Edie Brickell

Singer/songwriter Edie Brickell was born March 10, 1966 in Texas. Brickell dropped out of Southern Methodist University to pursue a living as a musical performer. In 1985 she was invited to sing with a local folk band, New Bohemians. Brad Houser, Eric Presswood, and Brandon Aly had been playing under that moniker for a few years, and their sensibilities gelled. They signed to Geffen and released their debut album Shooting Rubber Bands at the Stars in 1988. The record’s laid-back, folk vibe turned out to be unexpectedly popular, and the album went to number 4, and the leadoff single, “What I Am” became an MTV staple, a number 7 pop hit, and the defining song of Brickell’s career. There would be one more New Bohemians album before Brickell married Paul Simon in 1992, and released the solo album Pretty Perfect Buildings in 1994. There were no further solo albums until 2003’s Volcano. After a short-lived reunion with New Bohemians in 2006, Brickell formed The Heavy Circles with her husband’s son, Harper Simon. After another solo album 2011’s Edie Brickell, she then teamed with Pino Palladino and Andy Fairweather Low in The Gaddabouts, a group that playfully mixed unexpected genres with her signature folk instincts. She then collaborated with Steve Martin for the rootsy album Love Has Come for You. Their creative partnership was fruitful enough to result in her touring with Martin’s bluegrass outfit, The Steep Canyon Rangers, and together the duo contributed songs for the stage musical Bright Star. The New Bohemians reformed for the 2018 album Rocket.