Emmylou Harris:

"I've always thought Claire Lynch has the voice of an angel. I'm a fan!" 

Mary Chapin Carpenter: 

"I first heard Claire sing when she was with the Front Porch String Band...I fell in love with her as an artist there and then and now almost 30 years later she continues to make gorgeous albums.  Her original songs display her gifts as a songwriter of uncommon skill, and her outside song choices reinforce her artistic self; one who feels deeply about home, family, strength, resilience and courage. Claire surrounds herself with stellar musicians on this recording (no surprise there) and her singing is bell-like in its beauty. I still remember meeting Claire one year at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival;  I could hardly speak, I was so excited to finally meet one of my very favorite singers in all of acoustic, country and bluegrass music.  She is a jewel. "

 

Sara Watkins:

"Claire's singing and intrepretation of traditional, contemporary, and original songs is a joy to hear. With her voice, clean and clear as mountain water, she sends me to a beautiful place, every time I sit and listen."

Happy January One!

I'm sitting here in front of my calendar, looking back over the year. It's amazing to me what a roller coaster ride it's been. The first quarter was a complete rush of meeting recording deadlines. By early summer, we were looking at a roster of dates which hardly let up until the end of Fall. By August, I began to actually relax and enjoy this charmed life I forgot I was living! We hit Northern Ireland in September, oh how amazing! There in a little pub, surrounded by new friends, I re-discovered the joy of a picking session - something we "professionals" sometimes lose hold of! A fresh new freedom is with me now. I'm writing songs again and enjoying new creative"juice". Indeed, this will be a blessed New Year!

I hope your Holidays have been purely sweet! Please indulge me, if you will, as I share my own personal "year-end close out" - a recap of 2009 with "a few of my favorite things". This newsletter is intentionally a bit more on the "personal" side in honor of holiday tradition. But I did include some "news" about the band and my career at the end! Thanks for a wonderful year and God bless us "every one"!!

January
- Met Kris Kristofferson at the Ann Arbor Folk Fest, bizarre and wonderful!

March
- Alabama Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame induction
- My first Arthur Murray dance lesson - Orange, California (oh yeah, and a Zumba class, too -whew!) 

May

- Had the pleasure of seeing my son, Kegan, get married to Adela Banegas. I've never seen him happier. I thank God for you, Adela!

July
- We were attacked by vicious mosquitos at dusk in the north country of New York- not really one of my favorite things... but nonetheless - highly memorable!!!

August


- Had a "light comes on" breakthrough with my workshop teaching skills - at NashCamp!

September
- My first trip to Ireland. One night we stumbled upon the quintessential "Irish session"in a little pub in Omagh. Later after our festival performance, we had a little session of our own, bluegrass pickers from five different countries in one room. Beautiful sights, crisp weather, interesting, warm people... sweet!

October


- Hung out and picked with so many great players at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, San Francisco
(I won't drop any names!)

November


- After her third semester on the Dean's List at Lee University, my daughter Christy was inducted into Alpha Chi, an honor society for the top 10% of the junior and senior class among every discipline at a university. Way to go, Christy- I'm always the proud mom!

December
- I celebrated the music of Christmas with my old band mate, Larry Lynch and the Alabama Celtic group, Kinvara.... and so the year has come to an end!