Biography
Karen Dalton (1937 to 1993) was an American folk and country blues singer, guitarist, and banjo player. She was born Jean Karen Cariker in Bonham, Texas, on July 19, 1937, and raised in Oklahoma[1].
After two divorces she moved to Greenwich Village in the early 1960s with her guitar, banjo, and at least one of her children, performing at Cafe Wha? and moving in the circle of Fred Neil, Tim Hardin, the Holy Modal Rounders, and Bob Dylan[1]. Dylan described her voice as like Billie Holiday and her guitar playing as like Jimmy Reed[1].
She made two studio albums, It's So Hard to Tell Who's Going to Love You the Best (1969) and In My Own Time (1971), the latter produced by Harvey Brooks[1][2]. Both consist largely of other writers' songs, which she reshaped with slow, bending phrasing[2]. Alcohol and heroin complicated her recording and touring, and she later felt estranged from her children[1].
She died in March 1993 near Woodstock, New York, aged 55[1]. Nick Cave, Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom, and Adele have cited her as an influence, and the documentary Karen Dalton: In My Own Time premiered at DOC NYC in 2020[1].
References
- Karen Dalton, Wikipedia — Biography, Greenwich Village years, health, death, and legacy.
- In My Own Time (album), Wikipedia — Recording context and critical reception of her second album.