由默契十足的Amy Ray以及Emily Sailers所组成的Indigo Girls，在国小就读期间两人就认识，因为彼此对音乐的爱好，让她们上了高中仍一起玩音乐，甚至组织起B-Band以及Sailers and Ray乐团。升上大学后两人纷纷到外地求学，却在思乡情切下，Amy及Emily又回到家乡念同一所大学，两人当下自1985年正式以Indigo Girls之名四处走唱。1987年发行首张独立厂牌专辑『Strange Fire』，以清新女生民谣二人组打动无数歌迷的心，同时期迅速窜起Suzanne Vega、Tracy Chapman等创作派新女声，引起Epic对Indigo Girls的兴趣，顺势签入旗下并推出首张主流厂同名专辑『Indigo Girls』，夺下全美流行专辑Top22，至今累积销售突破两百万张纪录，获得葛莱美「最佳新人」入围以及抱走「最佳当代民谣录音」奖项。整个90年代是Indigo Girls发光发热的巅峰期，虽然没有极为亮眼的排行佳绩撑腰，但是她们实实在在的有料音乐内涵，持续赢得各界赞扬。Amy及Emily也各自展开个人音乐计画，Amy创立Daemon Records音乐厂牌并签下多组优秀艺人，发行两张个人专辑，Emily则不断创作准备发行个人作品。转换新东家至Hollywood Records的Indigo Girls带出全新创作辑『Despite Our Differences』，请到Suzanne Vega前夫Mitchell Froom(Paul McCartney、Sheryl Crow、Bonnie Raitt)担任制作，发行首周空降全美流行专辑榜Top44。附着绝对轻快流行摇滚调性的”;Pendulum Swinger”;以及”;Lay My Head Down”;，谱入吉他为基调融和出人声与乐器合鸣的绝佳示范；嗓音全放的”;Rock And Roll Heaven’s Gate”;，在Amy及Emily默契十足的相互交唱下，更邀来流行摇滚界派对女王红粉佳人/Pink助阵，令人血脉喷张的让聆听着情绪逐步高涨，是首极为推荐的绝佳对唱曲；带着淡淡乡村民谣的”;Last Tears”;，则请到颇受瞩目的新生代创作才女Brandi Carlile助唱。成军超过20个年头的Indigo Girls，毫无畏惧后起新秀的威胁或是取代，以二人组合弹着清新吉他、哼着动人旋律，至今仍然在唱片公司全力支持下，不断有新作问世着。
While they came into prominence as part of the late-80s folky singer/songwriter revival, the Indigo Girls had staying power where other artists from the same era quickly faded. Their two-women-with-guitars formula may not seem very revolutionary on paper, but the combination of two distinct personalities and songwriting styles provided tension and an interesting balance. Emily Saliers, hailing from the more traditional Joni Mitchell school, had a gentler sound, was more complex musically, and leaned toward the abstract and spiritual. Meanwhile, Amy Ray drew heavily from the singer/songwriter aspects of punk rock, citing influences such as the Jam, the Pretenders, and Hüsker Dü for her more abrasive and direct approach. In a decade-plus of recording, they managed to garner respectable mainstream success and keep their rabid core following.
Amy Ray and Emily Saliers first took the name Indigo Girls while living in Atlanta in 1985, although they had been performing together since the early 80s, at times under the name the B-Band. In 1986, they recorded an independent self-titled EP and followed in 1987 with the full-length Strange Fire — only 7,000 copies were pressed and very little interest was generated. Things changed quickly in 1988 when, in the wake of the success of Suzanne Vega, Tracy Chapman, and 10,000 Maniacs, they seemed to fit nicely into the next big thing. Epic Records was quick to sign them.
Indigo Girls, released in 1989, was an excellent national debut. A guest vocal by R.E.M.s Michael Stipe (Kid Fears) gave them initial college radio credibility and the single Closer to Fine was a hit — the album eventually broke the Top 30 and earned a Grammy for Best Folk Recording that year. By the end of 1991, it achieved platinum sales. Strange Fire was reissued in the fall with a cover of Get Together, replacing one of the original tracks.
