Finding inspiration in the righteous anger of punk rock and the socially conscious folk tradition of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, Billy Bragg was the leading figure of the anti-folk movement of the '80s. For most of the decade, Bragg bashed out songs alone on his electric guitar, singing about politics and love. While his lyrics were bitingly... [+] Read More

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CEILÍ MOSS is an acoustic folk-rock band from Belgium. We have often been described by the press or by fans as acoustic Pogues. “Crazier than Perry Rose, not as orthodox as Shantalla, more eccentric than MacRahl”, a concert review once said. Another frequently heard comparison is Ambrozijn. We like to define ourselves as... [+] Read More

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With his sandpaper-coarse but sensitive baritone, Greg Brown offers keen insights into the realities and foibles of modern life tinged with a hefty dose of common sense. He is the son of an electric guitar-playing mother and a Pentecostal preacher and was raised listening to gospel music in rural Iowa. He began singing around age 18 in New York... [+] Read More

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While they came into prominence as part of the late-'80s folky singer/songwriter revival, the Indigo Girls had staying power where other artists from the same era quickly faded. Their two-women-with-guitars formula may not seem very revolutionary on paper, but the combination of two distinct personalities and songwriting styles provided tension... [+] Read More

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Born on the island of St. Kitts, British singer/songwriter Joan Armatrading was her country's first Black woman to make commercial inroads into her chosen genre, spicing her take on folk with bits of soul and reggae, and has had a remarkably long, consistent career. Emigrating to England in 1958, Armatrading met lyricist Pam Nestor in a touring... [+] Read More

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When the dust settles, Joni Mitchell may stand as the most important and influential female recording artist of the late 20th century. Uncompromising and iconoclastic, Mitchell confounded expectations at every turn; restlessly innovative, her music evolved from deeply personal folk stylings into pop, jazz, avant-garde, and even world music,... [+] Read More

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Lyle Lovett was one of the most distinctive and original singer/songwriters to emerge during the '80s. Though he was initially labeled as a country singer, the tag never quite fit him. Lovett had more in common with '70s singer/songwriters like Guy Clark, Jesse Winchester, Randy Newman, and Townes Van Zandt, combining a talent for incisive,... [+] Read More

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After disbanding the Los Angeles new wave/power pop group the Plimsouls, Peter Case launched a career as an important American singer/songwriter specializing in the flat-pick guitar style and semi-autobiographical stories of drifters delivered in a narrative style. Born in the '50s and growing up in upstate New York, Case was inspired, like any... [+] Read More

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Once touted as the natural successor to Joni Mitchell, singer/songwriter Rickie Lee Jones proved no less idiosyncratic or mercurial; like Mitchell, Jones experienced significant commercial success at the outset of her career, but a restless creative spirit -- combined with a stubborn refusal to fit comfortably into any one musical niche --... [+] 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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Anointed "the new Dylan" upon his recording debut, folk-rock singer/songwriter Steve Forbert was born in Meridian, MS, in 1955. After learning guitar at age 11, he spent his high school years playing in a variety of local bands before quitting his job as a truck driver and moving to New York City at the age of 21. There, he performed for spare... [+] Read More

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Suzanne Vega was the first major figure in the bumper crop of female singer/songwriters who rose to prominence during the late '80s and '90s. Her hushed, restrained folk-pop and highly literate lyrics (inspired chiefly by Leonard Cohen, as well as Lou Reed and Bob Dylan) laid the initial musical groundwork for what later became the trademark... [+] Read More

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Having led a rather dark existence during her childhood, Toni Childs (b. Orange, California) faced one of two options: a descent into violence, or, a journey of self discovery. Thankfully she opted for the latter and a extra-ordinary talent was born. The voyage saw Childs live in London, for a while writing lyrics for a Nigerian band. Returning... [+] Read More

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