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Aoife O'Donovan
O'Donovan in 2021
Background information
Born	(1982-11-18) November 18, 1982 (age 42) Boston, Massachusetts
Genres	Folk rock, Americana
Occupation	Musician
Instrument(s)	Guitar, piano
Years active	2001–present
Member of	Crooked Still, I'm with Her
Website	aoifeodonovan.com

Aoife O'Donovan (/ˈiːfə/ EE-fə, Irish: [ˈiːfʲə]; born November 18, 1982) is an American singer and Grammy award-winning songwriter. She is best known as the lead singer for the string band Crooked Still and she also co-founded the Grammy Award-winning female folk trio I'm with Her. She has released three critically acclaimed studio albums: Fossils (2013), In the Magic Hour (2016), and Age of Apathy (2022, nominated for the Best Folk Album Grammy Award), as well as multiple noteworthy live recordings and EPs, including Blue Light (2010), Peachstone (2012), Man in a Neon Coat: Live From Cambridge (2016), In the Magic Hour: Solo Sessions (2019), and Bull Frog's Croon (and Other Songs) (2020). She also spent a decade contributing to the radio variety shows Live from Here and A Prairie Home Companion. Her first professional engagement was singing lead for the folk group The Wayfaring Strangers.

O'Donovan has performed with the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Kansas City Symphony, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Louisville Orchestra, and the Utah Symphony Orchestra. In 2012, she sang on most of the tracks on the album Be Still by the jazz group the Dave Douglas Quintet, featuring trumpeter Dave Douglas. During the summer of 2013, she toured with Garrison Keillor and his A Prairie Home Companion Radio Romance Tour. She also performed at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark 2014. In summer 2017, she joined Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home "Love and Comedy" Tour.

She has performed, recorded and collaborated with a large variety of acclaimed musicians including Ollabelle, Karan Casey and Seamus Egan, Jerry Douglas, Jim Lauderdale, Darol Anger, Sarah Jarosz, Sara Watkins, Christina Courtin, Chris Thile (Nickel Creek, Punch Brothers), Noam Pikelny (Punch Brothers), Edgar Meyer, Stuart Duncan, Greensky Bluegrass, Kronos Quartet and Yo-Yo Ma. Her songwriting has also led her to be featured in films and television and came to the attention of Alison Krauss, who recorded Aoife's song "Lay My Burden Down" on her album Paper Airplane (2011 Rounder Records) and is used in the film Get Low (2010 Sony Pictures). She has had songs placed on True Blood (HBO) and Private Practice (ABC).

Life and career

O'Donovan grew up in Newton, Massachusetts. She spent her summers in Ireland singing songs with her extended family. She became interested in American folk music through artists such as Joan Baez and Bob Dylan. Aoife went on to study contemporary improvisation at the New England Conservatory of Music, where she graduated in 2003. In 2016, she wed Eric Jacobsen; subsequently they had a daughter Ivy Jo, born in 2017.

Crooked Still (2001–2011)

O'Donovan and bassist Corey DiMario met at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, in the spring of 2001. Cellist Rushad Eggleston, who was studying at Berklee College of Music, and banjo player Gregory Liszt, a graduate student at MIT, were playing music together around the same time, and when the four met that summer, they formed the band Crooked Still. The group grew in popularity by playing Boston area venues. The group was invited to perform at the Newport Folk Festival and Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, the same year they released their debut album, Hop High. Crooked Still has toured in 23 states and several countries. In August 2006, the group released their second album, Shaken by a Low Sound. In November 2007, Rushad Eggleston parted ways with the band to pursue his own music. In January 2008 two new members joined the band: cellist Tristan Clarridge and fiddler Brittany Haas. The band released its first album with the new lineup Still Crooked in 2008, a live album in 2009, a studio full-length Some Strange Country in 2010 and an EP Friends of Fall in October 2011.

Sometymes Why (2005–2009)

Contemporary/neo-traditional folk noir trio Sometymes Why was formed in 2005 by O'Donovan, Kristin Andreassen and Ruth Ungar Merenda. They came together from other bands, including Uncle Earl the Jolly Bankers (Andreassen), Crooked Still, the Wild Band of Snee, the Wayfaring Strangers (O'Donovan), The Mammals and Jay Ungar & Molly Mason's Family Band (Merenda). Sometymes Why released their debut cd in 2005 titled Sometimes Why, followed by Your Heart Is A Glorious Machine in 2009.

I'm With Her (2014–Present)

In 2015, Aoife toured extensively with Sara Watkins (a founding member of Nickel Creek) and Sarah Jarosz under the combined tour banner of "I'm With Her". This combo came about after an impromptu performance at the 2014 Telluride Bluegrass Festival.

The group covered John Hiatt's "Crossing Muddy Waters" in 2015, and released the single "Little Lies" in 2017, touring the US later that year. They recorded their debut album See You Around at Real World Studios in Bath, Somerset, England, three weeks after they had written it. The album was co-produced by Ethan Johns and released on February 16, 2018. American singer-songwriter Gillian Welch wrote the album's last track "Hundred Miles"; the trio is credited with writing all other songs on the album. The group toured in the U.S. and in Europe in the first half of 2018.

At the 62nd Grammy Awards on January 26, 2020, I'm With Her won the award for Best American Roots Song for their recording of "Call My Name". The song was co-written by Jarosz, Watkins, and O'Donovan.

Solo Career (2010–Present)

In June 2010, O'Donovan released her first solo recording, Blue Light, in the form of a limited edition 7" vinyl.

