Sharon Gilchrist

Infobox musical artist
Name = Sharon Gilchrist
Background = solo_singer


Img_capt = Sharon Gilchrist in 2005. Photo by Forrest L. Smith, III
Img_size =
Birth_name =
Born = Birth date and age|1972|10|6|df=yes
Origin = Southlake, Texas
Years_active =
Instruments = Mandolin, Octave Mandolin, Bass, Vocals
Genre = Americana
Bluegrass
Country
Label = Rounder Records
URL = [http://www.sharon-gilchrist.com Sharon Gilchrist Homepage]

Sharon Gilchrist (born October 6, 1972 in Southlake, Texas) is an American bluegrass musician, singer, and the sister of Troy Gilchrist, an accomplished bluegrass musician in his own right. Sharon is known best for her mastery of the mandolin but plays double bass and guitar and harmonizes as well.

Biography

Youth

Raised in Southlake,Texas,a suburb of Dallas Texas, Sharon Gilchrist started playing the mandolin at the age of four. When she was nine years old, she and her older brother, guitarist Troy and friends; Martie Erwin and her younger sister, Emily Erwin, formed a teenage bluegrass band they named "Blue Night Express".cite web | title=Jam Base | work=Jam Base | url=http://www.jambase.com/Artists/Bio.aspx?ArtistID=29795 | accessdate = 2007-12-20] . (The Erwin sisters formed another band,many years later after Robin Lynn Macy and Laura Lynch joined, called The Dixie Chicks. [http://www.frontpagepublicity.com/dxc/content/personalfacts.html Front Page publicity Dixie Chicks] ] Over the next five to six years, Blue Night Express played as a full-time band while the Erwin sisters were still attending private Greenhill School,in Addison (which lasts throughout both primary and secondary school). They appeared with such bluegrass performers as Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, Del McCoury, and New Grass Revival [http://www.cbweekly.com/page.cfm?pageid=632 CB Weekly] ] .

Leaving Texas

After Troy and Martie graduated and left to attend college, the foursome parted ways. When Martie came back one year later, Sharon performed with the Erwin sisters just at the time they were forming their new band, the Dixie Chicks. Soon after Sharon moved to Nashville, Tennessee to study mandolin at Belmont University. There she worked as a composer and music director for the conceptual art collective "DddD" and developed an interest for composing music for dance and film.

Mary and Mars

In 2001, after she had received her Bachelors of Arts degree, Sharon moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico. There she met guitarist Ben Wright and bassist Josh Martin and in April 2002 they formed the bluegrass project "Mary and Mars". They recorded two albums while together, and toured for two years throughout the southwestern United States, where Sharon had the opportunity to experiment with playing with a variety of bands in related genres: bluegrass, folk and the roots music termed "Americana". She played with the husband and wife duo Bill and Bonnie Hearne who had been a roots duo on guitar and vocals for several decades; so for a short time, there existed the "Bill Hearne Trio". Gilchrist also moved on, in Colorado, meeting the women who comprise the band, Uncle Earl. When "Mary and Mars" separated in August, 2004, Sharon began playing with the band. (accessed 11 March, 2008) [http://www.jambase.com/Artists/Bio.aspx?ArtistID=29795 Sharon Gilchrist Bio on Jam Base] ]

Uncle Earl and Quartet

Sharon joined up with Uncle Earl, an eclectic group of female musicians incorporating dance into their act, playing bass until 2005 when she left to play mandolin in the Peter Rowan and Tony Rice Quartet, joined by bassist/vocalist Bryn Davies. (accessed 11 March, 2008) [http://www.jambase.com/Artists/Bio.aspx?ArtistID=29795 Sharon Gilchrist Bio on Jam Base] ] The band is called "Quartet" or "Rowan's Quartet". Gilchrist received a glowing review saying she "continued to shine" in 2007, in "Rowans Quartet", appearing at the Americana festival, Merlefest alongside stars of many genres. Hutchinson, Nick (accessed 10 March, 2008) [http://www.jambase.com/Articles/Story.aspx?StoryID=11252 RockyGrass | 07.27 - 07.29 | Lyons, CO] ]

Current work

Most recently, Sharon has played with Joe West, Susan Holmes and Ben Wright as the "Santa Fe Allstars". She continues to teach mandolin in the College of Santa Fe. (accessed 11 March, 2008) [http://www.jambase.com/Artists/Bio.aspx?ArtistID=29795 Sharon Gilchrist Bio on Jam Base] ]

Discography

* Mary & Mars "(w/Mary & Mars 2003)"
* Live at the Blinking Light "(w/Mary & Mars 2004)"
* Raise A Ruckus (EP) "(w/Uncle Earl 2004)"
* Quartet "(w/Peter Rowan 2007)"
* Santa Fe Allstars "(w/Joe West 2008)"

References

External links

* [http://www.myspace.com/sharongilchrist Sharon Gilchrist's myspace site]
* [http://www.sharon-gilchrist.com Sharon Gilchrist's Website]
* [http://homepage.ntlworld.com/farawayhills/sharon_gilchrist.html Sharon and Troy Gilchrist] Links to Sharon and Troy Gilchrist at various points in careers
* [http://www.cbweekly.com/page.cfm?pageid=632 Article on Mary and Mars]