Karen Dalton was an American folk blues singer and musician, known for her unique interpretive style and her ruefully expressive voice which often drew comparisons to jazz great Billie Holiday. She was a significant figure in the 1960s New York folk scene, where she became a friend and admiration of fellow musicians like Bob Dylan and Fred Neil. Despite her marked influence on contemporary artists and devoted fan base, Karen Dalton's reluctance to record left her with a sparse but impactful discography that has grown in mythical stature over the years.

Born on July 19, 1937, in Bonham, Texas, Dalton eventually migrated to Greenwich Village, where she made a name for herself with her plaintive, soul-stirring delivery of folk and blues standards and sparse originals. Her two albums recorded during her lifetime, "It's So Hard To Tell Who's Going To Love You The Best" (1969) and the cult classic "In My Own Time" (1971), showcase her raw authenticity and intimate approach to music. Her life was marred with difficulties, which led her to eschew fame and the recording studio, contributing to her status as an enigmatic figure in folk music. Karen Dalton passed away in 1993, but posthumous releases like "1966", "Cotton Eyed Joe (Live in Boulder 1962)", and "Green Rocky Road" have since brought her evocative performances to new audiences, solidifying her legacy as a true artist's artist.

Genres

Ambient Folk

Drone Folk

Folk

Native American Traditional

New Weird America

Singer-songwriter

Related Artists

Joni Mitchell

Joan Baez

Vashti Bunyan

Nick Drake

Bob Dylan

Fred Neil

Tim Buckley

Townes Van Zandt

John Martyn

Lana Del Rey

Jeff Buckley

Leonard Cohen

Latest Release

Shuckin' Sugar

Karen Dalton

Album - 12 Tracks - Released May 6, 2022