Ed Alkalay

A singer and songwriter whose style fuses elements of folk, country, and soft rock, Ed Alkalay resides in Washington, D.C. Born in Mountainside, NJ, he spent his formative years in and around New York City. While still in high school he started composing and performing original material, then went on to study English and Philosophy at the University of New York at Albany before committing to music as a profession. Beginning in 1991 he played regularly throughout New York City, eventually securing a devoted audience at Fast Folk Cafe, the venue run by the editors of Fast Folk magazine—an audio periodical known for releasing anthologies of emerging acoustic performers whose roster of discoveries includes Shawn Colvin, Suzanne Vega, and Tracy Chapman. In addition to securing consistent stage time there, Alkalay saw his composition “I Never Rode a Freight Train” included on the 1995 compilation New Faces in NYC. American Songwriter Magazine also recognized his writing when the song “A Two-Faced Lady and a Two-Timin’ Man” earned an Honorable Mention in the publication’s 2001 Lyric Contest, and he took second place in the Songwriter’s Drive-In Songwriting Contest the same year. After living briefly in Boston, he moved to Washington, D.C., by 1996 and released his debut album, Diamond Chain, on his independent label that year; the follow-up Turning Dorian Gray appeared in 2001. Beyond his solo work, Alkalay plays with the D.C.-based roots-rock group Liquid Poodle and applies his skills as a music therapist working with autistic individuals.