The follow-up, 1990s Nomads Indians Saints, didnt fare quite as well. It was nominated for a Grammy and eventually reached gold status, but the material wasnt nearly as strong. A live EP, Back on the Bus, YAll, was released in 1991 while they regrouped. It was also certified gold and was nominated for a Grammy.
In spring of 1992, they made a comeback with Rites of Passage, which debuted at number 22 and went platinum by the years end. The album showed an increasing diversity and some of their strongest songs to date. Almost exactly two years later, Swamp Ophelia was released and entered the charts at number nine; it went gold by the end of the year. A double live album, 1200 Curfews, was released in 1995 and the much awaited follow-up to Swamp Ophelia, Shaming of the Sun, followed in 1997. The duos next effort, Come on Now Social, appeared two years later.
2002s Become You was stripped down in comparison to the orchestration of the Girls more recent work, and 2004s All That We Let In was generally regarded as their strongest album in years. A rarities set appeared the following year, marking Saliers and Rays two decades together as Indigo Girls, and their last for Epic. Shortly thereafter, Saliers and Ray signed a five-album deal with Hollywood. The Mitchell Froom-produced Despite Our Differences followed in September 2006.
While they came into prominence as part of the late-80s folky singer/songwriter revival, the Indigo Girls had staying power where other artists from the same era quickly faded. Their two-women-with-guitars formula may not seem very revolutionary on paper, but the combination of two distinct personalities and songwriting styles provided tension and an interesting balance. Emily Saliers, hailing from the more traditional Joni Mitchell school, had a gentler sound, was more complex musically, and leaned toward the abstract and spiritual. Meanwhile, Amy Ray drew heavily from the singer/songwriter aspects of punk rock, citing influences such as the Jam, the Pretenders, and Hüsker Dü for her more abrasive and direct approach. In a decade-plus of recording, they managed to garner respectable mainstream success and keep their rabid core following.
Amy Ray and Emily Saliers first took the name Indigo Girls while living in Atlanta in 1985, although they had been performing together since the early 80s, at times under the name the B-Band. In 1986, they recorded an independent self-titled EP and followed in 1987 with the full-length Strange Fire — only 7,000 copies were pressed and very little interest was generated. Things changed quickly in 1988 when, in the wake of the success of Suzanne Vega, Tracy Chapman, and 10,000 Maniacs, they seemed to fit nicely into the next big thing. Epic Records was quick to sign them.
Indigo Girls, released in 1989, was an excellent national debut. A guest vocal by R.E.M.s Michael Stipe (Kid Fears) gave them initial college radio credibility and the single Closer to Fine was a hit — the album eventually broke the Top 30 and earned a Grammy for Best Folk Recording that year. By the end of 1991, it achieved platinum sales. Strange Fire was reissued in the fall with a cover of Get Together, replacing one of the original tracks.
The follow-up, 1990s Nomads Indians Saints, didnt fare quite as well. It was nominated for a Grammy and eventually reached gold status, but the material wasnt nearly as strong. A live EP, Back on the Bus, YAll, was released in 1991 while they regrouped. It was also certified gold and was nominated for a Grammy.
In spring of 1992, they made a comeback with Rites of Passage, which debuted at number 22 and went platinum by the years end. The album showed an increasing diversity and some of their strongest songs to date. Almost exactly two years later, Swamp Ophelia was released and entered the charts at number nine; it went gold by the end of the year. A double live album, 1200 Curfews, was released in 1995 and the much awaited follow-up to Swamp Ophelia, Shaming of the Sun, followed in 1997. The duos next effort, Come on Now Social, appeared two years later.
2002s Become You was stripped down in comparison to the orchestration of the Girls more recent work, and 2004s All That We Let In was generally regarded as their strongest album in years. A rarities set appeared the following year, marking Saliers and Rays two decades together as Indigo Girls, and their last for Epic. Shortly thereafter, Saliers and Ray signed a five-album deal with Hollywood. The Mitchell Froom-produced Despite Our Differences followed in September 2006.
