Shawn Colvin
| Shawn Colvin | |
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Colvin in November 2015
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| Background information | |
| Born |
January 10, 1956 Vermillion, South Dakota, U.S. |
| Origin | Carbondale, Illinois, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1973–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | www |
Shawn Colvin (born January 10, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter and musician known for her 1997 Grammy-winning song, "Sunny Came Home".
Colvin was born in Vermillion, South Dakota, and spent her youth in London, Ontario and Carbondale, Illinois. She is the second of four children. She learned to play guitar at the age of 10 and grew up listening to her father's collection of music, which included artists such as Peter Seeger and the Kingston Trio.
Colvin has been married twice, first to Simon Tassano in 1993 who she divorced in 1995 and photographer Mario Erwin in 1997 who she divorced in 2002.
Colvin moved to Austin, Texas and joined a Western swing band called the Dixie Diesels. She then entered "the folk circuit in Illinois and Berkeley", California before she "strained her voice" singing rock songs and took a sabbatical from singing at the age of 24.
Colvin later moved to New York City, joining the Buddy Miller Band in 1980. When Buddy Miller left the band it became The Shawn Colvin Band. With Buddy gone the band needed a lead guitarist and this led to her meeting John Leventhal. She later became involved in the Fast Folk cooperative of Greenwich Village. Over time she became progressively more popular on the new folk circuit and while participating in off-Broadway shows such as Diamond Studs, Pump Boys and Dinettes, and Lie of the Mind. She was featured in Fast Folk magazine, and in 1987, producer Steve Addabbo hired her to sing backup vocals on the song "Luka" by Suzanne Vega.
After touring with Suzanne Vega, Colvin was brought to the attention of Columbia Records by Addabbo and signed a recording contract with the label. Colvin released her debut album Steady On with her fellow songwriter and co-producer, John Leventhal in 1989. The album won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album and featured backing vocals by Vega. Colvin's second album Fat City was released in 1992 and received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Folk Recording. The song "I Don't Know Why" was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Female Pop Vocal category. In 1993 she moved back to the city of Austin and in 1994 released the album Cover Girl, a collection of cover songs. In 1995 Colvin released her album Live 88 which consisted of live recordings she had made in 1988.
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