Legacy: A Collection of New Folk Music
Encyclopedia
Legacy II: A Collection of Singer-songwriters
The second volume was released several years after the first. As Will Ackerman's liner notes explain:When we released the first volume of Legacy, we were documenting the resurgence of a new folk musicFolk musicFolk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
and the singer-songwriterSinger-songwriterSinger-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
. Tracy ChapmanTracy ChapmanTracy Chapman is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her singles "Fast Car", "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution", "Baby Can I Hold You", "Give Me One Reason" and "Telling Stories". She is a multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award-winning artist.-Biography:Tracy Chapman was born in Cleveland,...
and Suzanne VegaSuzanne VegaSuzanne Nadine Vega is an American songwriter and singer known for her eclectic folk-inspired music.Two of Vega's songs reached the top 10 of various international chart listings: "Luka" and "Tom's Diner"...
heralded this renaissance and new voices like John GorkaJohn GorkaJohn Gorka is a contemporary American folk musician. In 1991, Rolling Stone magazine called him "the preeminent male singer-songwriter of what has been dubbed the New Folk Movement."-Biography:...
are emerging as part of the next wave. Four of the artists on Legacy went on to
major label distribution recording deals. And far from being a flash in the pan this musical movement is very much alive and
flourishing. The intelligent lyric is back. The singer-songwriter is very much a force again in today's music scene. Legacy II presents some of the finest emerging talents now recording. You'll be hearing more from them, but this may be where you discover them first.
The first compilation also resulted in the formation of a new branch at Windam Hill
Windham Hill Records
Windham Hill Records is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment specializing in Acoustic, New Age and Folk music. Originally founded in 1976 as an Independent record label by guitarist and carpenter William Ackerman and his then-wife Anne Robinson, Windham Hill was a successful and well-respected...
, High Street Records
High Street Records
High Street Records was a subsidiary label of Windham Hill Records from about 1990 to 1997. Notable acts who recorded for the label include John Gorka, Pierce Pettis, Patty Larkin, The Subdudes, and Dots Will Echo...
, a label that was to do for singer-songwriters what Windam Hill had done for new age music
New Age music
New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...
. This second disc was introduced as a High Street Records release. High street also signed deals with some of the artist from the first compilation such as John Gorka
John Gorka
John Gorka is a contemporary American folk musician. In 1991, Rolling Stone magazine called him "the preeminent male singer-songwriter of what has been dubbed the New Folk Movement."-Biography:...
and Pierce Pettis
Pierce Pettis
- Biography :A former staff writer for PolyGram Publishing in Nashville, Pettis' musical career was started in 1979 when Joan Baez covered one of his songs, "Song at the End of the Movie", on her album Honest Lullaby...
.
Track listing
- "Tango" – Patty LarkinPatty LarkinPatty Larkin is a Boston-based singer-songwriter. redefines the boundaries of folk-urban pop music with her inventive guitar wizardry and uncompromising vocals and lyrics...
- "Ashes to Dust" – Ellis PaulEllis PaulEllis Paul is an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. Born in Aroostook County, Maine, Paul is a key figure in what has become known as the Boston school of songwriting, a literate, provocative and urbanely romantic folk-pop style that helped ignite the folk revival of the 1990s...
- "Gloria" – Heidi BerryHeidi BerryHeidi Berry is an American singer-songwriter who recorded for Creation Records and 4AD in the late 1980s and 1990s.-Biography:Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1958, Berry's mother was a jazz singer with French-Canadian roots, and her father was an actor. Her mother re-married and the family moved...
- "Who Woulda Thunk It" – Greg Brown
- "I Write the Book" – Patty GriffinPatty GriffinPatty Griffin, born Patricia Jean Griffin, March 16, 1964, is an American Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and musician. She is especially known for her down-home crafting of songs and her connection to musicians including Emmylou Harris, Ellis Paul, and the Dixie Chicks, who have played with...
- "What Could I Add to That" – Frank Tedesso
- "Slow Justice" – Paul Metsa
- "Damn Everything But the Circus" (Jonatha BrookeJonatha BrookeJonatha Brooke is an American folk rock singer-songwriter and guitarist from Illinois.Her music merges elements of folk, rock and pop, often with poignant lyrics and complex harmonies...
) – The StoryThe Story (band)The Story was an early 1990s folk-rock duo composed of Jonatha Brooke and Jennifer Kimball.-History:The folk-pop duo The Story consisted of Jonatha Brooke and Jennifer Kimball, who first met each other in 1981 while freshmen at Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts... - "Look Over Your Shoulder" – Mark HeardMark HeardJohn Mark Heard was a record producer, folk-rock singer, and songwriter originally from Macon, Georgia, USA....
- "Omaha Nebraska" – Doug Mathews
- "Arrow" – Cheryl WheelerCheryl WheelerCheryl Wheeler is an American singer-songwriter of contemporary folk music, based in New England. To date, she has recorded several folk albums, and has toured extensively throughout the United States....
- "Joey's Car" – Tony GilkysonTony GilkysonTony Gilkyson is an Los Angeles based musician. He is the son of songwriter and folk musician Terry Gilkyson and Jane Gilkyson. He is the brother of guitarist Eliza Gilkyson.-Career:...
- "The Good Little Children" – Dots Will EchoDots Will EchoDots Will Echo is an indie rock group formed in the late 80's. The band consisted of Nick Berry, Bob Albanese and Steve Meltzer.-History:Musician William Ackerman produced and released Dots Will Echo's first official album Dots Will Echo in 1991 on High Street Records...
(as Nick Berry)