Everything about Indigo Girls totally explained
Indigo Girls are an American
folk rock duo, consisting of
Amy Ray and
Emily Saliers. They got their start in
Atlanta as a regular act at The Little 5 Points Pub and were tangentially part of the
Athens, Georgia college rock scene that included
The B-52's,
Pylon,
R.E.M.,
The Georgia Satellites, and
Love Tractor.
The early years
The two women got to know each other as students at Laurel Ridge Elementary School in
DeKalb County, Georgia just outside of
Decatur, Georgia, but were not friends because Emily was a grade ahead of Amy. While attending Shamrock
High School, they grew closer, and started performing together, first as as the
B-Band and then as
Saliers and Ray. Saliers graduated and began attending
Tulane University. A year later, Ray graduated and began at
Vanderbilt University. Homesick, both returned to Georgia and transferred to
Emory University. By
1985, they began performing together again, this time as the
Indigo Girls. In an
NPR Talk of the Nation interview Mar 20th, 2007 Emily stated "...we needed a name and we went through the dictionary looking for words that struck us and
indigo was one..."
Their first release in 1985 was a seven-inch single called "
Crazy Game"; the
b-side was "Everybody's Waiting (for Someone to Come Home)". That same year, the Indigo Girls put out a six-track
self-titled EP and in
1987, released their first full-length album,
Strange Fire, recorded at
John Keane Studio in
Athens, Georgia, and including "Crazy Game". With this release, they secured the services of Russell Carter, who remains their manager to the present day; they'd first approached him when the EP was released, but he told them their songs were "immature" and they weren't likely to get a record deal.
Strange Fire apparently changed his mind.
Epic Records
The success of
10,000 Maniacs,
Tracy Chapman, and
Suzanne Vega encouraged
Epic Records to look for other female
singer-songwriters; Epic signed the duo in
1988. Their first major-label release, also titled
Indigo Girls, which charted at #22 on the
album chart, included a new version of "Land of Canaan", which was also on their 1985 EP and on
Strange Fire. Also on the self-titled release was their first hit "Closer To Fine" (an unlikely collaboration with Irish band
Hothouse Flowers), which charted at #52 on the
pop chart & #26 on the
modern rock chart. They even managed one week on the mainstream rock
Album-oriented rock chart at #48. In 1990, they won the
Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Recording. They were also nominated for Best New Artist, but lost to
Milli Vanilli, who eventually had the award revoked.
The second album,
Nomads Indians Saints, went gold in December 1991 and contained the hit song
Hammer and a Nail, a #12 modern rock track; it wasn't as successful as their first, which was certified platinum at about the same time. The Indigo Girls followed it with the live
Back on the Bus, Y'all.
1992's album
Rites of Passage was an enormous success, featuring
"Galileo," the duo's first top 10 modern rock track (#10). This was followed by
Swamp Ophelia in
1994, going platinum in September 1996, and charting at #9 on the
Billboard 200 album chart.
In 1995, the Indigo Girls released a live, double-CD,
1200 Curfews.
Shaming of the Sun appeared in 1997 followed by
Come on Now Social in 1999.
Shaming of the Sun debuted at number seven on the Billboard charts, driven by the duo's high profile contribution to the
Lilith Fair music festival tour. The track
Shame On You received more airplay at
adult alternative,
top 40 &
adult top 40 radio stations than any of their previous singles, although this seemed to be a peak in their crossover success.
2000 saw the release of
Retrospective, a compilation album with two new tracks, and in 2002 the Indigo Girls released
Become You, a full album of new songs which gained much critical acclaim and became a fan favorite. Their last
Epic studio album was
All That We Let In, released in
2004 with an accompanying tour. On
June 14,
2005 they released
Rarities, a collection of b-sides and rare tracks partially decided by fans' input, which fulfilled the album count obligation for their contract with Epic.
Hollywood Records
After departing Epic, the Indigo Girls signed a five record deal with
Hollywood Records, a label under
The Walt Disney Company. Their first Hollywood album,
Despite Our Differences, produced by
Mitchell Froom, was released on September 19th, 2006. John Metzger from MusicBox Online described Despite our Differences as "the most infectious, pop-infused set that the duo ever has managed to concoct. In fact, its melodies, harmonies, and arrangements are so ingratiating that the album carries the weight of an instant classic." Thom Jurekof from All Music Guide wrote: "part of an emotional journey as complete as can be. More relevant than anyone dared expect. It's accessible and moving and true. It's their own brand of rock & roll, hewn from over the years, that bears a signature that's now indelible. A moving, and utterly poetic offering."
Songwriting
Ray and Saliers don't ordinarily collaborate in writing songs. They write separately and work out the
arrangements together. There are a few exceptions, mostly unreleased songs from their early, pre-Epic days: "I don't know your name" and "If you live like that." "Blood Quantum," which appears on featured Ray's verses and chorus and Saliers's bridge. Finally, "I'll give you my skin," which appears both on
Tame Yourself (Benefit People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and on the Indigo Girls release
Rarities, is a collaborative work by Ray, Saliers and
Michael Stipe of
R.E.M.
