Shawn Colvin

About Shawn Colvin

Shawna Lee “Shawn” Colvin (born January 10, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist known for her introspective songwriting, distinctive voice, and blend of contemporary folk, pop, and Americana. After years performing in folk and rock groups and developing her craft in the New York singer-songwriter scene, Colvin gained wider attention singing backing vocals on Suzanne Vega’s 1987 hit “Luka.” She signed with Columbia Records and released her debut album, Steady On, in 1989, which won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Her subsequent albums Fat City and Cover Girl further established her reputation, with songs such as “I Don’t Know Why,” “Round of Blues,” and “Diamond in the Rough.”

Colvin achieved her greatest commercial success with the 1996 album A Few Small Repairs. Its single “Sunny Came Home” reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and won both Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 1998 Grammy Awards, bringing Colvin’s career total to three Grammy wins. The album also included enduring songs such as “Get Out of This House” and “You and the Mona Lisa” and became platinum-certified.

Colvin has continued recording, writing, collaborating, and touring for decades, releasing albums including Whole New You, These Four Walls, All Fall Down, Uncovered, and The Starlighter, as well as the collaborative album Colvin & Earle with singer-songwriter Steve Earle. In 2012, she published the memoir Diamond in the Rough. With a career spanning more than three decades and numerous Grammy nominations, Colvin has remained a respected figure in American singer-songwriter music well beyond the mainstream success of “Sunny Came Home.”