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Fayssoux Starling McLean is an American country singer.
Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...
says "I've always loved Fayssoux's voice. She's one of my favorite singers."
Rodney Crowell Rodney Crowell (born August 7, 1950) is an American musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music. Crowell has had five number one singles on Hot Country Songs, all from his 1988 album '' Diamonds & Dirt''. ...
says "Charm, elegance, whippoorwills and Magnolia dewdrops: these are the things that come to mind when I hear Fayssoux sing."


Biography


Early history

Fayssoux grew up in
Spartanburg, South Carolina Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city had a population of 38,732 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in South Carolina, 11th ...
. Early musical influences included her parents' eclectic record album collection, bluegrass and country music on the radio, and her grandmother Mary Jane, who sang and played piano. Fayssoux preferred to sing harmony, rather than melody.


Emmylou Harris

While attending the University of Virginia, McLean met her soon-to-be husband John Starling. They lived in the Washington, D.C. area, where she taught speech therapy in public schools and John became a founding member of the Seldom Scene. One night, John visited a Georgetown club and brought Emmylou Harris home to meet Fayssoux. This was the first of a number of evening singing sessions, in which Fayssoux also met
Rodney Crowell Rodney Crowell (born August 7, 1950) is an American musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music. Crowell has had five number one singles on Hot Country Songs, all from his 1988 album '' Diamonds & Dirt''. ...
. Fayssoux and Emmylou became friends, and while continuing to work as a speech therapist, Fayssoux added harmony vocals to Emmylou's early
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
albums, including '' Luxury Liner'', ''
Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town ''Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town'' is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Emmylou Harris, released in 1978. The album reached No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' charts, with three charting singles: "To Daddy" (written by Dolly Part ...
'', ''
Elite Hotel ''Elite Hotel'' is the third studio album by American country music artist Emmylou Harris, released in 1975. ''Elite Hotel'' was Harris' second album to be released in 1975, preceded by the widely acclaimed '' Pieces of the Sky''. ''Elite Hotel'' ...
'' and ''
Pieces of the Sky ''Pieces of the Sky'' is the second studio album and major-label debut by American country music artist Emmylou Harris, released on February 7, 1975, through Reprise Records. Although she had released the obscure folk-styled '' Gliding Bird'' fi ...
''. She also sang duets with Harris on " Spanish is the Loving Tongue" and "Green Rolling Hills."


Later career

In 1993, Fayssoux dropped out of the music scene altogether, and returned to Spartanburg with her second husband E. T. McLean and their daughter, where she continued work as a school speech therapist. In 1997, Peter Cooper called her for an interview for his book ''Hub City Music Makers'', Fayssoux began singing harmony with Cooper at book signings, and eventually she began singing lead. Peter Cooper helped produce Fayssoux's first solo album, Early, featuring harmony vocals by Harris. Other guests on the album include David Ball,
Ricky Skaggs Rickie Lee Skaggs (born July 18, 1954), known professionally as Ricky Skaggs, is an American neotraditional country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, ma ...
, The Whites, and
Lloyd Green Lloyd Lamar Green (born October 4, 1937) is an American steel guitarist noted for his extensive country music recording session career in Nashville performing on 116 Chart Hit, No.1 Country music, country hits including Tammy Wynette's “D-I-V-O- ...
. Cooper also produced Fayssoux's second album ''I Can't Wait'' which features
Sierra Hull Sierra Dawn Hull (born September 27, 1991) is an American Bluegrass music, bluegrass singer-songwriter, mandolinist, and guitarist. Hull was signed to Rounder Records at the age of 13 and released her debut vocal album, ''Secrets'', in 2008 at ...
, Justin Moses, and Mark Fain. Both albums were released by Red Beet Records. Fayssoux sings and plays guitar in a duo with accompanist Brandon Turner and she also leads a band, the Bluegrass Messengers.


Discography


Solo albums

* 2008: ''Early'' ( Red Beet) * 2014: ''I Can't Walt'' (Red Beet)


With Emmylou Harris

* 1975: ''
Pieces of the Sky ''Pieces of the Sky'' is the second studio album and major-label debut by American country music artist Emmylou Harris, released on February 7, 1975, through Reprise Records. Although she had released the obscure folk-styled '' Gliding Bird'' fi ...
'' (
Reprise In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any re ...
) * 1975: ''
Elite Hotel ''Elite Hotel'' is the third studio album by American country music artist Emmylou Harris, released in 1975. ''Elite Hotel'' was Harris' second album to be released in 1975, preceded by the widely acclaimed '' Pieces of the Sky''. ''Elite Hotel'' ...
'' (
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
) * 1976: '' Luxury Liner'' (Warner Bros.) * 1978: ''
Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town ''Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town'' is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Emmylou Harris, released in 1978. The album reached No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' charts, with three charting singles: "To Daddy" (written by Dolly Part ...
'' (Warner Bros.) * 1979: '' Blue Kentucky Girl'' (Warner Bros.) * 1981: '' Cimarron'' (Warner Bros.)


Also appears on

* 1972: Mike Auldridge – ''Dobro'' ( Takoma) * 1974: Mike Auldridge – ''Blues and Blue Grass'' (Takoma) * 1976: The Rosslyn Mountain Boys – ''The Rosslyn Mountain Boys'' ( Adelphi Records) * 1977: Billy Joe Shaver – ''Gypsy Boy'' ( Capricorn) * 1977: John Starling – ''Long Time Gone'' ( Sugar Hill)


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Starling McLean, Fayssoux Living people American women country singers American bluegrass musicians Singers from South Carolina Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers Country musicians from South Carolina People from Spartanburg, South Carolina University of Virginia alumni