Gillian Welch and David Rawlings have been hailed by Pitchfork as “modern masters of American folk” and “protectors of the American folk song” by Rolling Stone. Time (The Revelator), their first release on their own record label, Acony Records, in 2001, helped to establish the duo’s fierce commitment to independent music. Nominated for a Grammy®, it was hailed by Rolling Stone as one of the best albums of the 2000s and is widely considered by critics to be one of the best albums of all time. In 2020, the duo released All the Good Times, the first album under both their names, which won the Grammy for “Best Folk Album.” Recently, they were crowned with the Berklee American Masters Award and honored by Americana Music Association with a Lifetime Achievement for songwriting.
In 2011, The Harrow and The Harvest was nominated for “Best Contemporary Folk Album” and “Best Engineered Album” at the Grammys. It won “Artist of the Year” (Welch) and was nominated for “Instrumentalist of the Year” (Rawlings) at the Americana Honors & Awards. The album garnered glowing reviews and topped multiple year-end “Best Of” lists.
Welch’s rich and remarkable career spans over 25 years. She was launched into the public consciousness in the 1990s, when Emmylou Harris recorded a cover of “Orphan Girl.” Firmly planted on the roots map after her 1996 debut, Revival, produced by T Bone Burnett, Welch followed up with 1998’s Hell Among the Yearlings, a stark duet record with Rawlings, further solidifying the duo as a force in the folk music scene.
Since kicking off his career with indispensable co-writing, harmony, and instrumental chops on Welch’s 1996’s Revival, Rawlings has woven one of the most acclaimed paths in Americana music as a singer, Grammy-nominated songwriter, producer, and award-winning guitarist. His third solo album, Poor David’s Almanack, points to a frontman who continues walking the fine line between rootsy revivalism and bold innovation.
