  Shawn Colvin was born January
10, 1958 in South Dakota. Shawn's road to
stardom seemed to come out of nowhere in 1997
with the sudden pop success of "Sunny Came Home," but Shawn's
legacy in folk/rock music had already given
her a strong fan base and critical acclaim.
As a child, Shawn was learning to play the
guitar at age 10 and starring in The King
And I in her teens. In college in
Illinois, Shawn played hard rock with the
Shawn Colvin Band. When neither studying or
hard rock was making any waves, Shawn moved
to Texas and joined the Dixie Diesels - and
then 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.
Shawn was performing solo and
gaining exposure including being asked to
sing backup on Suzanne
Vega's breakthrough hit
"Luka." Shawn's connection with
Vega led to a European tour with Vega and a
record contract with Columbia Records.
 Steady
On
was released. On the debut LP, Shawn received
help from Suzanne
Vega and Bruce Hornsby. Favorites on the LP
include the title track, "Diamond In The
Rough," "Shotgun Down The
Avalanche," and "Something To
Believe In" and displayed Shawn's knack
for combining folk, country, and rock.
Shawn won a New York Music Award
for Best Debut Female Vocalist.
Shawn won a Grammy
Award for Best Contemporary Folk
Album (Steady
On).
 Fat
City was released and included
appearances by Joni Mitchell and Bruce Hornsby.
Shawn was nominated for 2 Grammy
Awards for Best Contemporary Folk
Recording (Fat
City) and Best
Female Pop Vocal Performance ("I Don't Know
Why").
 Cover
Girl was released with some
live tracks and cover tunes (including a
cover of The Police's "Every Little
Thing She Does Is Magic") and a duet
with Mary-Chapin Carpenter
on "One Cool Remove." Q
magazine called the LP, "excellent... a
sensitive interpreter of folk, country and
rock..."
Shawn was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary
Folk Album (Cover
Girl).
 Shawn re-released Live
'88 a collection of performances
from Boston which originally was distributed
as an independent release and helped Shawn
land her record contract. "This live
tape, or live CD, has no production on it -
it's me and an acoustic guitar in a theater
and.. that's it!"
 Shawn's biggest commercial
success came with the release of A
Few Small Repairs. Shawn was once again
working with Leventhal for the first time
since her debut LP. The LP contained the hits
"Sunny Came Home," "You And
The Mona Lisa," and "Nothin' On
Me" (later used as the theme song for
the TV show, Suddenly Susan). Q
magazine said of the LP: "... Shawn
confirms her position as a major vocalist
with emotive phrasing and poignant
lyrics..."
 Shawn appeared on the soundtrack
for One
Fine Day with "Someone Like
You."
 # 14
Singles Artist of the Year
Shawn was nominated for 2 Grammy Awards for Best Pop Album (A
Few Small Repairs) and Best Female Pop
Vocal Performance ("Get Out Of This
House").
 Shawn hit the Top 40 with "Sunny Came Home."
Shawn contributed the track
"All Through The Night" to the Carnival:
Rainforest Foundation Concert compilation to benefit
the rainforests.
Shawn hit the Top 10 with "Sunny Came Home."
While A
Few Small Repairs slowly began
gaining commercial success and "Sunny Came Home" hit the Top 3 on
the pop charts, Shawn toured on her own and
with the Lilith Fair.
"Sunny Came Home" topped the
Billboard Hot 100 Singles Airplay chart for 4
weeks.
"Sunny Came Home" topped the
Billboard Adult Contemporary chart for 4
weeks.
Shawn hit the Top 40 with "You And The Mona Lisa."
 # 107
Singles Artist of the Year
Shawn won 2 more Grammy Awards including
the coveted Record of the Year and Song of
the Year (songwriter) ("Sunny Came Home" with John
Leventhal).
Shawn hit the Top 40 with "Nothin' On Me."
Shawn's next big achievement
came on July 24th - the birth of her first
child - a baby girl, Caledonia Marie Colvin.
pregnant.
 Shawn's next LP was a holiday LP
called Holiday
Songs & Lullabies which she recorded
while pregnant.
In the summer, Shawn performed
again at some of the Lilith Fair dates.
 Shawn toured throughout the
summer beginning in June in Iowa and opened
several dates for Sting.
Shawn released Whole
New You.
 Shawn released Polaroids:
A Greatest Hits Collection.
# 422 on the Top Pop Artists
of the Past 25 Years chart.
 Shawn released These
Four Walls.
Shawn could be heard on the
tribute LP Born
To Breed: A Tribute To Judy Collins on the track
"Secret Gardens."
 The LP Live was released.
Shawn was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary
Folk Album (Live).
 Shawn released All
Fall Down.
