via Tampa Bay Online
Tayla Lynn says being a relative of someone famous isn’t enough to carry a musical career.
“You’ve got to have something to back-up and make it on your own,” says Lynn, granddaughter of famed country music singer Loretta Lynn.
Tayla Lynn has teamed up with Jennifer Wayne, granddaughter of actor John Wayne, and Caroline Cutbirth, a descendant of pioneer Daniel Boone, to form the country trio Stealing Angels.
The Angels are performing at 2 p.m. Sunday at the annual Ribfest at Vinoy Park in downtown St. Petersburg. They kick-off “Country Day” which includes another girl group Jane Dear and singer Trace Adkins. Among the other Ribfest performers is John Fogerty on Friday night. The rock group STYX performs on Saturday.
Besides music, Ribfest will serve up barbecue, carnival games, and a car and motorcycle show.
Formed about two years ago, the Stealing Angels trio made a splash with an amusing song and video “He Better Be Dead” (about a boyfriend who doesn’t respond to text messages).
Lynn, who has traveled as a singer with her grandmother’s band, says the Angels first met as participants in a reality show about relatives of famous people. “The series didn’t work out and was never seen but we all became good friends,” Lynn said in a telephone interview.
They have been touring across the country this year opening for the likes of Lady Antebellum, Tim McGraw, Ronnie Dunn and Trace AdkinsÖ
The group’s first album is scheduled to be released in 2012.
Lynn grew up in Nashville surrounded by music and musicians. “As a child I would be backstage watching my grandma,” she says.
Even though expectations are high for a relative of Loretta Lynn, Tayla says “It’s been a total blessing. She had a big influence on me and I’ve always wanted to be a singer.”
Jennifer Wayne wasn’t born when her famous grandfather died. And Cutbirth’s connection to Daniel Boone is even more distant. Wayne, who grew up in California and was a tennis pro before she started singing, has said that she heard so many family stories about John Wayne that he did have an influence in her life.
“We’re all unique performers and each of us has her own style,” says Lynn. “We all write and sing our own songs.”
Lynn, who is divorced, recently became engaged to her boyfriend Jon Finger, who has relatives in the Tampa area. “We’re having a little family reunion this weekend,” she says.