Canadian Kathleen Edwards developed her musical tastes outside of her homeland — her father was a diplomat, and his job brought the family to various spots in Europe and Asia when she was a child. Isolated from North American pop culture, but surrounded by her brother's Neil Young and Bob Dylan records, she developed an affinity for soft twang, and simple stories with passionate premises. This, along with years of classical violin training, helped cement her foundational skills as a songwriter and composer. Shortly after her family returned to Canada, she started playing in clubs.
Edwards spent years playing and touring low-fi (behind a self-produced EP) with little money but lots of spirit. Her efforts paid off, and she was signed by Rounder in 2001. Failer, her first full-length release, instantly won her fans including John Prine, Melissa Etheridge and Willie Nelson, with whom she performed. Her stripped-down country-tinged rock transported her to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, Farm Aid, and to opening slots for The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan.
After touring to support her 2005 Back To Me, Edwards took a couple of years off. Gearing back up to record her own material again, in 2007 she sang vocals on three tracks on John Doe's A Year In The Wilderness. The next year she released Asking For Flowers, an effort less gentle and lyrically more rich and resonant than her previous work. Her musical companions on the disc include the Heartbreakers' key man Benmont Tench, pedal steel player Greg Leisz and drummer Don Heffington, as well as her regular bandmates Jim Bryson and Colin Cripps (her husband since 2004).
Provenance: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Latest Release: Asking For Flowers (2008)
© 2008 Nigel Music Media LLC. Used by permission.
Kathleen Edwards
