Christine Lavin

Biography

Christine Lavin, born January 2, 1952, grew up in Westchester County, New York, as one of nine children to father Thomas F. Lavin and mother Josephine Crawford Lavin; her father taught at an all-boys military school where the family lived. She learned guitar at age 12 from PBS lessons by Laura Weber and was inspired by FM radio artists like Judy Collins, Linda Ronstadt, Dave Van Ronk, and Bob Dylan. In 1975, she began her professional career as a waitress and bread baker at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY, where she met Dave Van Ronk, who encouraged her to study guitar with him in New York City; she followed this advice and established herself as a singer/songwriter/guitarist/recording artist based in NYC, later splitting time with Geneva, NY, to care for her aging mother.[2][3][4][5]

Lavin's career spans over four decades, with more than 25 solo albums, including recent releases like 'Spaghettification' (her 23rd, reaching no. 5 on the International Folk DJ Chart), 'On My Way to Hooterville' (25th), and 'The Seasons Project' (2023, an 80-song compilation featuring 63 songwriters). Her witty, observational songwriting draws from newspapers, covering politics, food, society, and family life, earning praise as a 'garrulous comic observer' by The New York Times and 'captivating' by Billboard. She has won five ASCAP composer awards, the Backstage Bistro Award, Kate Wolf Memorial Award, and Album of the Year for 'Good Thing He Can’t Read My Mind'; was inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame in 2019; and hosted radio shows on XM and WFUV.[1][2][3]

Known for her humor, global tours (US, Canada, Australia, Germany, Israel), and unique show traditions like backstage knitting circles and napkin-folding demos, Lavin's legacy includes promoting folk music through compilations like 'On A Winter’s Night' (leading to tours with artists like Cliff Eberhardt, Patty Larkin, and Cheryl Wheeler) and covering for her mother with self-made videos during her later years in Geneva. During the pandemic, she thrived with online concerts, relearning old songs, and direct sales from her self-run label.[3]

Fun Facts

• Served as an entourage driver for the first week of Bob Dylan’s 1975 Rolling Thunder Revue tour, inspiring her re-worked song 'Ramblin’ Waltz' on 'On My Way to Hooterville'.[2][3]
• Got a 'D' in college astronomy but later recorded the album 'Spaghettification' (her 23rd) featuring comedian/astronomer George Carlin.[3][6]
• Hosts unique backstage activities at shows, including knitting circles and Downton Abbey-style napkin folding tutorials.[3]
• Taught herself videography to create daily memory videos for her mother, who lost short-term memory, while caring for her in Geneva, NY (2010-2012, 2016-2018).[3]

Associated Acts

• Four Bitchin' Babes (1990–1997)

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Dave Van Ronk - Guitar teacher and early encourager who inspired her to move to NYC (Studied guitar with him after meeting at Caffe Lena) [1975]
• Laura Weber - PBS guitar lesson teacher who taught her basics as a child (Initial guitar lessons via TV) [1964 (age 12)]

Key Collaborators

• Cliff Eberhardt - Tour mate on seasonal folk compilations and tours (On A Winter’s Night tour (1991, 2019)) [1991-2019]
• Patty Larkin - Tour mate on seasonal folk compilations and tours (On A Winter’s Night tour (1991, 2019)) [1991-2019]
• Cheryl Wheeler - Tour mate on seasonal folk compilations and tours (On A Winter’s Night tour (1991, 2019)) [1991-2019]

Artists Influenced

• Betty Buckley - Broadway star who performed her songs (Covered Lavin songs in performances) [Ongoing]
• Sutton Foster - Broadway star who performed her songs (Covered Lavin songs in performances) [Ongoing]
• Nanci Griffith - Shared same PBS guitar teacher (Laura Weber) (Early guitar learning influence) [1960s]

External Links

• Spotify
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #folk