On October 20, 2010, Suite101 was afforded the privilege to speak with bluegrass music vocalist Claire Lynch. Lynch was the recipient of the prestigious 2010 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) award for "Female Vocalist of the Year," an honor she has previously won thirteen years ago.
Claire Lynch Discusses Bluegrass Music and Musical Influences
Claire Lynch is drawn to bluegrass music due to "the fact that it's all acoustic. You can do it anywhere. In the woods, in the living room, anywhere. It doesn't matter. That's my favorite thing."
Growing up in a musical environment, Lynch's biggest musical influences were "my parents and my family. There was a lot of singing. Singing for every occasion. When I was a little girl, folk music was big and popular. I was influenced by that. Artists in particular were Joni Mitchell, Nancy Griffith and Emmylou Harris."
From all the songs that Lynch has written and recorded throughout her career, she remarks that "Moonlighter" stands out to her due to"its underlying meaning about the way we deal with time, and how even though we have more conveniences and we have more time, we seem to have less."
The hardest aspect of Lynch's job is "having fortitude and persistence. That is probably the hardest thing to do, because show business can be very discouraging at times. You have to have a belief in yourself and a strength to go on in the face of adversity."
Claire Lynch Talks About the 2010 IBMA Awards
Claire Lynch remarks "it felt extremely gratifying to win the 2010 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) award for Female Vocalist of the Year. I have been nominated many times, and won it once in 1997. It was a bonification. I felt bona fide by my peers that what I had to offer musically was still appreciated and in-demand. That's a pretty nice feeling after all these years."
Her song "My Florida Sunshine" was also nominated in the coveted IBMA "Song of the Year" category. Lynch states that "this was an interesting nomination, since the song was written by Bill Monroe, who was the father of bluegrass music. Although he is not with us anymore, he never did receive an award for Song of the Year. Although he has written many bluegrass standards, the IBMA is a young organization. It would have been a beautiful win. It's an endorsement from the bluegrass community telling me that they love for me to stick with the tradition."
Claire Lynch Discusses Future Collaboration Choices
"There are many artists that I would like to collaborate with," Lynch says. "As a matter of fact, I am making a list right now. I just had a really nice experience collaborating with the Gibson Brothers, who are IBMA award winners, as well as good friends of mine," the singer adds. "I am making a list and checking it twice. That's all I can tell you," the singer laughs.
Claire Lynch notes that she has been fortunate to collaborate with fellow bluegrass vocalist Dale Ann Bradley on one of Bradley's recent recordings for Compass Records and "the two of us have done duet work on shows before." Lynch has "sung on stage with Rhonda Vincent, but never on an album. I would be delighted to sing with them anytime," she says.
Claire Lynch has also collaborated on veteran country singer Patty Loveless' "Bluegrass, White Snow" record which she remarks as a "beautiful experience. Her husband, Emory Gordy, is a really great producer and has a beautiful disposition. I was really honored and I think that was a beautiful project."
Lynch further adds that "Patty Loveless and Emory sent me flowers after I won the IBMA award. She's a classy lady."
Claire Lynch Discusses Proudest Moment and Future Plans
Claire Lynch's proudest professional moment was "standing on stage with Dolly Parton and singing harmony with her on 'Coat of Many Colors.' That was a landmark moment for me."
Claire Lynch's future plans include "being in the planning and creative stages of putting my next album together. It'll be a very creative winter. I want to do a lot of writing and step up the touring and do things that musical artists do. We just pray for rain and keep on rolling!"
Claire Lynch Offers Advice for Musical Hopefuls
For hopefuls who wish to pursue careers in the music industry, Lynch recommends they "get out and play in a live setting and do as much of it as they can." She further adds "learn to read your audience and what they like, and what they don't like, and what they are responding to. When it comes to your own artistry hone your craft!"
Claire Lynch concludes that "doing what you want to do with your life is a sense of success, and being able to pay the bills with that. This is what I am doing. I am living the dream. What can I say?"
For her dedicated fans that have supported her over the years, Claire Lynch expresses her gratitude by saying "thank you for your interest" and "I like you and I love you!"
Many thanks to Claire Lynch for granting this interview!
Readers who enjoyed this article might also be interested in these bluegrass female vocalist Suite101 interviews: Interview with Rhonda Vincent, and Interview with Bluegrass Music Sensation Dale Ann Bradley.
Markos Papadatos - Markos Papadatos holds over six years journalism experience, authoring over 700 articles, many of which are feature profile interviews.
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