Indigo Girls

The Indigo Girls are an American folk-rock duo, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. They got their start as part of the Athens, Georgia alternative rock scene that included The B-52's, Pylon, R.E.M., the Georgia Satellites, and Love Tractor.

The Early Years

The two women met as students at Laurel Ridge Elementary School in De Kalb County, Georgia just outside of Decatur, Georgia. While attending Shamrock High School, they started performing together as the B-Band and Saliers and Ray. Emily graduated and started attending Tulane University. A year later, Amy graduated and started at Vanderbilt University. Homesick, both returned to Georgia and transferred to Emory University. By 1985, they started performing together again, this time as the Indigo Girls.

Related Topics:
De Kalb County, Georgia - Decatur, Georgia - High School - Tulane University - Vanderbilt University - Emory University - 1985

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Their first release in 1985 was a seven-inch single called Crazy Game; the b-side was Everybody's Waiting (for Someone to Come Home). That same year, they put out a six-track self-titled EP and in 1987, released their first full-length album, Strange Fire, recorded at John Keane Studio in Athens, Georgia, and including Crazy Game. With this release, they secured the services of Russell Carter, who remains their manager to the present day; they had first approached him when the EP was released, but he told them their songs were "immature" and they weren't likely to get a record deal. Strange Fire apparently changed his mind.

Related Topics:
B-side - 1987 - Strange Fire - John Keane Studio - Athens, Georgia

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The success of 10,000 Maniacs, Tracy Chapman, and Suzanne Vega encouraged Epic Records to look for other women singer-songwriters; Epic signed the duo in 1988.

Related Topics:
10,000 Maniacs - Tracy Chapman - Suzanne Vega - Epic Records - Singer-songwriter - 1988

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