Lucinda Williams started out recording acoustic covers of classic folk and blues songs, but her own idiosyncratic songwriting soon came to the fore. Her mixture of rock, country, blues, and folk endeared her to a wide audience. Williams's self-titled…

b. 1978, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Country rock artist Edwards spent much of her childhood in South Korea or Switzerland owing to her father's work for the diplomatic core. Trained on classical violin as a youngster, Edwards launched her musical caree…

b. 16 March 1964, Old Town, Maine, USA. This US singer-songwriter made her name on the Boston/Cambridge folk scene in the mid-90s, leading to a major label recording contract with A&M Records. Griffin began writing songs as a teenager but at this poi…

Chicagoan John Prine burst onto the early '70s singer-songwriter scene amid a flurry of competely justified hype. He was among the first of many artists pegged as "the new Dylan," but his combination of folk, country, and poetic-but-simple lyrics was…

b. 5 January 1961, Paragould, Arkansas, USA. A singer-songwriter based in Kansas City, via California, Nashville, and originally the rural regions of Arkansas, USA, DeMent made her initial impact in 1991. Her early influences included gospel, Loretta…

b. 19 April 1967, Mount Kisco, New York, USA. Singer-songwriter Dar Williams first gained exposure by playing tiny church halls and cramped coffee houses on the small-town Massachusetts folk circuit. Her debut album, The Honesty Room, was released by…