Two-time Grammy nominated folk singer, songwriter and activist Eliza Gilkyson will perform at Susanna’s Kitchen on March 21 as part of their 2024 coffeehouse concert series. One of the most respected musicians in Folk, Roots and Americana circles for her piercing, courageous lyrics, Gilkyson has released 20 recordings and her songs have been covered by Joan Baez, Bob Geldof, Tom Rush and Rosanne Cash and have been used in films, PBS specials and on primetime TV.
Direct Current Music wrote, “Drawing on elements of folk, country and Americana, Gilkyson, like contemporaries Shawn Colvin, Lucinda Williams, Rosanne Cash, [Gilkyson] demonstrates that the craft of songwriting, intelligent and lasting, is ultimately in the hands of those who can not only turn out a compelling second album, but five, or ten, or with this Grammy- nominated performer, over twenty.”
Eliza entered the music world as a teenager, recording demos for her father, Terry Gilkyson, an American Folk singer and songwriter who, later in his career, wrote film and television songs for Walt Disney Studios. In 1968 he was nominated for an Academy Award for his song, “The Bare Necessities,” from the “The Jungle Book” animated film. He also wrote songs for “Swiss Family Robinson,” “The Three Lives of Thomasina,” “The Moon-Spinners,” the “Aristocats,” and others.
Eliza has appeared on National Public Radio, Austin City Limits, Mountain Stage, etown, XM Radio, Air America Radio and has toured worldwide as a solo artist, alongside many other signature artists, including Richard Thompson, Patty Griffin, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Dan Fogelberg, the Guthrie Family, Jimmy Lafave, Slaid Cleaves, Pete Seeger, Jackson Browne and Kris Kristofferson. Eliza has been inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame and is an ongoing winner of the Austin Chronicle’s various music awards, as well as Folk Alliance awards for Best Artist, Best Songwriter and Record of the Year.
In 2023, the prolific Gilkyson released her fourth album in five years. Called “Home,” it is a collection of songs written during the pandemic that reflect her appreciation for her new home in Taos, New Mexico. Her 2022 album, “Songs From the River Wind,” was produced by Colorado multi-instrumentalist and producer Don Richmond, who recently appeared onstage with Michael Hearne at the Winter’s Night Singer Songwriter Showcase in Wimberley.
Her 2004 CD “Land of Milk and Honey” was nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Eliza’s meditative “Requiem,” written as a prayer for those who lost their lives in the devastating tsunami in Southeast Asia, was recorded by the internationally recognized choral group Conspirare, earning a Grammy nomination and winning Europe’s prestigious Edison Award.
Her performance is part of Susanna’s Kitchen coffeehouse concert series at the Wimberley United Methodist Church, Corner of RR12 and CR1492. Doors open at 7 and the concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults and $5 for kids. Tamales, pizza, pie, coffee and soft drinks are available for purchase. Proceeds benefit The Barnabas Connection, Wimberley Community Assistance Fund, and Bright Beginnings Preschool scholarships. For more information, go to wimberleyumc. org or call 831 6012395.
HOUSTON PRESS WROTE, “LIKE THE MASTER WRITER SHE IS, GILKYSON CUTS THROUGH THE JUNGLE OF POSTURING LEFTIST VERBIAGE AND CONSERVATIVE SPIN. . . SHE PACKS A POLITICAL PUNCH THAT IS AS ENTERTAINING AND BLUE-COLLAR AS THE WORK OF WOODY GUTHRIE.” SUBMITTED PHOTO
