a nature song” by the show’s director, Annie wrote “Listen,” and the song and the show were subsequently filmed and shown on CBS. “I remember being this excited 14 year old kid, so psyched that the first song I had ever written was on TV,” Annie reflects now. “If someone had told me that 30 years later, I’d be recording that song with my own child, I would have laughed! Now I have whole communities of school-aged children singing my own choruses back at me, and it really is a great feeling….”
This same great feeling carries over into many of Annie’s songs. Her recent children’s singles, “That’s All There Is,” "Listen - a nature song" and "New School" were recently featured and favorably reviewed on the Peabody Award-winning children’s radio program “Kids Corner with Kathy O’Connell” on Philadelphia’s WXPN, with rebroadcasts on Sirius Radio. The songs remain in rotation. “That’s All There Is” also enjoyed 12 weeks this past summer in the Broadjam.com Top 10 Unique Children’s Genre. "New School" recently took honors as the #1 Song in the Country/Bluegrass genre for 3 weeks, and is being featured on a children's CD compilation put out by Indie Music For Life (see link page). The CD will raise money for pediatric cancer research and will also be distributed to pediatric patients. EMAIL ANNIE TO PURCHASE CD! Song "My Blue Ridge Skies," a collaboration from James Burns and Annie, also spent 27 weeks on the same Top 10 chart, with 14 weeks at No. 1!
IN AUGUST, 2008, ANNIE & CHRIS ARMS WERE SELECTED AS SEMI-FINALISTS FOR THEIR SONG "NO TIME FOR HATE" IN THE U.K. SONGWRITING COMPETITION
IN FEBRUARY, 2008, ANNIE & JIM BURNS WERE SELECTED AS ONE OF TEN FINALISTS IN THE INTERNATIONAL ACOUSTIC MUSIC AWARDS FOR BEST COUNTRY/BLUEGRASS SONG, "MY BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAIN SKIES."
IN SEPTEMBER, 2007, THE SONG "NEW SCHOOL" (FEATURING SON ALEX AND COUSINS HANNAH S. ON VOCALS AND WANAMAKER LEWIS ON BANJO) WAS AWARDED HONORABLE MENTION IN THE JOHN LENNON SONGWRITING COMPETITION.
IN FEBRUARY, 2007, ANNIE AND HER SON ALEX W. WERE SELECTED AS ONE OF TEN FINALISTS IN THE BEST GROUP/DUO CATEGORY OF THE INTERNATIONAL ACOUSTIC MUSIC AWARDS FOR "THAT'S ALL THERE IS." ( Now Alex is seeking higher pay and less homework. Negotiations are at a stalemate.)
A collaboration between Annie and engineer/producer/songwriter Chris Arms, recently produced the pop anthems "NO TIME FOR HATE," and "STOP THAT!" which have been endorsed by and licensed by Teachers Against Prejudice (www.teachersagainstprejudice.org), as well as A Better Philadelphia, Inc. (www.abetterphiladelphia.org) and are being used for their community and school assembly/worshop programs. Since its release 25 weeks ago, "No Time For Hate" has enjoyed the past 24 weeks in the Broadjam.com Top 10 Children's Genre.
Annie's music can also be heard featured featured on National radio, and is also being used in several cable and network television commercials, business websites, and one fine rodeo in Texas! Annie also lent her song “The Key To My Heart,” as music for an educational video to promote reverse-mainstreaming in Pennsylvania schools. The song instantly became the lynchpin for the entire effort, and generated a surprisingly large number of requests for copies from teary-eyed parents.
In response to the recent requests she has received for copies of her various songs, Annie Lynn is now surrounded in the studio once again, with talented musicians, joyful singing children (A SHOUT OUT TO THE "F TROUPE"), a great producer, and of course……cookies. Her upcoming second CD, “Songs About Cookies and Life,” reflects the often-comedic happenings of family life. Annie makes sure to represent “both sides of the coin” while giving equal voice to the parents’ and kids’ views. This family-oriented CD also gives spotlight to the thoughts and feelings of children as related to her by the many children she has taught. Musically, the CD is infused with catchy choruses, memorable lyrics, and sweet harmonies from both Annie and her featured children-performers. Bringing an upbeat, make-you-want-to-move, country/bluegrass feel to many of the songs are the magic-picking fingers of banjo-great Wanamaker Lewis. Let that smile on your face remain as you feel your toes begin to tap in time with the groovin’ fiddle/mandolin playing of Steve Toll, from folk touring company Prescription Music. The icing on the cake is the well-mixed sound that producer Chris Arms, also a successful songwriter with several radio hits to his credit, brings to this project.
Annie Lynn is a classically trained musician, and holds a B.S.ed from West Chester University in PA. Annie also studied music education at the Hartt College of Music at the University of Hartford in CT, as well as WCU. Before becoming a professional songwriter, Annie taught music and first through fifth grade in several Pennsylvania elementary school systems. As a singer/songwriter, she performed in area clubs throughout Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. In a continuing roll, Annie works with Prescription Music, a music education touring company dedicated to preserving traditional folk music by performing in area schools and camps. Annie is also the mother of 12 year old Alexander, (an honor roll student....can I brag, please?) a budding singer/songwriter, and frequent co-collaborator and touring partner.
Summer 2008 will see the release of two new CD's from Annie. The first is "NO TIME FOR HATE AND OTHER SONGS FOR SCHOOLS" (currently licensing). Annie would like to publicly admit that she has a wicked cookie habit, hence the title of her second upcoming and delicious-for-the-ears CD, “SONGS ABOUT COOKIES AND LIFE..."
See You Soon……