Biography
Camille West ranks among the most humorous singer/songwriters working in acoustic music today. Until lately she remained largely unrecognized beyond the Saratoga Springs, NY area. Although the late Lena Spencer of Cafe Lena offered encouragement, West devoted the bulk of her energy to raising sons Jason and Justin before stepping onto a stage for her initial open mic appearance in 1989.
Her trajectory shifted noticeably during the middle of the 1990s. A two-song performance in the new artists' showcase at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival during July 1994 resulted in listeners selecting her as one of the four most-wanted artists. Issued in 1995, her first record, Mother Tongue, featured numbers including "I'm Dyslexic," "Root Canal of the Heart," and "The Nervous Wreck of Edna Fitzgerald." On that release her singing and rhythm guitar work received support from leading acoustic players such as Tony Trischka on banjo, Jay Ungar on fiddle, John Roberts on English concertina, Peter Ecklund on cornet and flugelhorn, and Billy Novick on clarinet.
The pivotal opportunity arrived in August 1997 when she received an invitation to take Christine Lavin's place in the Four Bitchin' Babes. The debut concert she played with the ensemble, held at the Birchmere in Alexandra, VA, was captured and issued as the album Gabby Road. West contributed harmony vocals and served as the featured singer on fresh recordings of her own compositions "I'm Dyslexic," "The Nervous Wreck of Edna Fitzgerald," and "L.A.F.F. (Ladies Against Fanny Floss)."
Her trajectory shifted noticeably during the middle of the 1990s. A two-song performance in the new artists' showcase at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival during July 1994 resulted in listeners selecting her as one of the four most-wanted artists. Issued in 1995, her first record, Mother Tongue, featured numbers including "I'm Dyslexic," "Root Canal of the Heart," and "The Nervous Wreck of Edna Fitzgerald." On that release her singing and rhythm guitar work received support from leading acoustic players such as Tony Trischka on banjo, Jay Ungar on fiddle, John Roberts on English concertina, Peter Ecklund on cornet and flugelhorn, and Billy Novick on clarinet.
The pivotal opportunity arrived in August 1997 when she received an invitation to take Christine Lavin's place in the Four Bitchin' Babes. The debut concert she played with the ensemble, held at the Birchmere in Alexandra, VA, was captured and issued as the album Gabby Road. West contributed harmony vocals and served as the featured singer on fresh recordings of her own compositions "I'm Dyslexic," "The Nervous Wreck of Edna Fitzgerald," and "L.A.F.F. (Ladies Against Fanny Floss)."