Claire Holley

A singer and songwriter, Claire Holley delivers vocals that combine warmth and gentleness with surprising force, alongside lyrics marked by compassion, tenderness, and intelligence that avoid any hint of affectation. Born in rural Mississippi, she learned the ukulele on her own as a child, and her interest in guitar grew from repeated listens to one of her parents’ preferred recordings, The Atkins-Travis Traveling Show by Chet Atkins and Merle Travis. As a teenager she felt ready to perform at clubs in nearby Jackson, MS; after moving to Chicago, IL, for college she immersed herself more deeply in music. There she began composing her own songs and made her earliest demo recordings with friends inside a modest campus studio. An introduction to producer John Plymale resulted in the tracks that formed her first self-released album, Night Air, issued in 1997. Plymale also assisted on her second project, the traditional gospel collection Sanctuary. In 2001 she signed with the independent Yep Rock label and issued her self-titled third album. For her fourth release, Dandelion, which appeared in 2003, she worked with Steve Graham and Rob Seals to achieve a warmer, more natural studio sound.