Spotlight On: AMY RAY
ABOUT THIS WEEK’S SHERO IN THE SPOTLIGHT:
Most will know Amy Ray as co-founder and one half of the iconic Indigo Girls, a duo she formed with Emily Saliers when they were just teenagers in Georgia. For the past twenty years, Amy Ray has also been a prolific solo artist, and just put out her tenth album, the incredible If It All Goes South. This was all in the midst of a super busy touring schedule with Indigo Girls, who are now edging towards their fourth decade together, with 16 studio albums to their name, half a dozen of them gold and platinum albums and GRAMMY nominated. Amy and Emily’s legacy is just as much about their incredibly vital role as queer trailblazers, and their tireless devotion to political, social and environmental activism, dating back to 1993 when Amy and Emily teamed up with native leader/activist, Winona LaDuke to co-found a nonprofit organization called Honor The Earth. And over the years they’ve been involved in many other causes such as gay rights, women's rights, indigenous struggles, gun control, environmental protection and the anti-death penalty movement, among others. It was this aspect of the Indigo Girls legacy that was honored this year at the Americana Music Awards Ceremony at the Ryman Auditorium as they were presented with the “Spirit of Americana” Free Speech Award by their old friend Brandi Carlile. The following morning, I sat down with Amy Ray at Sound Stage Studios in Nashville, just a couple miles down the road from where she recorded her new album. It all felt very timely and synergistic, even more so when I realized that our mutual friend, my late mentor and Radio SHERO to all, Rita Houston is honored on this new album with a song written for her, and this episode coincides with what would have been her 61st birthday. So it is a thrill to say that Amy Ray is this week’s SHERO In The Spotlight.
Our playlist includes new music from Beth Orton, Sylvan Esso, and Mitski.
SHERO BIRTHDAYS: We celebrate the SHERO birthdays of Rosalía on 9/25, and Tracy Thorne of Everything But The Girl on 9/26.
This week’s Radio SHERO: Nilufer Arsala of KXT in Dallas joins us this week, sharing a new one from Sudan Archives titled “Selfish Soul.”