Musician
Shawn Colvin
Notes from Evan Smith
"Austinite Shawn Colvin has gone through a lot of changes since her first album debut. From turning 40, getting married to having a child -- the Grammy--winning singer/songwriter has a lot more to sing about these days. The South Dakota native's first big hit was in 1996 with A Few Small Repairs. Five years later she released Whole New You. In 1989, Shawn Colvin's career took off when she dazzled critics with her debut Steady On, which earned her a Best Contemporary Folk Album Grammy. But it would be another seven years before A Few Small Repairs and its Song of the Year-Grammy "Sunny Came Home." It was another five years before she released a hit album and once again critics were wild about her work. Whole New You, which was released in 2001, is her most recent work. In between Colvin's album releases she tours and in 1998 she released an album of holiday songs and lullabies -- a tribute to her daughter who was born that year. Colvin began playing the guitar as a young girl in Vermillion, S.D. Her family relocated to Carbondale, Illinois where Colvin graduated from high school and attended Southern Illinois University. Shawn moved to Austin and joined the Dixie Diesels. She later moved to San Francisco and then to New York where she joined the Buddy Miller Band. While in New York, Shawn met up with John Leventhal who eventually became her longtime writing partner and producer. After playing in a couple rock bands, Colvin returned to her folksy roots and quickly gained a following in the East Coast folk scene. In 1987, she got a recording contract with Columbia Records and later released Steady On. In 1994, she released Cover Girl, which also earned a Grammy nomination. Although Colvin is busy with her family, she tells Evan Smith that she works hard to balance her work and family lives." - Evan Smith, Texas Monthly Talks, Broadcast 6.12.03
