Linda Chorney

For three decades Linda Chorney has earned her livelihood as a performing musician. Blending pop with American roots traditions such as folk, blues, rock, and R&B defines her sound. At twenty-one a Key West, Florida club owner overheard her singing on the Mallory Square dock and booked her for that night’s set in his venue; the enthusiastic response launched a continuous string of live dates. A household rich in music shaped her early years, with a mother who worked as a concert pianist, a grandfather on mandolin, and a great aunt who performed opera. Piano study began at age four, guitar at ten, and songwriting at twelve, so that by the moment of her discovery she already possessed enough original material for multiple sets. After the Key West engagement she formed a band that played covers in biker bars while slipping in a handful of originals. Over time the itinerary expanded to varied rooms, the originals steadily displacing covers until the latter became rare. Intermittent touring across twenty-five years has taken her to all seven continents. She performed for Nelson Mandela in Boston following his release from prison, before a crowd of 250,000 that also featured Paul Simon, Jackson Browne, and other major artists.

Chorney oversees production of her own recordings and operates her independent label, recently titled Dance More Less War Records, a name she changes periodically. The first release, the cassette-only Not Too Angry, appeared in 1990; Not Angry Anymore followed on cassette in 1992, each copy containing artwork she inserted by hand. My Blunt Instrument, a raw rock-centered album, arrived as her debut CD in 1995. Subsequent projects include Racing with Reality in 1998, the demo collection Me So Chorney in 2001, 1 Kiss at a Time in 2005, Chornographey in 2008, and Emotional Jukebox in 2010. A 2001 association with the independent McGoldtone label yielded a re-recording of “Living Alone,” originally from Racing with Reality; the single reached number 31 on the adult-contemporary chart. Major-label meetings planned for New York on September 11, 2001, dissolved in the aftermath of the attacks.

Hearing loss in the upper register from 1980s band performances prompted a shift to acoustic presentation, yet her outgoing personality, playful charisma, and commanding vocal and songwriting skills continued to command attention. In 2003 she met Dr. Jonathan Schneider, who became an ardent supporter; in 2010 he financed the album she had long envisioned. The resulting double-disc Emotional Jukebox employed top session players and spans folk, rock, blues, country, and Americana, with its second disc devoted to the classical work “Mother Nature Symphony.” Intended as a farewell recording, the project took a different turn when one of the musicians urged her to join NARAS and submit the album for Grammy consideration. Emotional Jukebox entered the Americana category while individual tracks competed in R&B, Country, and Best Original Composition with Vocals fields. Chorney then appealed directly to NARAS members via the Grammy365 network. The long-shot campaign succeeded, placing her alongside Ry Cooder, Emmylou Harris, Levon Helm, and Lucinda Williams and prompting reactions that ranged from praise to charges of manipulation.

Given the decade-long effort the Americana Association had invested to establish a category meant to celebrate outsiders and unknowns, some observers viewed the response to Chorney’s nomination as self-interested. The ensuing publicity produced nationwide articles and interviews. Post-nomination bookings increased at higher fees, and sales of her CDs, sold chiefly at shows and through digital outlets, rose noticeably. Whether or not she prevailed at the 2012 Grammys, the nomination and surrounding debate delivered the national visibility she had pursued throughout her career.