Shawn Colvin biography
Shawn Colvin (b. January 10, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter and musician.
Childhood and early career
Colvin was born in Vermillion, South Dakota and spent her youth in Carbondale, Illinois, where she attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She learned to play guitar at the age of 10 and gave her first public performance at the Southern Illinois University campus when she was 15.
Career
Music
Shawn began working in the music scene in the late 1970s, first in Austin, Texas and she moved to New York City in 1980 and became involved with the
Fast Folk cooperative in Greenwich Village.
She met music partner John Leventhal who became Colvin's co-writer and producer. Colvin can be heard singing backing vocals on the Suzanne Vega hit, "Luka". Vega returned the favor, singing backup on Colvin's "Diamond In The Rough", from her debut album, Steady On. Early in their careers, Colvin and Mary Chapin Carpenter formed a friendship that led to their frequently guesting on one-another's recordings: Colvin lent her vocals to Carpenter's 1992 recordings "The Hard Way" and "Come On Come On", and Mary Chapin returned the favor on Colvin's "Climb On a Back That's Strong", from Colvin's Fat City album. She also contributed in the studio and onstage to several Bruce Hornsby songs.
Colvin spent a short time in 1987-1988 with the North Carolina-based experimental string band the Red Clay Ramblers.
In 1988, Colvin was asked to perform a "trio" concert with fellow folk singer/songwriters Cheryl Wheeler and Mary Chapin Carpenter. The three performed two consecutive nights to critical acclaim at the Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia. During these performances, Colvin performed several songs which appeared on her first two albums. The performances were recorded at the soundboard, but they were never released officially.
Colvin also has connections with singer-songwriters Julie Miller and Buddy Miller. Shawn became involved musically with the Millers when all three were working in Austin in the late 1970s/early '80s. Shawn provided backing vocals on Julie's first three solo albums (now out of print) released in 1990, 1991 and 1993.
Colvin's first several albums did not sell in substantial numbers, although she won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album for her debut album, Steady On (1990). After several albums of original work, Colvin released Cover Girl, a collection of cover versions. During this period, she also toured as Richard Thompson's opening act and back-up singer. She also sang "I Don't Want to Live on the Moon" with Ernie on Sesame Street, Ernie sang when Colvin said "hi" to him.
Colvin experienced breakthrough success with A Few Small Repairs in October 1996. The single "Sunny Came Home" reached the US Top Ten, and won Grammy Awards for Song and Record of the Year. She has released several subsequent albums which were nominated for Grammys, and she has also released a greatest hits album and a collection of Christmas music.
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