Claire Lynch

Claire Lynch, an American bluegrass singer songwriter, and session vocalist, was born February 20, 1954, and lived in Kingston, New York until she was 12 years old, when the family moved to Hazel Green, Alabama. She launched two careers songwriter and session vocalist, while raising a family. Her harmonies have been on albums of Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Ralph Stanley.

Lynch regrouped her Front Porch String Band in 1991, and her album, Lines and Traces was a success, which led to a second solo album, Friends for a Lifetime, in 1993. In 1995, her album Moonlighter, received a Grammy nomination, and in 1997 her album Silver and Gold also received a Grammy nomination. The next several years her Front Porch String Band became one of the sharpest, most exciting post modern bluegrass bands on the circuit. Claire stayed on the Gavin Americana and Bluegrass Unlimited charts for some time, and received a IBMA award in 1997 for Female Vocalist of the Year. Lynch changed the name of her band in 2005 to The Claire Lynch Band, and recorded and toured. In 2006, her Rounder release New Day was named number two in Bluegrass Now magazine's Top Ten Albums of the Year chart.

In 2007, The Claire Lynch Band went on tour in Europe and performed a concert in a German opera house, Oldenburgisches Staats theater in Oldenburg, Northern Germany. It was the first time a bluegrass band had performed in this theater. Lynch has been a finalist seven times for the IBMA award for female vocalist of the year. Her reviews say she is a perfect mix of Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris. Claire has the clear, pure voice of Emmylou, bluegrass soul of Dolly, and interpretive skills of Linda.