His father plays saxophone too, has produced Wallace's recordings and has been his main inspiration. Shawn Wallace began playing alto when he was six and did not listen to other jazz musicians' recordings much until he had already developed his own sound; his favorite role model later on became Sonny Stitt. Wallace started composing songs when he was seven, began playing gigs just a few years later and recorded three albums for his Mijawa label including his debut, The New And The Old, when he was 14. The following year he had the opportunity to open for Ray Charles. While still a teenager he conducted clinics, taught music and appeared on television shows. At the time of his first Schoolkids release, Crying Melodies, Shawn Wallace was attending Western Michigan University and clearly had the potential to be a major player in the future. ~ Scott Yanow