A young classically trained pianist from Winnipeg, Chantal Kreviazuk gained a record contract from Sony -- as a vocalist -- without ever having performed live. Born in Manitoba, Kreviazuk was an infant prodigy at the piano, winning competitions and receiving classical education on piano as well as voice. Similar to many top-flight pop... [+] Read More

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Jann Arden was born Jann Arden Richards in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Two of her biggest musical influences during her childhood were John Denver and Karen Carpenter. Arden didn't have abundant dreams of stardom back then, but she did love music and began writing her own songs when she was only 13. At 17 she recorded a debut single, "Never Love a... [+] Read More

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Paula Cole was one of the many female singer/songwriters who rose to prominence in the mid-'90s in the wake of alternative's commercial breakthrough. Drawing heavily from the ethereal, pretty sound of Sarah McLachlan and Tori Amos, Cole created songs that relied equally on dreamy melodies and poetic, introspective lyrics.

Cole was... [+] Read More

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A rootsy singer/songwriter with ties to jazz and soul as well, Edwin McCain hails from Charleston, SC, and it was with the support of native sons Hootie & the Blowfish that McCain signed with Atlantic Records. Let it not be said that McCain never earned his contract: his touring schedule is among the most rigorous in music -- 300-plus nights per... [+] Read More

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Guitarist Simon Austin formed the Melbourne, Australian folk-pop band Frente! in 1991, bringing in Angie Hart, Simon Austin (guitar), Tim O'Connor, and Mark Picton (replaced by Alastair Barden) to round out the lineup. Frente! entered the international spotlight in the summer of 1994 with their quirky acoustic version of New Order's "Bizarre... [+] Read More

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Indie folk-pop band Ida formed in New York in 1992 around the core duo of singers/guitarists Daniel Littleton and Elizabeth Mitchell. Littleton emerged in 1985 as a member of the Annapolis, MA-based punk group the Hated; after their 1989 demise, he continued in a series of bands including Three Shades of Dirty, Choke and Slack, which also... [+] Read More

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Playing her way from the subways and streets of London and Boston, guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Mary Lou Lord broke into the indie-rock scene in 1994 on the Kill Rock Stars label. After appearing on a KRS compilation, Lord released a self-titled EP in 1995 and a second EP, Martian Saints, in early 1997. Got No Shadow, her major-label debut with... [+] Read More

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By mixing Lisa Loeb/Alanis Morissette-like singing with music that sounds similar to a more mainstream Portishead at times, Natalie Imbruglia became one of the biggest pop sensations in Europe. Born in Sydney, Australia, on February 4, 1975, Imbruglia was one of four sisters and grew up in a tiny beach town. After becoming a teen actress and... [+] Read More

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Shawn Colvin is one of the bright spots of the so-called "new folk movement" that began in the late '80s. And though she grew out of the somewhat limited "woman with a guitar" school, she has managed to keep the form fresh with a diverse approach, avoiding the clichéd sentiments and all-too-often formulaic arrangements that have plagued the... [+] Read More

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Atlanta-based folksinger and songwriter Shawn Mullins was serving as a member of the U.S. Army Airborne Infantry Division when he released his first self-titled cassette on his own SM label in 1989; following the release of 1991's Everchanging World, he left the military after eight years to pursue music on a full-time basis. After three years... [+] Read More

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The Weepies, a folk-pop duo comprised of Deb Talan and Steve Tannen, two singer/guitarists who had already released solo material, met at Tannen's concert in Boston while he was supporting his debut, Big Señorita. Mutual admirers, they started writing songs together immediately, and soon the Weepies were born. In 2003 they issued the eight-song... [+] Read More

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