Karen Dalton

See all 23 pictures

Play Radio

Listen to Karen Dalton Radio, featuring artists like Sibylle Baier, Elizabeth Cotten, Fred Neil, Michael Hurley and more…

• Search on Spotify

990,690 plays (97,099 listeners)
In your library (0 plays)

Shop now at Amazon | Send Karen Dalton Ringtones to Cell

Buy

• Download
• Amazon
• Send Ringtones to Cell
• Tonefuse Search

Add to my Library

New York City, New York, United States (1961 – 1993)

Karen J. Dalton (born Karen J. Cariker (July 19, 1937 - March 19, 1993) was an American folk blues singer and banjo player associated with the early 1960s Greenwich Village folk music scene, particularly with Fred Neil and The Holy Modal Rounders as well as Bob Dylan.

Dalton, whose heritage was Cherokee, was born Karen J. Cariker in Enid, Oklahoma. Her bluesy, world-weary voice is often compared to that of iconic jazz singer Billie Holiday. She sang blues, folk, country, pop, Motown - making over each song in her own style. She played the twelve string Gibson guitar and a long neck banjo.

In his 2004 autobiography, Bob Dylan wrote this in his description of discovering and joining the music scene at Greenwich Village’s Cafe Wha? after arriving in New York City, New York, United States in 1961: “My favorite singer in the place was Karen Dalton. Karen had a voice like Billie Holiday and played guitar like Jimmy Reed… I sang with her a couple of times.”

Dalton’s second album, In My Own Time (1971), was recorded at Bearsville Studios and originally released by Woodstock Festival promoter Michael Lang’s label, Just Sunshine Records. The album was produced and arranged by Harvey Brooks, who played bass on it. (Harvey Brooks played bass also on the Miles Davis album Bitches Brew, on the Bob Dylan album Highway 61 Revisited and on the Richie Havens album Mixed Bag.) Piano player Richard Bell guested on In My Own Time. Its liner notes were written by Fred Neil and its cover photos were taken by Elliot Landy. Less well-known is Dalton’s first album, It’s So Hard to Tell Who’s Going to Love You the Best (Capitol, 1969), which was re-released by Koch Records on CD in 1996.

Read more… Edit bio

Popular tags: folk, blues, singer-songwriter, female vocalists, 60s  See more

Share this artist:

• Tweet
• Send

Top Albums

• In My Own Time
  Karen Dalton

  Buy

  • Download Album
  • Amazon MP3 $7.99
  • 7digital $9.99
  • iTunes $9.99
  • Buy Album
  • Insound
  • Amazon Search
  • eBay Search
• It's So Hard To Tell Who's Going To Love You The…
  Karen Dalton

  Buy

  • Download Album
  • Amazon MP3 $9.49
  • 7digital $8.99
  • iTunes $9.99
  • Buy Album
  • Amazon Search
  • eBay Search
• 1966
  Karen Dalton

  Buy

  • Download Album
  • Amazon MP3 $8.99
  • 7digital $9.99
  • iTunes $9.99
  • Buy Album
  • Amazon Search
  • eBay Search
• Green Rocky Road
  Karen Dalton

  Buy

  • Download Album
  • Amazon MP3 Search
  • 7digital Search
  • iTunes Search
  • Buy Album
  • Amazon Search
  • eBay Search

Top Tracks

• Last Week
• Last 6 months

1		Katie Cruel			276
2		Something On Your Mind			256
3		Little Bit of Rain			174
4		Reason to Believe			168
5		Green Rocky Road			121
6		Cotton Eyed Joe			104
7		In My Own Dream			91
8		God Bless the Child			86
9		Don't Make Promises			84
10		Other Side to This Life			83
11		Same Old Man			81
12		How Sweet It Is			80
12		Sweet Substitute			80
12		When a Man Loves a Woman			80
15		Ribbon Bow			79

Buy all tracks at Amazon MP3

See more