The government may not always get it right, but the powers that be hit the bull’s eye when they recently awarded Claire Lynch a Walker Fellowship, given annually to a select group of remarkable Americans who represent the most innovative and influential artists in their field. Claire is definitely innovative, influential, and remarkable!

The International Bluegrass Music Association has twice named her Female Vocalist of the Year, and she’s received three Grammy nominations, but what really tells the story is the music itself. “Her songs and stage presence demand the listener’s rapt attention,” says Bluegrass Now. “She’s an intensely soulful singer, whose distinctive voice resonates with power and strength, yet retains an engaging innocence and crystalline purity. She’s also a songwriter of extraordinary ability who can bring listeners to their feet with her buoyant rhythms or to their knees with her sometimes almost unbearably poignant and insightful lyrics.” Once you’ve heard her sing, you’ll recognize her voice in an instant. Her style blends classic bluegrass with a thoughtful mix of contemporary folk, country, rock, and swing.

Claire grew up in Kingston, New York until the age of 12, when the family moved to Huntsville, Alabama, where she got caught up in the bluegrass revival of the 1970s and joined a band that eventually became the Front Porch String Band. She wrote songs recorded by Patty Loveless, The Seldom Scene, and Kathy Mattea, and sang on albums by Emmylou Harris, Linda Rondstadt, and Ralph Stanley. Her current band features Ontario native Jason Thomas on fiddle and mandolin, IBMA award-winner Mark Schatz on bass, and recent MerleFest Doc Watson Guitar Champion Matt Wingate on guitars. The Claire Lynch Band is unbelievably good – and they’ll leave you feeling good too!

Visit the Claire Lynch Band's website

Listen to a track from Claire Lynch:

Photo by Alison Harbaug