1. Home
  2. Entertainment
  3. Folk Music

Gillian Welch

By Kim Ruehl, About.com

Gillian Welch

Gillian Welch

photo by Glen Rose
Description:
Bluegrass, Alternative Country, Singer/Songwriter
Comparisons:
Gillian Welch's style is so unique, it's hard to even make a comparison. Depending on the song, she could be compared to the likes of Lucinda Williams, June Carter, Dolly Parton, or Joan Armatrading, among others.
Trivia Fact:
Gillian has received four Grammy nominations, and four IBMA awards.
Starter CDs:
Revival (Almo Sounds, 1996). Hell Among the Yearlings (Almo Sounds, 1998). Time (The Revelator) (Acony, 2001). Soul Journey (Acony, 2003).
Quote from Gillian Welch :
"The spirit of the performance transcends the notes themselves."
Gillian Welch Biography:
Gillian was born in New York City in 1967, and was adopted the same day. When she was four years old, her family moved to Los Angeles, where she would grow up.

By the time she was seven years old, Gillian had developed an affinity for playing the guitar.

She attended the University of California at Santa Cruz, where she discovered bluegrass music. Later, she moved to Boston and enrolled at the Berklee College of Music. There she met David Rawlings, who she soon began dating. Rawlings later became her musical partner.

The duo moved to Nashville in 1992, where they decided to try to build a musical career. Four years later, Welch released her first recording, Revival, which won a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Since then, she has received several other Grammy nominations, as well as IBMA awards.

She has released three other records since Revival, and has contributed work to several compilations and soundtracks, including the soundtrack for the Coen Brothers Movie Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
Listen/Download Gillian Welch

Explore Folk Music
About.com Special Features

Is your favorite song on our list? More >

Get a jump on all the new dramas coming soon to your living room. More >

  1. Home
  2. Entertainment
  3. Folk Music
  4. Artists A-Z
  5. Artists S-Z
  6. Gillian Welch
  7. Gillian Welch - Biography and Profile of Gillian Welch

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.