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Shawn Colvin
Biography
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.