Representative Songs: "Arrowhead", "Are You Happy Now?", "The Next Best Western
Biography
An enigmatic singer/songwriter whose work veered from the bitterly comic to the profoundly spiritual, Richard Shindell gained his first notoriety via the Fast Folk Musical Magazine series (which previously launched then-unknowns like Lyle Lovett and Nanci Griffith as well). A native of Lakehurst, New Jersey, Shindell was a former seminary student whose first musical exposure came while playing guitar in the Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band alongside the young John Gorka; he began composing songs during the late 1980s, quickly earning a word-of-mouth cult following. After a featured appearance on Christine Lavin's 1991 compilation When October Goes, a year later he recorded his Shanachie label debut, Sparrow's Point; Blue Divide followed in 1994, and in 1997 Shindell resurfaced with Reunion Hill. He next teamed with Dar Williams and Lucy Kaplansky in the group Cry, Cry, Cry, issuing a self-titled LP in 1998; the solo Somewhere Near Paterson followed in early 2000. The rest of the decade treated Shindell well, with Sparrows Point and South of Delia ranking among his finest work. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
Shindell's songwriting often involves storytelling from a first-person point of view: from an INS officer and illegal immigrant in "Fishing", to a World War II soldier in "Sparrow's Point", to a Confederate drummerboy in "Arrowhead", to an Argentine grandmother in "Abuelita", to a power broker in "Confession". Other personas he adopts include a stowaway in "Che Guevara T-Shirt," a NYC cab driver in "Last Fare of the Day," a man on death row in "Ascent," a Civil War widow in "Reunion Hill," and even Mary Magdalene herself.
Shindell's career received a boost in 1997 when Joan Baez recorded three of his songs ("Fishing", "Reunion Hill" and "Money for Floods") for her album Gone from Danger, and invited the aspiring singer-songwriter to join her 1997–98 tour.
Shindell collaborated with Dar Williams and Lucy Kaplansky to form the group Cry Cry Cry. On their eponymous 1998 album, Cry Cry Cry covered an eclectic mix of songwriters, from the famous R.E.M. to the lesser known folk singer James Keelaghan. The trio toured in support of their album, but later resumed their solo careers. They have not mentioned plans for future recordings, although Shindell and Kaplansky often appear on stage together.
A recording of cover songs, South of Delia, was initially released on his Website in March 2007.
Richard Shindell at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival 2004
EPs
Scenes from a Blue Divide (Shanachie, 1995)
Spring (Signature Sounds 1256-2, 2000). Contains "Spring" (single edit), "Confession" (acoustic version), "Shades of Black, Shades of Blue" (by Charles Lyonhart), and "Spring/Summer Reel" (album version)
3x2 Sampler (Signature Sounds, 2000). Contains "Beyond the Iron Gate" (alternate version), "Abuelita", and "Transit" (album versions). Also contains three songs by Peter Mulvey.
Main Stage Live: Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (Signature Sounds 1253, 1999). Contains live version of "Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore" (traditional arranged by R. Shindell).
Wonderland: A Winter Solstice Celebration (Signature Sounds 1266, 2002). Contains "Before You Go".
The Folk Next Door: A Collection of Connecticut Roots Music (WWUH 1992). Contains live version of "Home Team".
