Robin Holcomb

Drawing inspiration from her childhood in Georgia, her work among avant-garde musicians in New York, and her stints in both California and New York, Robin Holcomb developed into a critically acclaimed singer/songwriter showcased by the Nonesuch label. After attending the University of Santa Cruz, she moved to New York with her husband, Wayne Horvitz, and co-founded Studio Henry, a performance outlet where she gave poetry readings and concerts. She also wrote big band pieces for the New York Composers Orchestra, which she co-founded with Horvitz. They relocated to Seattle in 1988 and she began transitioning into a singer/songwriter role with the premiere of her musical theater work Angels at the Four Corners, which featured storytelling with songs, some of which Holcomb sang. Some of that material appeared on her self-titled debut album in 1990. Her 1992 follow-up, Rockabye, continued in much of the same vein as the debut, with literate story-songs set against a backdrop of folk-inspired music. 1996's Little Three went in a different direction as a mostly instrumental piano album. She returned with her first collection of songs in a decade with 2002's Big Time, which featured a number of big-name guest artists, including Bill Frisell, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, and violist Eyvind Kang. Solos, a split album with Wayne Horvitz, appeared from Songlines in 2004. John Brown's Body was issued by Tzadik in 2006. ~ Stacia Proefrock, All Music Guide