Never
one to sit still, Lane Baldwin lives a double life as a musician, businessman.
His unique combination of skill sets and experience, combined with a long friendship
with David Nordschow, makes Lane the perfect person to lead our sales and marketing
efforts . Serving as a member of the company team is a pretty strong endorsement,
don't you agree?
The
son of a piano virtuoso, Lane (known throughout the Bass World as Lane on Bass)
began his musical career at the tender age of 5. But it wasn't until he played
a bass that he found his true calling. As soon as he thumped that "copy of
a rip-off of a remake of a Fender", Lane knew he was born to play low notes.
A
Musical Ambassador for the Nation's Capitol, he has recorded and toured the world
with dozens of artists, including Mason Ruffner, Jules Alexander (The Association),
Daryl Davis (Legendary Blues Band) and the late Cesar Diaz (Bob Dylan). Now, after
almost three decades of Blues, Lane is the bassist, vocalist and songwriter for
Deeper Blues, which he
enthusiastically calls his "dream band."
Deeper
Blues is a mesmerizing blend of old-school tradition and modern sound that's rapidly
gaining international attention. Legendary Blues bassist Johnny B. Gayden (Albert
Collins) says the band is "perfectly named." The band's 2008 release,
Dig the Hole, has been praised around the world for it's "great songs [and]
great playing and singing" (Jazz icon Mark Egan). Helisnki Blues Café
calls it "great stuff" and says it "gets better with each listen."
"Whether
we're doing a field chant or a rocked up thumper, it's all about the deeper stories
and deeper emotion" Lane says of the band. "It's all about playing Blues
the way it was meant to be felt!"
In
addition to providing the muscle behind the band's grooves, Lane also uses his
6-string bass to provide "rhythm guitar" parts and lead lines. "We
often use the bass as a second guitar," he says, "just down lower. It
gives the music a lot of extra body."
In
2009, Lane debuted an acoustic version of the band, with which he also plays acoustic/electric
guitar and baritone guitar. "This one is all about the back yard Blues experience.,"
Lane says. "We do house concerts, barbecues, and other small events. It's
a great way to create a sense of community with the listeners."
These
days Lane balances his music with his charity, writing and business endeavors.
In 2008 he founded Danville
Foodstock, "serving food - and hope! - to those in need™."
The charity has raised more than $12,000 in food and donations for the Danville
Area Food Pantry. In 2009, their newly-launched monthly free dinner series served
more than 2500 meals.
Lane's
essay "A Gift of Spirit" - the story of an accident that showed him
that music is as much about heart and soul as it is technical expertise - appears
in Chicken Soup to Inspire the Body & Soul®. Next year he will be published
in The Spirit of Servant-Leadership, the latest anthology of servant-leadership
essays edited by Larry Spears,
the preeminent authority on the subject. The S-L series has included such notable
management philosophers as Steven Covey (7 Habits series), Ken Blanchard (Who
Moved My Cheese?), Max Depree (Leadership Jazz) and many others. His work has
appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines, ranging in subject matter from
spirituality and positive living, to humanistic business practices, to the State
of the Bass as he sees it.
A
close friend and endorser of David Nordschow's for almost twenty years, Lane is
our VP, Sales & Relationships. He not only endorses our gear, he helps run
the company. (For more, read Lane's company bio.)
Lane
already has his sights set on a trio of heads to power 112 and 210 cabinets, both
for bass and acoustic/electric guitars. "I've trusted my tone to David for
almost twenty years," Lane says, "and I'm not about to stop now. I'm
honored to be a part of the company."