O'Donovan is the guest vocalist on the 2013 Grammy winning The Goat Rodeo Sessions (2011 Sony Masterworks), an album recorded by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, bassist Edgar Meyer, mandolinist Chris Thile and fiddler Stuart Duncan. The album includes two vocal tracks featuring O'Donovan and Chris Thile. O'Donovan co-wrote one of those tracks, "Here And Heaven", with Meyer, Thile and Duncan.

In November 2012, Aoife signed a deal with Yep Roc Records. A single, "Red & White & Blue & Gold" was released April 2, 2013, and her full-length debut album, "Fossils", produced by Tucker Martine, was released on June 11, 2013.

Aoife has toured with the Punch Brothers, Transatlantic Sessions, the Milk Carton Kids, Elephant Revival, The Goat Rodeo Sessions and The Lone Bellow, makes frequent appearances on Chris Thile's Live From Here as well as headlining performances both in the US and abroad.

In 2016, Aoife released her sophomore solo studio album on Yep Roc Records, titled In The Magic Hour. On September 9, she also released the live album Man In A Neon Coat: Live From Cambridge, also on Yep Roc Records.

In 2018, Aoife wrote and recorded an original song titled "Are You There" for Elizabeth Chomko's short-film What They Had starring Hilary Swank.

In 2020, Aoife and her band I'm with Her won a Grammy Award for Best American Roots Song for their song "Call My Name".

In 2020, Aoife released her string quartet EP, Bullfrog's Croon (and Other Songs). As a solo artist she was inter alia part of the Newport Folk Festival in July 2021.

In 2022, O'Donovan released Age of Apathy, a solo record produced by Joe Henry with guest performances by Allison Russell and Madison Cunningham. In November 2022, it received a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album.

In 2024, O'Donovan released All My Friends, a solo album originally commissioned for the anniversary of the 19th amendment. All My Friends features collaboration with the Westerlies, the Knights, Anaïs Mitchell, and the San Francisco Girls' Chorus.

Discography

Solo recordings

With Sometymes Why

With Crooked Still

With I'm With Her

Videos

As guest artist

Awards and nominations

References

1. ^ Kim Ruehl. "Aoife O'Donovan (of Crooked Still)". Aoife O'Donovan - Biography and Profile. About.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
2. ^ Linda Fahey (June 8, 2013). "Aoife O'Donovan: The Voice Of Crooked Still Breaks Loose". NPR Music. National Public Radio. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
3. Alarik, Scott (2003-11-14). "/ News / Boston Globe / Living / Arts / Wayfaring Strangers find common ground". Boston.com. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
4. Hays Davis (July 18, 2013). "Garrison Keillor's 'A prairie home companion': Spirit of the Radio". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Richmond, Virginia: World Media Enterprises. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
5. R. Scott Reedy (July 25, 2013). "Garrison Keillor brings 'Prairie' to Cohasset". The Patriot Ledger. Quincy, Massachusetts: GateHouse Media. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
6. Doyle, Patrick (2011-02-10). "Alison Krauss Reflects on Making First Album With Union Station Since 2004". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
7. "True Blood: S 3 EP 25 Bad Blood: Music". HBO. 2011-11-12. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
8. Carr, Eamon (July 20, 2013). "Welcome to Aoife's roots county chillout". The Evening Herald (Herald.ie). Dublin, Ireland: Independent House. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
9. Shea Gibbs (October 10, 2013). "The many sides of Aoife O'Donovan's talent". C-Ville Weekly. Charlottesville, VA. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
10. "Crooked Still Discography". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
11. Jonathan Bernstein (March 16, 2016). "The Glad Tears of Aoife O'Donovan". American Songwriter magazine. ForASong Media, LLC. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
12. Alex Gallacher (April 26, 2015). "I'm with Her Tour: Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O'Donovan". Music News. Folk Radio UK. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
13. Gold, Adam (July 19, 2017). "Watch Folk Supergroup I'm With Her Perform New Song 'Little Lies'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
14. Bernstein, Scott (June 4, 2018). "I'm With Her Announces 2018 Fall Tour". JamBase. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
15. "2020 GRAMMYs Awards Show: Complete Winners & Nominations List". GRAMMY Awards. Nov 20, 2019. Archived from the original on Feb 8, 2022.
16. "Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile Transcend Musical Boundaries and Create Organized Chaos in a Beautiful "Goat Rodeo"". PRNewswire. Sony Masterworks. 13 Sep 2011. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
17. "Folk On Schedules". Newport Folk. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
18. "62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards". GRAMMY Awards. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
19. "Aoife ODonovan". GRAMMY Awards. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
20. "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Nominees List". GRAMMY Awards. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
21. "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Nominees List". GRAMMY Awards. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
22. "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Nominees List". GRAMMY Awards. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
23. ^ "Announcing the nominees + recipients for the 2023 International Folk Music Awards". 9 January 2023.
24. "Home - Libera Awards 2025".

External links

• Aoife O'Donovan Official website
• Aoife O'Donovan at AllMusic
• Aoife O'Donovan discography at Discogs
• Crooked Still
• Crooked Still at AllMusic
• Crooked Still discography at Discogs
• Sometymes Why
• Sometymes Why at AllMusic
• Sometymes Why discography at Discogs
• I'm With Her (group) official website

• 1982 births
• 21st-century American singer-songwriters
• 21st-century American women singers
• American expatriates in Ireland
• American folk singers
• American people of Irish descent
• American women singer-songwriters
• Crooked Still members
• Grammy Award winners
• I'm with Her (band) members
• Living people
• Musicians from Boston
• New England Conservatory alumni
• Signature Sounds artists
• Singer-songwriters from Massachusetts
• Singer-songwriters from New York (state)
• Sometymes Why members
• Sugar Hill Records artists
• Yep Roc Records artists