Not to be confused with the Hole frontwoman and Kurt Cobain widow of the same name, the Olympia, Washington-based indie-pop band Courtney Love was formed in 1990 by singer-guitarist Lois Maffeo and drummer Pat Maley. After just three singles -- their debut "Uncrushworthy," "Highlights" and "Hey! Antoinette" -- and a handful of compilation... [+] Read More

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John Wesley Harding may take his name from a Bob Dylan album and he's a modern-day folksinger, but with the biting, cynical observations in his songs and sharp sense of humor combined with winning melodies, he shows his true forefathers are Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe with a hint of Billy Bragg. Far from being a follower or strict revivalist,... [+] Read More

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Growing out of the American underground of the late '80s, Liz Phair fused lo-fi indie rock production techniques and styles with the sensibility and structure of classic singer/songwriters. Exile in Guyville, Phair's debut album, was enthusiastically praised upon its 1993 release and spawned a rash of imitators, particularly American female... [+] Read More

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Singer/songwriter Melissa Ferrick emerged in 1994 as part of a group of new female alternative singer/songwriters, much in the vein of Liz Phair. Ferrick began singing in coffeehouses after dropping out of college, eventually winding up in Boston. Her major breakthrough arrived one night when she replaced Morrissey's opening act less than an... [+] Read More

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According to her own, undoubtedly semi-fictional account, Michelle Shocked was born Michelle Johnston in Dallas, TX, in 1962, where she spent her early childhood traveling around army bases. In 1977, she ran away from her Mormon fundamentalist mother to live with her father who introduced her to country bluesmen Big Bill Broonzy and Leadbelly,... [+] Read More

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Actively touring throughout the '90s, Minnesota native Peter Mayer is known primarily for his earthy, intimate songwriting. He has been recognized by such well-known folk institutions as the Telluride Festival and Lyons Folk Festival, and has been granted favorable reviews in publications like Acoustic Guitar and Dirty Linen. ~ Zac Johnson, All... [+] Read More

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A transcendent singer/songwriter and two-fisted gutter poet whose notorious drunken behavior, rotten teeth and drug-fueled excesses often threatened to eclipse his reputation as a performer, Shane MacGowan was born on Christmas Day, 1957 in Kent, England. Within months, his family returned to their native Ireland, where he spent the first... [+] Read More

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Sordid Humor was founded in 1987 by Tom Barnes (vocals, guitar) and Jim Gordon (bass). The duo received help from drummers Chris Pedersen and Toby Hawkins, and bassists David Immergluck and Marty Jones. Evolving into a textured rock with layers of guitars and vocals, the band released several independent records before folding in 1992. Capricorn... [+] Read More

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This Chicago-based celtic folk band has toured in both America and Ireland. Their lineup includes Mike Kirkpatrick (guitar and vocals), Winston Damon (trombone, percussion, sax thumb piano), Sean Clelland (fiddle), Kathleen Kane (flute, acordian, whistle, vocals) David Callahan (bass, vocals), and Jackie (bodhran). Their first CD, entitled The... [+] Read More

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Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos) was one of several female singer/songwriters who combined the stark lyrical attack of alternative rock with a distinctly '70s musical approach. Her music falls between the orchestrated meditations of Kate Bush and the stripped-down poetics of Joni Mitchell. In addition to reviving the singer/songwriter traditions... [+] Read More

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