Cleaning Up With Lynn Carey Saylor

Lynn Carey Saylor is living a charmed life. Her 2007 release You Like It Clean, a collection of self-penned modern rock anthems topped off with a cover of Pat Benatar’s 1984 hit “We Belong” for good measure, has garnered critical attention and praise. An accomplished and award-winning singer and songwriter, Saylor has had the opportunity to record with top-flight musicians, producers, and songwriters including some true heavyweights of the music industry, such as Brian May from the iconic rock act Queen. She and her husband Skip, a respected engineer and producer who has recorded and mixed several platinum recordings, own and operate Skip Saylor Recording, which has recently moved to a well-appointed studio on an expansive ranch-style property in the San Fernando Valley to accommodate their growing business. Ms. Saylor’s musicianship and dedication to craft have brought notice from sponsors such as Dean Markley, SPG Guitars, and Goodsell Amps. Oh, and she happens to be beautiful. Her camera-friendly appearance has even helped her add a few film and small-screen credits to her résumé, but her work on behalf of a wide range of humanitarian causes reveals her true beauty. She has put her money and her mouth to work, advocating for charities as varied as the Mercury Phoenix Trust, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), and the ALS Association.

Born in San Diego, California, and raised amidst the bright lights of Las Vegas, Lynn Carey learned to play the violin and piano at a young age before discovering the guitar in her early teens. A precocious student, she graduated from high school at 16, moving on to study music theory at the Dick Grove School of Music. Lynn continued her studies at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she minored in music while picking up a bachelor’s degree in communications. During this time, she became involved with other performing arts, leading to appearances in films and television commercials.

As Lynn came into her own as a songwriter and musician, she began to display an affinity for helping others in their journeys, professional or otherwise. In March of 2000, she founded GuitarGirls.com, a networking website devoted to promoting and connecting talented female musicians. Saylor first came to prominence in the music world in 2002 following the release of “If We Believe,” an ode to racial harmony that featured the guitar work of Brian May. Some of the proceeds from the limited-edition single, which has since become a sought-after collector’s item, were donated to the Mercury Phoenix Trust. (The Trust, a charitable organization founded by the surviving members of Queen and their manager following the death of singer Freddie Mercury in 1991, is a source of funds for AIDS-related charities from all over the world.) In addition, Lynn and Brian participated in an auction held in support of the Connor Ruscoe Memorial Fund, which was established to fund schools and hospitals in the memory of a young Queen fan from the UK who lost his life to cancer.

In 2005, Lynn’s budding popularity online finally reached a critical mass. That year, she was honored with four independent online music awards (IOMAs), which were awarded based upon the votes of 15,000 independent musician peers. “If We Believe” took home honors for Best Song, Best Cover Art (for the single), and Best Collaboration (with Brian May); Saylor also won an overall award for Best Female Vocal.

The young sensation returned to the studio in 2006 to cut the tracks that would become the full-length release You Like It Clean. Lynn brought her gifts for songwriting to bear on this fresh and appealing guitar-rock offering. The lone cover tune included was “We Belong,” which was written by Eric Lowen and Dan Navarro and popularized by Pat Benatar. Saylor and friends, including May, delivered an up-tempo version that serves as a rocking update to the Eighties favorite. But the real story was the active participation of Lowen, a longtime friend of Lynn’s who had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; Lou Gehrig’s Disease). A video for “We Belong” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-QdaJI28x8) shows Lowen singing along and looking triumphant behind the board during the sessions. Lynn hopes that the song and the video will help raise awareness of ALS, and she follows up her good wishes by encouraging her fans to donate to a trust fund set up in Eric’s name, the details of which can be found at http://lynncareysaylor.com/WeBelongVideo.html.

When Saylor pens a tune with the clarity of purpose to convey a powerful and positive message, she has the strength and presence of mind to spread the word. “I Wasn’t a Friend” is the lament of a person stricken by the senseless and preventable loss of a loved one to a drunk-driving accident. Lynn actively promoted the song to organizations such as MADD and RADD, a group of musicians, athletes, and others in the entertainment industry working together to promote road safety. She generously lent her time and talents to both of these powerful organizations, making public appearances and playing at events. In 2007, she began a MySpace page devoted to educating others about the perils of driving while intoxicated (http://www.myspace.com/enddrunkdriving). The site doubles as a tribute page to those who have lost their lives to drunk drivers, such as Johnathon Ferguson, a 19-year-old guitar aficionado who was killed by a drunk driver in 2005. Saylor pledged 50% of her download sales from “I Wasn’t a Friend” to John’s Team, a group formed in Ferguson’s honor to participate in the “Walk Like MADD” event that was held in March of 2008 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Following her performance at the Walk, Lynn and guitar-maker Rob Videtto teamed up to auction off a beautiful guitar, signed by Saylor and hand-crafted by Videtto, to raise additional funds for MADD. The sale contributed to the overall success of the fundraiser, which brought in more than $80,000.

The good karma seems to be paying dividends, as Lynn’s career continues to flourish. Her song “Blink of an Eye” was recently featured in a trailer for the CW Network show, “Smallville” (about a young Superman who, presumably, likes it clean). You Like It Clean has been racking up sales and accolades in equal measure. Saylor was featured in the February 2008 issue of the German monthly Autona; she will be traveling to London in May for a series of business meetings and impromptu performances. It is certain that wherever the sublime Ms. S takes her act from there, she will be making friends along the way and leaving smiles behind.