A gifted interpretive vocalist with a jazzy flair and a warm, passionate delivery, Frank Shiner took the long road to success, finding his audience after a two-decade layoff from show business. Shiner was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and he grew up in the nearby town of Mountain Top. Shiner's father was a baker, and young Frank began helping out in the shop at the age of ten. His dad liked to sing, and he would entertain the family with his interpretations of old country songs. While Shiner enjoyed music, he didn't give much thought to performing until he was cast as Henry Higgins in a high school production of My Fair Lady. He was soon stung by the acting bug, and while he enrolled at Wilkes-Barre's Kings College as a pre-law student, he soon changed his major to Theater Arts, and after receiving his degree, he relocated to New York City in 1982. Later that year, he met his wife Suzanne, and they married in 1984. Shiner continued to work steadily as an actor on-stage and in television, and he supplemented his income working as a bartender and a salesman. But finances became tight after Suzanne gave birth to their first child in 1988, and Shiner walked away from his show business career to start his own company and support his family in Westchester, New York. Years later, the Shiner family went through a personal crisis when Suzanne was diagnosed with a severe form of breast cancer, and she spent four years in treatment. In 2010, Shiner and Suzanne were enjoying a night out at a restaurant that was presenting a jazz open mike night. Suzanne asked him to go up and sing a song; he was initially reluctant, but she insisted, and eventually he took the stage and sang three songs with the band. Later that night, the bandleader approached him and asked if he would be interested in singing regularly with the group. With Suzanne's blessings, Shiner agreed, and soon he developed a following for his warm, passionate vocal style. In 2014, Shiner released his debut album, The Real Me, produced by Gary Katz (best known for his work with Steely Dan). The album established Shiner as a fresh talent with a mature but vital sensibility, and in 2017, he released his second LP, Lonely Town, Lonely Street, a set of blue-eyed soul classics that he released on his own Bakerson Records label. ~ Mark Deming