Claire Lynch is considered by many to be one of the finest female voices in bluegrass. And also one of the first. When she started, there were few other female bluegrass artists.
"Some historians have said that if a woman performed on stage without a chaperon ... she was considered sort of a hussy," explains Lynch. She says the 'good ol' boy, protect your woman attitude' lasted longer in bluegrass than it did in a lot of other genres.
After this year, Claire Lynch plans to step away from full-time touring with her band, The Claire Lynch Band. Her final tour includes a couple of stops in Northern Michigan. The group performed their concert A Midsummer Night’s Dream last night at The Garden Theater in Frankfort, and will play tonight at the InsideOutGallery in Traverse City.
Lynch has won the International Bluegrass Music Association’s award for “Best Female Vocalist” three separate times, and has twice been nominated for a Grammy Award.
Looking back at her career up to this point, she's appreciative for the recognition of her singing, but also hopes she's remembered for her songwriting, and the ability to surround herself with high-quality musicians, decade after decade.
Lynch says now is the right time to cut back on her full-time touring with her band— something she's done non-stop for the past 10 years. She recently got married, and says she wants some time to catch up and focus on the next stage of her life, which figures to include some different music projects, and some housekeeping.
"I would like to spend a little time at home to maybe pull the weeds in my flower bed, and paint my bathroom," Lynch says.
