Today’s Agenda Is Brought To You By…

Jim Burroway

June 25th, 2016

We Are Orlando

Shane Evan Tomlinson

Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33 years old

636015165585981325-AXX-TomlinsonShane grew up in Ramapo, New York, and sang his first solo when he was nine years old at the family’s church. He was the only child to sing with the adult choir. When he was fourteen, the family moved to Concord, where Shane sang in the Carrabas County Multi-cultural Community Student Union choir. Choir founder Ruth Brooks remembered, “Anybody who knows Shane, knows he’s gonna get something started. He taught us how to have fun.”

He studied communications at East Carolina University, where he also performed for East Carolina’s gospel choir. “He was destined for a grand stage and he was doing exactly what he wanted to do,” said Dr. Lathan Turner associate director of student transitions. After graduating in 2003, he moved to Atlanta, then to Orlando.

About four years ago, he was performing for Epcot in a Christmas gospel show called Joyful, Joyful. One friend at Disney said Shane was a gifted, high-energy singer. “He’s just a very charismatic performer,” he said. “He has lots of energy. Depending on what he’s doing, he adapts to whatever that show needs.” Another friend at Disney described him as funny, outgoing, and the life of the party. “You look at him and say he’s just Shane,” he said.

os-orlando-mass-shooting-victim-shane-evan-tomlinson-croppedLater, he founded, co-managed, and fronted a local cover group Frequency, which performed at several night clubs around Orlando, delivering its “rhythmic, high-energy renditions of classics from the Beatles and Earth, Wind and Fire.” Shane was described as a gifted, high-energy singer: “He’s just a very charismatic performer,” said one friend who performed with Shane at Epcot. “He has lots of energy. Depending on what he’s doing, he adapts to whatever that show needs.”

On June 11, Shane was shaken to learn of the fatal shooting of another singer in Orlando, Christina Grimmee, who had competed on “The Voice. That Saturday morning, at 7:24. a.m., he shared a link to an article on Facebook and wrote, “As a stage performer, you can’t help but keep questioning … How did this get past security? The only compete protection we have is God and sometimes he needs you more than this evil world! RIP Christina Grimmie.”

Frequency often performed at Blue Martini. They had three shows scheduled at Blue Martini locations in Orlando and Tampa in the two weeks following the Pulse shooting. That Saturday night, Frequency performed at the Orlando Blue Martini, just hours before Shane was gunned down at Pulse early Sunday morning.

Shortly before Shane was killed, Frequency had recorded a couple of promotional videos, and they were in the process of being edited. The surviving members of Frequency put those videos online as a tribute to Shane: “This is how we will remember him, as a person who always sang his heart out, strived for the best, and lived life to its fullest. He loved what he did and we loved him for it.”

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