Karen Dalton (singer)

Karen Dalton ( born 1938 in Enid ( Oklahoma), USA as Karen Cariker, † 1993 in New York, United States) was an American folk singer, guitar and banjo player, in connection with the Greenwich Village folk scene of the 1960s years, has become especially known for her collaboration with Fred Neil, Tim Hardin, Bob Dylan and the Holy Modal Rounders. Their bluesy, world-weariness expressing voice is often compared to that of the jazz icon Billie Holiday. She fought for life with drugs and alcohol.

Life

Karen Cariker came from a humble background. Her father was Irish, her mother Cherokee. Very young, around 1953 /54, they released their first child, a son named Lee, who was raised by his grandmother. Two years later, Karen was married to one of her college teacher, had a daughter with him, and was now called Dalton. The marriage did not last long.

In 1960 Karen Dalton appeared with her daughter Abra first time in New York's art district Greenwich Village, where she earned her living with performances in the numerous bars and music venues. Here she met the folk singer Richard Tucker, with whom she was married from 1960 to 1965. Having parted this marriage and Dalton after a few years was crisscrossing the U.S. and Mexico, she returned in the late 1960s back to New York and could 1969 To record their first album It 's Hard To Tell Who's Going To Love You The Best there.

After 1971 Daltons second album was released In My Own Time, the impact of their dependence on heroin, speed and alcohol were revealed more clearly. Their performances were less and irregular, a planned second album was never realized. The last years of her life she spent on the road, where she died in 1993.

Reception and impact

Dalton's albums were indeed received very positive by the critics, but sold so well as not. One reason for this was probably that Dalton did not fit into the end of the 1960s hip scheme of the singer-songwriter. She was primarily a performer, music and lyrics she did not write itself Despite the commercial failure was and Dalton is high among musicians. Several well-known colleagues describe Dalton as one of their favorite musicians or confess their work a greater or lesser influence on their musical development.

Well -known admirer Dalton is Bob Dylan, who had appeared in his time in Greenwich Village a few times with Dalton. In his autobiographical work Chronicles he remembers Dalton as "my favorite singer in the place" and continues: ". Karen had a voice like Billie Holiday 's and played the guitar like Jimmy Reed " Whether the song Katie 's Been Gone by Dylan's long-standing The backing band actually refers to Dalton (KD = Katie ) is not yet resolved.

Nick Cave called Dalton as his absolute favorite blues singer and her version of Something On Your Mind as the most extraordinary vocal performance he has ever heard ( " the most extraordinary vocal I've ever heard "). In particular, he appreciates her talent as a performer, the ability to make foreign songs their own. Caves Song When I First Came To Town ( from the album Henry's Dream) is inspired by Dalton's interpretation of the traditionals Katie Cruel.

The voice of the singer Devendra Banhart cult has been compared with that of Karen Dalton. He refers to Karen Dalton as one of his inspirations: " She is one of the most amazing musicians in the universe. "

The country singer Lacy J. Dalton admits to chose her stage name " Dalton " because of their admiration for Karen Dalton.

Discography

• It's So Hard To Tell ( Who's Going To Love You The Best ) ( 1969)
• In My Own Time (1971 )
• Cotton Eyed Joe ( The Loop Tapes Live In Boulder 1962) ( 2007)
• Green Rocky Road ( The Loop Tapes, Pine Street Recordings) "(2008)

It's So Hard To Tell ( Who's Going To Love You The Best ) was published in 1997 by Koch Records on CD. 2006 saw a new edition through Megaphone with the addition of a DVD with archive footage.

Also in 2006, was published In My Own Time by Light In The Attic Records on CD and vinyl reissue.