Furthermore, Saliers and Ray usually write their songs without outside collaborators.
Solo projects
In 1990, Ray founded
Daemon Records, which has signed
Ellen James Society,
Kristen Hall,
Rose Polenzani,
Girlyman,
Nineteen Forty-Five,
Athens Boys Choir, and
James Hall among others.
Ray has put out three solo albums, entitled
Stag,
Prom, and
Live From Knoxville, through Daemon. She has toured with both
the Butchies and her band
the Volunteers. Her fourth solo album,
Didn't It Feel Kinder, is scheduled for release on July 22, 2008.
Saliers is also planning a solo album, and is co-owner of
Watershed Restaurant
in
Decatur, Georgia, along with her life partner and two of their friends. Saliers also co-founded the
Flying Biscuit Cafe in
Atlanta, Georgia. In 2005, Emily Saliers and her father,
Don Saliers, a
theology professor at
Candler School of Theology at
Emory University, released the book
A Song to Sing, A Life to Live: Reflections on Music as Spiritual Practice. They promoted the release of the book together including several days of speaking and performing together at the
Washington National Cathedral College in
Washington D.C.
Appearances in other media
Ray and Saliers appeared in the latter half of the feature film
Boys on the Side, playing short excerpts from their songs "Joking" and "Southland in the Springtime," as well as singing "Feliz Cumpleaños" (
"Happy Birthday" in
Spanish) with the gathered group of friends during the birthday cake scene, and standing on the far side of several shots over the next few scenes. Neither had any spoken lines. The duo also appear in the 2006 documentary
Wordplay, where they discuss their reaction to appearing in a
New York Times crossword puzzle and then begin to solve one together.
Ray and Saliers performed onstage in the 1994 revival of
Jesus Christ Superstar in
Atlanta, titled
Jesus Christ Superstar: A Resurrection. Amy Ray played the role of
Jesus and Emily Saliers played the role of
Mary Magdalene. They later reprised their roles in stagings of the musical in
Austin, at the
South by Southwest (SXSW) festival, and in
Seattle.
The Indigo Girls are mentioned in
Stephen King's book
Rose Madder. They are depicted playing at a picnic for a
women's shelter.
Personal lives
Both Ray and Saliers have long identified themselves as
lesbians, although Saliers prefers
gay because, she says, "lesbian has three syllables!" They have never been a couple. Ray has had long-term relationships with musician
Cooper Seay and feminist author
Jennifer Baumgardner, and is currently in a relationship with documentary filmmaker
Carrie Schrader. Because of their engagements for
LGBT rights, they're regarded as icons of the movement.
Political activism
The Indigo Girls have been active politically and musically. Among others, they've championed the causes of
the environment,
gay rights, the rights of
Native Americans and the
National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. For many years they incorporated a recycling and public outreach program into their road tours by including Greenpeace representative Stephanie Fairbanks in their road crew. They helped establish
Honor the Earth, an organization dedicated to creating support and education for Native environmental issues. Amy and Emily have also appeared at the annual
SOA Watch rallies, the
March for Women's Lives, and several other rallies and protests.
In 2006, the Indigo Girls were featured in artist
P!nk's album,
I'm Not Dead in the song, "
Dear Mr. President", which has been regarded as a political statement to
George W. Bush about poverty,
LGBT rights,
abortion rights, and the
No Child Left Behind Act.
During June 2007, the Indigo Girls were a part of the multi-artist
True Colors Tour 2007,, on the tour's
Las Vegas stop, which benefitted the
Human Rights Campaign and other organizations that provide support to the
GLBT community.
Discography
Albums
- Strange Fire (1987, independent 11-song version, re-released 1989 in major-label 10-song version) U.S. #159
- Indigo Girls (1989) U.S #22
- Nomads Indians Saints (1990) U.S #43
- Back on the Bus, Y'all (Live EP, 1991)
- Rites of Passage (1992) U.S #21
- Swamp Ophelia (1994) U.S #9, U.K #66
- 4.5 (Compilation, UK only, 1995) U.K #43
- 1200 Curfews (Live, 1995) U.S #40
- Shaming of the Sun (1997) U.S #7, U.K #81
- Come On Now Social (1999) U.S #34
- Retrospective (compilation, 2000) U.S #128
- Become You (2002) U.S #30
- All That We Let In (2004) U.S #35
- Rarities (2005) U.S #182
- Despite Our Differences (2006) U.S #44
Singles
Live recording circulation
Indigo Girls allow fans to tape their shows,
(External Link) and appropriately gathered recordings can be traded, obtained for free from a number of sources, including the
Lifeblood and
WorldFalls fan sites.
Sound samples
of a live cover of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song"Further Information
Get more info on 'Indigo Girls'.
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