KEEPERS OF OUR HEARTS
B-Band:The Early Years
Amy Ray and Emily Saliers met while they were attending Laurel Ridge Elementary School.
"The first song (I wrote) was called, Didn't They Know the People," says Emily Saliers.
"It was awful and meant nothing, but I kept writing anyway."
"I knew her (Emily)," Amy explains, "Because she would play songs in the cafeteria at lunch time.
I mostly played out on the playground. I wrote a very silly song called:
Benny, the Penny and I. I hated her because she was righting songs. I was practicing 3 chords."
"I was righting songs about the sky and the clouds." Laughs Emily.
In 1981, they began playing guitar together in Amy's basement. Their first audience was
an AP English class. They started playing at open mike nights under the name
"Saliers-Ray" or "B-Band".
When Emily went to Tulane University in New Orleans the next year, Amy would go down
on weekends and they would play in the French Quarter for tips.
"We used to make enough for dinner and the ride home," Emily recalls.
"We thought we were great. We were really, really bad."
It was during these days that their independant recordings Tuesday's Children,
Color Me Gray (Amy), and Here For You (Emily) were recorded.
When Amy graduated a year later, she began attending Vanderbilt University
in Nashville, TN. They both were tired
of the areas, and transfered to Emory University in Atlanta.
(where the two still reside when not touring!)
In 1985 the adopted the name "Indigo Girls". The name has no meaning, Amy picked it out
of the dictionary because it "sounded cool."
It was that year that the released their debut, a 7" vinyl single, "Crazy Game/Everybody's Waiting (for someone to come home)"
In 1986, they released a self-titled EP, followed by their first full-length,
Strange Fire (re-released as their 2nd Epic album with the extra "Get Together")
Their future manager Russel Carter told them their sound was "immature"
and they would not be signed any time soon. They signed with Epic in 1988.
Their first Epic release Indigo Girls contained their most
widely known song Closer To Fine.
"Emily first played this song for me on the sidewalk in front of the White Dot in Atlanta."
Amy says, "I thought it was ok, but not her strongest. Oh well, what do I know?"
In 1989 the Girls won their first (and only so far) Grammy, for Best Contemporary
Folk Recording. (IG was also nominated for best new artist.)
At the Roxy Los Angeles, with Melissa Etheridge (1989)
In 1990 "Hammer and a Nail" was nominated for Best Contemporary Folk Recording.
1990 is also when Amy founded Daemon Records.
In 1991 Nomads*Indians*Saints was nominated for Best Contemporary Folk Recording.
This was their first cd which featured bassist Sara Lee.
1992 Rites of Passage debuted at #22, and 1994's Swamp Ophelia debuted at #9.
They were again nominated for Best Contemporary Folk Recording for Swamp Ophelia.
Daemon Records participated in an resurection of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar.
The brain-child of Michael Lorant (Big Fish Ensamble), it stared Amy as Jesus,
and Emily as Mary Magadaline; as well as Michael and Gerard McHugh.
In 1995 the Girls had their Honor The Earth Tour, in which they promoted awareness of
the exploitation of native lands, and the dumping of nuclear wastes on them.
They also promoted this again in their 1997 tour.
They released their live 2cd set, 1200 (twelve hundred) Curfews in 1995, and soon thereafter
took a break, each touring alone, taking time off, getting a feel for things.
Amy traveled with Ani DiFranco briefly, to see Sara, who was playing bass for Ani.
In August 1996 the Girls were "back together again" road-testing their new
songs which would become Shaming of The Sun in 1997.
Shaming earned them another well-deserved Grammy nomination (they were beat
by Bob Dylan, who recieved his first Grammy)
The Girls signed on to singer/songwriter Sarah McLachlan's brainchild, Lilith Fair,
adding credibililty and comradory to the tour.
Soon after Lilith ended they began their (first ever?) Australian tour, and also
toured promoting some great causes, SLAM! (against the exploitation of women
in the arts) and the Zapatistas in Mexico. (note: click on DIARY for their accounts of what went on during their trip.)
Don't forget to catch them at this year's Lilith Fair, Michigan Womyn's Festival, or Newport Folk Festival!!!
Where did I get all this information?
The Rites of Passage Tour Book.
The 1200 Curfews cd insert.
The Indigo Girls Mailing list FAQ, compiled by Sherlyn, our list-mum, full of TONS of information!!
Various articles which can be found at LIFEBLOOD
and the VH1 Lilith Fair special.
There are 
of us in the Land Of Cannan
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