Priscilla Herdman

As opposed to a lot of her contemporaries in folk music, Priscilla Herdman is basically an interpretive singer within the tradition of Joan Baez and Judy Collins, rather than singer/songwriter. She’s defined herself as “a songfinder and interpreter of other’s music,” adding, “Section of my storyfinding work is to discover songs which a lot deserve to become noticed.” Those tracks are then noticed sung within a three-octave tone of voice which has dazzled critics. “Herdman’s gifted with a wealthy, nearly opulent timbre…impeccable enunciation and seemingly easy deliveries…,” stated a reviewer within the Philadelphia Inquirer; “Priscilla Herdman [can be] among the clearest & most convincing voices of modern folk music,” observed Stephen Holden in THE BRAND NEW York Times; as well as the Chicago Sun Moments wrote, “Herdman includes a exceptional tone of voice: very clear shiny gleaming….” Herdman was created in Eastchester, NY, on Feb 11, 1948, the girl of Raymond C. Herdman and Ellen (Saunders) Herdman. She documented her debut record, WATER Lily, in 1976, and released it in 1977. (They have since been reissued on Rounder Information’ Philo imprint.) The record got a distinctly Australian impact, containing musical configurations of seven poems by Australian poet Henry Lawson (1867-1922) among its 11 choices, and a cover of Eric Bogle’s “The Music group Played ‘Waltzing Matilda’,” an antiwar tune regarding the massacre of Australian military at Gallipoli during Globe Battle I. Herdman released her second record, Neglected Dreams, on Traveling Fish in 1980. Furthermore to familiar tracks just like the Depression-era regular “Brother, IS IT POSSIBLE TO Extra a Dime?” and addresses of tracks by well-known songwriters Randy Newman, Tom Waits, and Adam Taylor, Herdman also sang compositions by folksingers Bogle, Lui Collins, and Stan Rogers. In 1982, Herdman and her hubby, Dick Hermans, an environmental activist, shifted from Philadelphia to Pine Plains, NY. Her third record, 1983’s Periods of Change, got two even more Rogers songs in addition to choices by folksingers Si Kahn, David Mallett, Fred Little, and Judy Little. Among its discharge and the looks of her 4th record, Darkness into Light, in the summertime of 1987, Herdman provided birth to some girl, Suzanna, in 1985, which influenced the documenting from the LP, which Herdman known as “certainly my post-baby record,” adding, “Lots of things which have been essential became stronger emotions in me after having a baby.” Selections included another Lawson poem, “Once the Children GET BACK,” along with a medley merging Malvina Reynolds’ “CHANGE” with the original Irish tune “The Gartan Mother’s Lullaby.” Critics as typical had been impressed, with Billboard’s reviewer composing, “Folk vocalist Herdman’s placidly gorgeous tone of voice demands interest….” The impact of motherhood continuing on Herdman’s 5th recording, an outright children’s collection released by Alcazam! Information called Celebrity Dreamer: Nightsongs & Lullabies that premiered in 1988. In 1990, she teamed with fellow folksingers Anne Hillsides and Cindy Mangsen for the Traveling Fish discharge Voices, gaining disk a trio that were performing together for quite some time. Another Herdman children’s record, Daydreamer, appeared for the Music for Small People label in 1993. In 1995, Herdman finally got around to launching another solo record for adults, Forever & Often. Furthermore to featuring the task of her folksinging co-workers Hills, Mallett, Costs Staines, John McCutcheon, and Cathy Fink, in addition, it included Billy Joel’s “THEREFORE It Runs” and addresses of “THE VERY FIRST TIME Ever I Noticed THAT PERSON” and “WATER Can be Wide.” The trio of Herdman, Hillsides, and Mangsen reconvened for the holiday-themed live record Voices of Wintertime, released by Gadfly Information in Oct 1997, and Herdman’s third children’s collection, Moondreamer, made an appearance on Redwing in Apr 1998. The 3rd Herdman/Hillsides/Mangsen trio record, On the Turning of the entire year, was released yourself & Submit October 2000; it had been another seasonal collection. IN-MAY 2003, Redwing released Herdman’s 6th adult solo recording and 12th recording overall, THE STREET Home.