Christine Collister

Christine Collister is one of the most respected female vocalists in contemporary British folk-rock. Although she first attracted attention as a member of Richard Thompson's band in the late 1980s and then in a duo that she shared with Clive Gregson, the former leader of British rock band Any Trouble, she's continued to make her presence felt since embarking on a solo career in 1992. Collister made her earliest mark as the singer of the theme song of the popular BBC Television series The Life and Loves of a She Devil. Meeting Gregson, who was playing backup guitar in Thompson's band, in 1985, she was quickly recruited as a harmony singer, touring with the group until 1988. Gregson and Collister's debut album as a duo, Home and Away, was a homemade cassette sold at their shows; it was later reissued by Flying Fish. The duo released their first full-fledged album, Mischief, in 1987, following it with the all-original album A Change in the Weather in 1989, and Love is a Strange Hotel, a collection of their favorite songs, in 1990. Their final album together, The Last Word, was released in 1992. Collister has continued to balance her solo career with a variety of projects. In 1992, she joined with Barb Jungr, Michael Parker and Ian Shaw in a four-part harmony show, Hell Bent Heaven Bound. In addition to a crowd-rousing performance at the Winnepeg Folk Festival in 1993, the show was presented during a sold-out tour of the United Kingdom. After touring with Richard Thompson in 1995, Collister joined a supergroup of British female performers, Daphne's Flight, that also featured Melanie Harrold, Julie Matthews, Helen Watson and Chris While. The group recorded a self-titled album in 1996. Collister's debut solo album, Live, was recorded during a 1994 concert in her hometown....