From The Daily Beacon (Univ. of Tenn.), Wed., April 12, 2006:

Musician Goes Solo

By Calvin Carter, Staff Writer

Pursuing a solo effort after leaving a cult band is difficult for a lot of artists. There are probably numerous problems to deal with, but the main one has to be surpassing the gigantic shadow left by your former band. Yet music has show people that it is possible for disbanded members to make a name for themselves.

In the 1980s, Tim Lee was a member of Southern pop rockers, The Windbreakers, a band that didn’t take long to explode into critical darlings and cult favorites. Lee, along with former band mate Bobby Sutliff — many have compared their collaborative songwriting to John Lennon and Paul McCartney — put out four critically adored albums before their band dissolved in the early ’90s.

Lee quickly started his rock n’ roll journey solo after the disbandment, but soon took a break from music for most of the ’90s. He made his initial return in 2001 with “Under the House.” He then followed up with the bigger “No Discretion,” an album that saw the artist hopping through six different studios. Now, Lee has returned yet again with “Concrete Dog,” an album that he feels is brimming with focus and energy.

“To sum it up, it’s definitely a more focused, rocking record,” he said. “It’s very energetic compared to maybe the last record.”

Closeness is another word that describes Lee’s latest effort. The musician found himself working with very familiar faces on “Concrete Dog.” The album includes longtime friend, producer and drummer Don Coffey Jr. and Lee’s wife, Susan Bauer Lee, on bass. It was a collaboration that Lee said made the album, “definitely more of a band record.”

Lee isn’t the only one who had songwriting duties on his latest cut; his wife was a major contributor on the album. In fact, a lot of songs like “Half-Life” and “Real Bad Habit” came from his wife’s original ideas, which he found himself working on.

“She had these wonderful lyrical ideas, and it provided an inspirational spark to get things rolling,” he said.

Lee has always welcomed the collaborative help of others, but he does realize that there are a few adjustments he’s had to make working with other musicians. Some of these adjustments have included taking everyone’s creative thoughts into account. “When you’re with other people, it’s not so easy to be cut and dry about it,” he added.

For an artist who truly loves his craft, readjustments are merely small potholes in the road. It’s because of Lee’s love and enjoyment of rock music that the artist is still at it today. It’s that same love that keeps him balancing between being a musician and an editor for the magazine Dirt Late Model. Broken down, Lee is a rock purist who believes more in creating music that moves people rather than focusing on what sells.

“At the end of the day, I’m an artist, and it’s my job to create, no know what’s the latest trend,” he said.