About
In an era when female singer-songwriters are ever more ubiquitous, Shawn Colvin stands out as a singular and enduring talent. Her songs are slow-release works of craft and catharsis that become treasured, lifetime companions for their listeners. As a storyteller, Colvin is both keen and warm-hearted, leavening even the toughest tales with tenderness, empathy, and a searing sense of humor. In the 23 years since the release of her debut album, Colvin has won three Grammy Awards, released ten albums, maintained a non-stop national and international touring schedule, appeared on countless television and radio programs, had her songs featured in major motion pictures, and created a remarkable canon of work. Colvin was born in Vermillion, South Dakota, where she lived until she was eight. A small-town childhood in the university town of Carbondale, Illinois, drew her to the guitar by the age of 10. She made her first public appearance on campus at the University of Illinois at age 15. By the late 1970s Colvin was singing in a Western Swing band in Austin, Texas—the city she now calls home. Moving to New York at the decade’s end she remained in the country music field as a member of the Buddy Miller Band until she met producer, guitarist, and co-writer John Leventhal. Leventhal inspired Colvin to find her own voice as a songwriter. She began honing her skill, and was soon signed to Columbia records Her first album, Steady On won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Recording. Colvin continued to win fans and critics with her subsequent releases, Fat City (1992) and Cover Girl (1994). In 1996, she released A Few Small Repairs (1996), which would prove to be her breakthrough. The murder-ballad “Sunny Came Home” gave Colvin a Top 10 hit and two of Grammy’s biggest honors: Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Holiday Songs And Lullabies (1998), recorded while Colvin was eight and a half months pregnant with her daughter Caledonia, followed. Whole New You (2001) and Polaroids (2004). Her Nonesuch debut These Four Walls (2006) was lauded by People Magazine as “the most self-assured album of her career” and “one for the ages” by the Washington Post. The Austin-American Statesman called it “an exquisite portrait of strength and vulnerability.” Shawn Colvin Live (2009), was recorded during a special three-night solo engagement at San Francisco’s famous jazz club, Yoshi’s. Live captures the beauty and intimacy of Colvin’s performances, showcasing her inimitable voice and matchless guitar stylings. Praised by both critics and fans, the album was honored with a Grammy Award nomination for Best Contemporary Folk Recording. Shawn Colvin’s most recent album, All Fall Down (2012), is her eighth studio album and the first to be produced by her longtime friend and cohort Buddy Miller (Robert Plant, Solomon Burke). Recorded in Nashville, with a group of stellar musicians, the album features performances by Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, Jakob Dylan, Bill Frisell, Viktor Krauss, Brian Blade, Stuart Duncan, and Julie Miller. The new album was recorded in Miller’s home studio, and each song is deeply personal to Colvin, who describes All Fall Down as “an album about loss but also about redemption and resolution.” The release was simultaneous with her William Morrow/HarperCollins–published memoir, Diamond In The Rough. With the wit, lyricism, and empathy that have characterized Shawn’s performances and inspired audiences worldwide, Diamond in the Rough looks back over a rich lifetime of highs and lows with stunning insight and candor. Through its pages, we witness the inspiring story of a woman honing her artistry, finding her voice, and making herself whole. Colvin continues to tour nonstop throughout the year and over the years she has shared the stage with such legendary artists as Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Hornsby, Emmylou Harris, John Hiatt, Don Henley, Richard Thompson and Lyle Lovett. Shawn has been a resident of Austin, Texas since 1994.
