Victoria Williams

Whether or not you dig her hit-or-miss woodsprite inflections, there is no denying Victoria Williams' brilliance as a songwriter. Happy Come Home (her 1987 solo debut) was received with open arms among the growing population of Americana enthusiasts. Her soulful songs and eccentric, high-toned vocals wowed Neil Young enough to put Williams on an opening slot for his 1992 tour. Unlike most of today's folkies, Williams never seemed to fit in with the prerequisite pomposity of the Singer-Songwriter set. She is more the Kris Kristofferson of the Americana world, in that she writes songs that have influenced her influences. Today Williams resides in the High Desert where she battles multiple sclerosis and plays music with her husband Mark Olsen (a former Jayhawk) in a folkie roots band called Original Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers.