Susan Marshall

Soulful Tennessee-based singer/songwriter Susan Marshall began her music career as a classical singer before becoming a successful backup vocalist for the likes of Lenny Kravitz, the Afghan Whigs, Cat Power, and Lucinda Williams. Raised in Memphis, Marshall spent her formative years soaking up the region's rich musical legacy, honing her own impressive pipes while listening to Otis Redding, Al Green, Mavis Staples, and Elvis Presley. She relocated to New York City in her early twenties, where she spent six years with the off-Broadway rep company Light Opera of Manhattan before moving back to Memphis where she co-founded and fronted the bluesy early-'90s retro-rock group the Mother Station. The band released one album (Brand New Bag) on the Warner Bros. satellite label EastWest in 1994 and scored a radio hit with "Put the Blame on Me" before calling it quits. Marshall released her debut solo album, Susan Marshall Is Honey Mouth, in 2002, garnering both critical and commercial acclaim. Released in 2005, Firefly found the powerhouse singer backed by a jazz combo, and 2009 saw the release of Little Red, which featured appearances from Greg Dulli (Afghan Whigs, Gutter Twins), Dan Lavery (Tonic, the Fray), Matt Pence (Centro-Matic), and Lucinda Williams.