Shawn Colvin

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 genre. In less than a decade of recording, Colvin has emerged as a songcraftsman with plenty of pop smarts, which has earned her a broad and loyal following.



Colvin was born in Vermillion, SD, on January 10, 1956. By age ten, she found a passion for music, teaching herself guitar. After moving to London, Ontario, and then Carbondale, IL, Colvin formed The Shawn Colvin Band, a hard rock outfit whose high-energy demands soon strained her voice. She moved to Austin, TX, and joined the Western swing band the Dixie Diesels, singing with the band until nodes forced a temporary retirement at age 24. In 1983, she moved to New York, where she found a home in the city's singer/songwriter scene, and built a following in New York and Boston through constant gigs. Through the '80s, she worked her way up the folk circuit, also appearing in off-Broadway shows such as Pump Boys and Dinettes, Diamond Studs, and Lie of the Mind. Her work appeared in Fast Folk magazine, and she got her first break in 1987 singing backup on Suzanne Vega's hit "Luka."

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