New York City-Based Singer/Songwriter Clare Muldaur

Clare Muldaur

New York City-Based Singer/Songwriter Clare Muldaur

New York City-Based Singer/Songwriter Clare Muldaur was born on Martha's Vineyard, the daughter of a blues musician. When she was nine years old, she discovered Bessie Smith, who has become one of her chief influences. As a teenager, Muldaur won a scholarship for a summer program at Berklee College of Music in Boston. She returned to Berklee after high school, and studied jazz arranging and composition. She also joined her first band at that time, and started touring around the Northeast.

She then moved to LA, where she recorded her debut solo record Sweetheart (independent), which featured players like Greg Liesz (Joni Mitchell, Willie Nelson), Danny McGough (Tom Waits), David Jackson (Jennifer Warnes, Peter Case), and Lionel Loueke (Herbie Hancock).

Since then, Clare has moved to New York and worked as a backup singer for Sting, Bette Midler, Billy Joel, and others. She's also opened for Chris Smither, Richard Shindell, and Melissa Etheridge. Her songs have appeared on the FOX show Arrested Development, and she's released two more CDs to date.

I was lucky enough to wander into the Sidewalk Cafe in New York on a random night about two years ago, when Clare was performing with her band The Reasons. Everything about her performance - from the beauty of her voice to her lyrics, the tightness of the band, and Clare's overall stage presence was just fantastic.