Lucinda Williams, Grammy Award-winning
singer/songwriter, was born in Lake Charles, La. Inspired by the blues
and Bob Dylan, Williams began playing guitar at age 12, and by her early
20s she was performing in public. After struggling in the Austin and
Houston folk scenes, Williams journeyed to Jackson, Miss., where she
recorded her 1979 debut album Ramblih’ on My Mind, an
assortment of blues and country standards. The following year she released
Happy Woman Blues. She relocated to Los Angeles and signed
to Rough Trade, where she recorded a 1988 self-titled album that blended
country, blues and folk. Though recruited by RCA, Williams left the
label without releasing a record, preferring the creative control offered
by the indie label Chameleon, which issued the album Sweet Old World
in 1992. Her 1998 album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road was both
a commercial and critical success, netting Williams a Grammy for the
Best Contemporary Folk Album. In 2001 Williams released Essence
and her latest album, World Without Tears, was released this
year.
[extracted from 2005 brochure]
