Priscilla Herdman (born February 11, 1948) is an American folk singer, whom ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' called "one of the clearest and most compelling voices of

contemporary folk music Contemporary folk music refers to a wide variety of genres that emerged in the mid-20th century and afterwards which were associated with traditional folk music. Starting in the mid-20th century, a new form of popular folk music evolved from trad ...

." Although she has written songs, she is notable chiefly for her interpretations of other artists' work.

Early life

Born in

Eastchester, New York Eastchester is a town in southern Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was over 34,641 at the 2020 United States census over 32,363 at the 2010 census. There are two villages within the town: Bronxville and Tuckahoe. The ...

in 1948, she attended the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

, finishing her studies at the

Fashion Institute of Technology The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college under the State University of New York, in New York City. It focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. It was founded in ...

in New York. While working in the fashion industry, she began to play in the coffeehouses of

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...

and the church basements of the

Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper We ...

, and toured in Europe. In 1976, she moved to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

and decided to become a professional singer.

Music career

Her first album, ''The Water Lily'', was released in 1977, on the Philo label. In 1980, her second album, ''Forgotten Dreams'', consisting mainly of covers of songs by contemporary North American songwriters, was released on the

Flying Fish The Exocoetidae are a family (biology), family of Saltwater fish, marine Actinopterygii, ray-finned fish in the order (biology), order Beloniformes, known colloquially as flying fish or flying cod. About 64 species are grouped in seven genus, ge ...

label. In 1982, Herdman left Philadelphia and moved to the small rural community of

Pine Plains, New York Pine Plains is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 2,218 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from the geographic character of the region. The hamlet of Pine Plains is on the northern border of the county. ...

, where she met her husband, Dick Hermans. In 1983 she then released her third album, ''Seasons of Change''. To date, Herdman has released 12 albums, including several in a trio with Anne Hills and Cindy Mangsen.

Discography

Studio albums

* 1977: ''The Water Lily'' (

Philo Philo of Alexandria (; ; ; ), also called , was a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria, in the Roman province of Egypt. The only event in Philo's life that can be decisively dated is his representation of the Alexandrian J ...

) * 1980: ''Forgotten Dreams'' (

) * 1983: ''Seasons Of Change'' (Flying Fish) * 1987: ''Darkness Into Light'' (Flying Fish) * 1988: ''Stardreamer: Nightsongs and Lullabies'' (Alacazam!) * 1990: ''Voices'' (Flying Fish) - with Anne Hills and Cindy Mangsen * 1993: ''Daydreamer'' (Music For Little People) * 1995: ''Forever & Always'' (Flying Fish / New Rounder) * 1997: ''Voices of Winter'' (Gadfly) - with [Anne Hills and Cindy Mangsen * 1998: ''Moondreamer'' (Redwing) * 2000: ''At the Turning of the Year'' (Hand & Heart) * 2003: ''The Road Home'' (Redwing) * 2009: ''Into the Stars'' (Stardreamer)

As composer

* 1981: Martyn Wyndham-Read - ''Emu Plains'' (Fellside) - track 5, "Water Lily" (co-written with Henry Lawson)

Also appears on

* 1977: Jim Ringer - ''Tramps & Hawkers'' (Philo) - vocals * 1981: Bill Staines - ''Rodeo Rose'' (Philo) - vocals * 1983: Martin Curtis - ''Gin & Raspberry'' (Cityfolk) - vocals * 1985: Fred Small - ''No Limit'' (Rounder) - vocals * 1992: Cindy Mangsen - ''Songlines'' (Compass Rose) - vocals * 1993: Allen Power - ''The Healing Arts'' (Beacon) - vocals * 1993: various artists - ''

Christine Lavin Christine Lavin (born January 2, 1952) is a New York City–based singer-songwriter and promoter of contemporary folk music. She has recorded numerous solo albums, and has also recorded under the name Four Bitchin' Babes with three bandmates. S ...

Presents: On a Winter's Night'' (Philo) - track 15, "Stars" * 1994: Anne Hills and Cindy Mangsen - ''Never Grow Old'' (Flying Fish) * 1995: Anne Hills - ''Angle of the Light'' (Flying Fish) * 1996: Jay Ansill - ''A Lost World (Poems of Robert Graves Set as Songs)'' (Beacon) - vocals * 1998: Anne Hills - ''Never Grow Up'' (Flying Fish) * 1998: Cindy Mangsen - ''Songs of Experience'' (Redwing) - vocals * 2009: Anne Hills - ''Points of View'' (Appleseed) - vocals

References

Bibliography

Michael Erlewine John Michael Erlewine (; born July 18, 1941) is an American musician, astrologer, photographer, publisher, and Internet entrepreneur who founded the music online database site AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide) in 1991. Career Erle ...

& Scott Bultman (ed.) (1992)
All Music Guide, 1st ed., p. 509
', . * Neal Walters &

Brian Mansfield Brian Mansfield (born September 24, 1963) is an American writer and journalist. Early life and education Mansfield grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. He graduated from David Lipscomb High School. In 1984, Mansfield received a bachelor's degre ...

(ed.) (1998)
MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide, p. 360-361
', (the source of her birth date). * Carlin, Richard (2007)
American Popular Music: Folk, p. 94
', .

External links

Official web site
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Herdman, Priscilla American folk singers American women singer-songwriters 1948 births Living people Fashion Institute of Technology alumni 20th-century American guitarists Flying Fish Records artists 20th-century American women guitarists 21st-century American women