Rachel Bissex

Folk singer/songwriter and guitarist Rachel Bissex grew up in Newton, Massachusetts. When she was 13, and showing a continuing interest in music, she got her first guitar. It was a used one her mother bought from a local music store for less than 40 dollars. When Bissex turned 19, she moved to California with big dreams. Being away from family was tough, and later she hitchhiked all the way to Vermont to be close to her brother and father. Once settled in, she entered Johnson State College in 1977. She released her debut album, Light in Dark Places, in 1991, and issued two more albums — 1995's Don't Look Down and 1998's I Used to Be Nice — during the decade. Two additional full-lengths — 2001's Between the Broken Lines and 2004's In White Light — followed during the first half of the 2000s. Throughout her career, Bissex performed at many folk festivals and concerts, as well as concert halls and coffeehouses. She opened for Joan Armatrading, Ray Charles, and Shawn Colvin, among others. In 2005, after a two-year fight with breast cancer, she passed away. The tribute album Remembering Rachel: Songs of Rachel Bissex was released later that year.