Cris Williamson

Williamson was born in 1947 in Deadwood, South Dakota,[1] although her family moved to Colorado and Wyoming when she was still young. Her musical idol at the time was Judy Collins, and Williamson developed a musical style and sound that was similar to that of Collins. She released her first album, The Artistry of Cris Williamson in 1964, when she was sixteen.[1] She became a local musical sensation in Sheridan, Wyoming, releasing two following LPs afterward.[2] Williamson graduated from the University of Denver. She supported herself initially as a school teacher,[3] while at the same time collaborating with other women who were also singer-songwriters and performing artists, and began to network with Holly Near, Meg Christian, and Margie Adam, all musicians who became women artists of stature, forming an entirely new genre of music, primarily about and for women.

During a radio interview in Washington, D.C. in 1973, Williamson suggested that a record label aimed at gay women would be a good idea. The independent label Olivia Records was founded the next day.[1] Olivia Records released Williamson's The Changer and the Changed (1975), which became one of the best-selling independent releases of all time.[4] The Changer and the Changed was also the first LP to be entirely produced by women, and is the all-time best-selling album to come out of the women's music genre. As William Ruhlmann of AllMusic writes:

"The Changer and the Changed was to women's music what Michael Jackson's Thriller was to the music industry in general in the mid-'80s, an album that sold far beyond the perceived size of the market, more than 100,000 copies in its first year of release. Eventually, it reportedly sold more than 500,000 copies, which would make it a gold album, although it has not been certified as such by the RIAA. (That does not disprove the sales estimate, however. Albums are not certified automatically; a record company must request certification and pay for an audit.)" [1]

Williamson went on to record more than a dozen more albums with Olivia Records, then after its demise formed her own label, Wolf Moon Records. This helped to set the pace for other recording artists who found it difficult to work with the major record labels.

In 1982, she collaborated with Estonian artist/author Viido Polikarpus on a science fiction/fantasy fable LP and book (with Polikarpos' artwork) entitled Lumiere, which was released on Pacific Cascade Records.

Williamson recorded two albums with her long-time producer and lover, Tret Fure. Williamson and Fure ended their 20-year relationship in 2000, and each now records as a solo artist.[5]

Williamson has worked as a session musician both to support herself and to lend assistance to other fellow artists. She has collaborated with other women's music artists, including Meg Christian and Teresa Trull. She has friends in many corners; one longtime friend is musician Bonnie Raitt, who has played on some of her albums.

Williamson has been a lesbian feminist and a promoter of women owned music companies.[6] She has recently become involved in a new project with Bonnie Raitt.

Williamson's Shine on Straight Arrow was sampled by late hip hop producer J Dilla in the song The Red from the 2003 album Champion Sound (with Madlib as Jaylib).[7]