Lynda Stipe
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Lynda Stipe is an American musician, who has been a bass guitarist and singer in the bands Oh-OK, Hetch Hetchy and Flash to Bang Time. She is the sister of R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe.
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If you listen to the early tapes of bands such as Tanzplagen, in which both Stipe siblings participated, you might be struck as I was by one perfectly pitched and nimble, powerful voice. No, it did not belong to Michael, who went on to develop into a unique talent and a pop superstar. His voice was wavering and tentative at that time, often searching for the pitch and hitting the downbeat slightly flat. The natural vocal talent belonged to Michael's baby sister, Lynda. I have often thought it odd that she did not become a star in her own right. Two years ago I had the pleasure of hearing Lynda sing with her present band, Flash to Bang Time, at the Morton Theater in Athens, Georgia. Rather than playing an instrument as she usually does, for the final number she merely stepped to the apron of the stage and sang, as the band accompanied. She did not use a microphone, nor did she need one. Lynda's voice lifted and soared, filling the space with operatic power and folk simplicity. If you love the human voice as a musical instrument, you should enjoy hearing anything in Ms. Stipe's catalog.
