Louise Taylor is an American

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

singer-songwriter from

Brattleboro Brattleboro (), originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The most populous municipality abutting Vermont's eastern border with New Hampshire, which is the Connecticut River, Brattleboro is located about no ...

, Vermont. An older brother gave her a guitar when she was twelve and at age 15 she left home, hitchhiking and busking her way around the United States. She started writing and performing her own songs, playing on street corners or wherever she could and eventually settled in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, near the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

, at the age of 20. Her song "Blue Norther" chronicled her experiences working as a waitress in a

cantina A cantina is a type of bar common in Latin America and Spain. The word is similar in etymology to " canteen", and is derived from the Italian word for a cellar, winery, or vault. In Italy, the word ''cantina'' refers to a room below the groun ...

there, and her encounters with the local

fishermen A fisher or fisherman is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishers and fish farmers. Fishers may be professional or recreati ...

.Wood, Arthur
Lousie Taylor: The Road From Vermont and Back.
''FolkWax E-zine''. Retrieved September 15, 2010. (Free with registration.) Taylor continued hitchhiking around the United States for two more years before returning to Vermont where she eventually started studying voice at

Bennington College Bennington College is a private liberal arts college in Bennington, Vermont. Founded in 1932 as a women's college, it became co-educational in 1969. It claims to be the first college to include visual and performing arts as an equal partner in ...

with voice teacher, Frank Baker. In 1992, she released her first album, ''Looking for Rivers'', a collection of ten originals with a folk and blues slant. Her songs appeared on several

Fast Folk ''Fast Folk Musical Magazine'' (originally known as ''The CooP'') was a combination magazine and record album published from February 1982 to 1997. The magazine acted as a songwriter/performer cooperative, and was an outlet for singer-songwriters ...

releases between 1993 and 1997. Taylor's sophomore release, ''Ruby Shoes'', was produced by

Will Ackerman William Ackerman (born November 16, 1949) is an American guitarist and record producer who founded Windham Hill Records. Career Early years Ackerman was born in Palo Alto, California. His adoptive father was a professor of English at Stanfor ...

, founder of the

Windham Hill Windham Hill Records was an independent record label that specialized in instrumental acoustic music. It was founded by guitarist William Ackerman and Anne Robinson (née McGilvray) in 1976 and was popular in the 1980s and 1990s. The label was ...

label, and in 1997

Signature Sounds Signature Sounds Recordings is an independent record label specializing in Americana and modern folk music. Jim Olsen and Mark Thayer founded the label in 1995 to promote acoustic musicians who were playing in Northampton, Massachusetts. Signatu ...

released her third album, ''Ride''. Her release, ''Velvet Town'', was co-produced with friend Annie Gallup in 2003. Her district rhythmic style was developed while busking on the streets. Taylor credits Ray Bonneville and Chris Smither for helping her to expand her fingerpicking style.Cuccaro, Richard
The Artist Paints Her Canvas.
''Acoustic Live'', October 2001. Her new album, ''Tangerine'', produced by Peter Gallway and Annie Gallup, was released in May 2012.

References

Discography

* ''Looking for Rivers'' (Blue Coyote Records, 1992) * ''Ruby Shoes'' (Signature Sounds, 1996) * ''Ride'' (Signature Sounds, 1997) * ''Written in Red'' (Signature Sounds, 2000) * ''Velvet Town'' (Signature Sounds, 2003) * ''Tangerine'' (Signature Sounds, 2012)

External links

Official website
American women singers Songwriters from Vermont Fast Folk artists American folk musicians American street performers People from Brattleboro, Vermont Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Signature Sounds artists 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American singers {{singer-songwriter-stub