By All Means

by Ron Wynn
The Los Angeles trio By All Means began recording for 4th and Broadway in 1988. The group featured lead vocalist, trumpeter, and trombonist James Varner, vocalist Lynn Roderick, and guitarist Billy Shepherd. Roderick was previously an actress who had appeared on Moonlighting and Cagney and Lacey, among other shows, while Shepherd had been in The Skool Boyz. Varner and Roderick met while touring with Bill Withers in 1985. Producer Stan Sheppard suggested that they form a band with his brother Billy after seeing them in performance. Their debut LP was called By All Means, and they had a modest hit with "I Surrender to Your Love." Their second LP was Beyond a Dream in 1989. They also produced tracks on Gerald Alston's solo LPs for Motown. Their most recent release was It's Real for Motown in 1992.