The local community is mourning the loss of Lynn Swisher Spears, a celebrated architect who became a celebrated musician in retirement. Lynn passed away on December 13, after battling a months-long illness. She was 69 years old.
Lynn Swisher Spears was born Roger Spears in Iowa in 1954. As Roger, she studied at Harvard and became an acclaimed architect in both Texas and North Carolina. (Her most notable work may have been the so-called “Darth Vader House,” a $4 million modernist masterpiece in Houston.) She also worked as an assistant professor at the College of Design at NC State.
But there was a second chapter to Lynn’s eventful and impactful life. In her 60s, she courageously came out as a trans woman – and after retiring from her architecture career, she turned her attention to music. A multi-instrumentalist, Spears played with bands like Fair to Middlin’ and the Twang Bandits, wrote songs for a musical – and in 2022, Lynn capped her musical career with the 21-song double album “I Am,” bringing together an all-star lineup of local musicians and women vocalists.
Lynn Swisher Spears came on Live & Local in 2022 to celebrate her album “I Am.”
“If you ever had a chance to be part of a song circle, picking circle, or jam with Lynn, you know that her combination of snark, intelligence, humor, delight, and generosity was as prodigious as her musical talent,” says fellow musician Leah Kaufman. “She loved singing and playing with others, buoying them up and encouraging them to make music. But Lynn was no pushover – her fine wit could rail against injustices, and skewer attitudes and behavior from those looking for someone to mock or belittle.”
97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck celebrated Lynn Swisher Spears with a spotlight set on Live & Local, featuring four songs from “I Am” plus a fifth song from her instrumental album “Walking the Cat.” Listen:
Lynn Swisher Spears’ friends and family will celebrate her life with an outdoor music jam later this year.
Feature photo screencapped from Lynn Swisher Spears’ appearance on The Monti.
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