|
Steady On
Released: October, 1989
Billboard
peak:
# 111
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks: "Steady
On" - "Diamond In The
Rough" - "Shotgun Down The
Avalanche" - "Stranded" -
"Another Long One" - "Cry
Like An Angel" - "Something To
Believe In" - "The Story"
- "Ricochet In Time" -
"The Dead Of The Night" |
|
Fat City
Released: October, 1992
Billboard
peak:
# 142
Rolling Stone
review:
Tracks:
"Polaroids" -
"Tennessee" - "Tenderness
On The Block" - "Round Of
Blues" - "Monopoly" -
"Orion In The Sky" -
"Climb On (A Back That's
Strong)" - "Set The Prairie On
Fire" - "Object Of My
Affection" - "Kill The
Messenger" - "I Don't Know
Why" |
|
Cover Girl
Released: August, 1994
Billboard
peak:
# 48
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks: "Every
Little Thing He Does Is Magic" -
"(Looking For) The Heart Of Saturday
Night" - "One Cool Remove"
- "Satin Sheets" -
"There's A Rugged Road" -
"Killing The Blues" -
"Window To The World" -
"Someday" -
"Twilight" - "If These
Walls Could Speak" - "This Must
be The Place (Naive Melody)" -
"You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When
You Go" |
|
Live '88
Re-Released: September, 1995
Live Tracks: "Diamond In
The Rough" - "Shotgun Down The
Avalanche" - "I Don't Know
Why" - "Cry Like An Angel"
- "Ricochet In Time" -
"Another Long One" -
"Stranded" - "Something To
Believe In" - "Don't You Think
I Feel It Too" - "Kathy's
Song" - "Knowing What I Know
Now" |
iTunes
Amazon.mp3 |
A Few Small Repairs
Released: October, 1996
US: Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 39
Tracks: "Sunny Came Home" - "Get
Out Of This House" - "Facts
About Jimmy" - "You And The Mona
Lisa" - "Trouble"
- "I Want It Back" - "If I
Were Brave" - "Wichita
Skyline" - "84,000 Different
Delusions" - "Suicide
Alley" - "New Thing Now" -
"Nothin' On Me" |
|
Holiday Songs &
Lullabies
Released: October, 1998
Billboard
peak:
# 181
Tracks: "In The
Bleak Midwinter" - "Christmas
Time Is Here" - "Now The Day Is
Over" - "Rocking" -
"Windy Nights" - "All
Through The Night" - "Love Came
Down At Christmas" - "Silent
Night" - "All The Pretty Lil
Horses" - "Little Road To
Bethlehem" - "Seal
Lullaby" - "Evening Is A Little
Boy / The Night Will Never Stay" -
"Christ Child's Lullaby" -
"Close Your Eyes" |
|
Whole New You
Released: March, 2001
Billboard
peak:
# 101
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks: "Matter Of
Minutes" - "Whole New You"
- "Nothing Like You" -
"Anywhere You Go" -
"Bonefields" - "Another
Place Went Down" - "Bound To
You" - "Roger Wilco" -
"Mr. Levon" - "One Small
Year" - "I'd Say I'm Sorry
Now" |
|
Polaroids: A Greatest
Hits Collection
Released: November, 2004
Tracks: "Steady
On" - "Diamond In The
Rough" - "Shotgun Down The
Avalanche" - "Round Of
Blues" - "Polaroids" -
"I Don't Know Why" -
"Every Little Thing He Does Is
Magic" - "This Must Be The
Place (Naive Melody)" - "Sunny Came Home" - "You And The Mona
Lisa" - "Get Out Of
This House" - "The Facts About
Jimmy" - "Whole New You" -
"A Matter Of Minutes" -
"I'll Be Back" |
|
These Four Walls
Released: September, 2006
Billboard
peak:
# 109
Entertainment
Weekly: A-
Tracks: "Fill Me
Up" - "These Four Walls" -
"Tuff Kid" - "Summer
Dress" - "Cinnamon Road" -
"Venetian Blue" - "The
Bird" - "I'm Gone" -
"Let It Slide" - "Even
Here We Are" - "So Good To See
You" - "That Don't Worry Me
Now" - "Words" |
 |
Live
Released: June, 2009
Live Tracks:
"Polaroids" - "Matter Of
Minutes" - "Shotgun Down The
Avalanche" - "Twilight" -
"Trouble" -
"Tennessee" - "Nothing
Like You" - "Sunny Came Home" - "Fill
Me Up" - "Wichita Skyline"
- "I'm Gone" - "Ricochet
In Time" - "Diamond In The
Rough" - "Crazy" -
"This Must Be The Place (Naive
Melody)" |
|
All Fall Down
Released: June, 2012
Tracks: "All Fall
Down" - "American
Jerusalem" - "Knowing What I
Know Now" - "Seven Times The
Charm" - "Anne Of The Thousand
Days" - "The Neon Lights Of The
Saints" - "Change Is On The
Way" - "I Don't Know You"
- "Fall Of Rome" - "Up On
That Hill" - "On My Own" |
iTunes
Amazon.mp3
vinyl |
Uncovered
Released: September 25,
2015
Tracks: "Tougher
Than The Rest" - "American
Tune" - "Baker Street"
(featuring David Crosby) - "Hold
On" - "I Used To Be A
King" - "Private Universe"
- "Heaven Is Ten Zillion Light Years
Away" - "Gimme A Little
Sign" (featuring Marc Cohn) -
"Acadian Driftwood" -
"Lodi" - "Not A Drop Of
Rain" - "'Til I Get It
Right" |
iTunes
Amazon.mp3
vinyl |
Colvin & Earle (with Steve
Earle)
Released: June 10, 2016
Tracks: "Come What
May" - "Tell Moses" -
"Tobacco Road" - "Ruby
Tuesday" - "The Way That We
Do" - "You Were On My
Mind" - "You're Right (I'm
Wrong)" - "Raise The Dead"
- "You're Still Gone" -
"Someday" - "That Don't
Worry Me Now" - "Baby's In
Black" |
| Note: Song title and
position links lead you to the song's Top
40 chart run (from the ARC Weekly Top
40)
and LP links take you to Amazon.com for that LP (often
including track listings and sound
samples). |
|
|
