Best known for her friendship with the Indigo Girls, Michelle Malone is a musician to look out for in her own right. She's an Atlanta native whose mother and grandmother were both singers, primarily gospel. She quickly found a career in music enjoyable, often giving up her summer vacations to accompany her mother on tour. She learned to play mandolin, piano, drums, saxophone, harmonica and dulcimer, as well as guitar.
After encouragement from Amy and Emily, she soon quit school and honed her skills in local clubs, issuing her debut album New Experience in 1988. Forming the band Drag the River, she returned two years later with Relentless, followed in 1992 by the solo For You Not Them. After completing 1993's seasonal jazz-inspired effort A Swingin' Christmas in the Attic, Malone formed another group, Band de Soleil, to record 1994's Redemption Dream; she then again went solo, resurfacing three years later with Beneath the Devil Moon. Homegrown followed in 1999, and in mid-2000 Malone issued Lucky to Be Live. Strange Bird, Vol. 3 and Hello Out There followed in early 2001.
Stylistically, Michelle is all over the place, although she has been compared to Janis Joplin, Sheryl Crow, Melissa Etheridge, and of course the Indigo Girls. She has been called "alt-country, speed-folk, power pop, or straight-up rock and roll" (from the bio on her website, www.michellemalone.com).
Michelle has insightful lyrics, both complicated and simple themes, and has shown much growth over her career that spans a decade.