Natalie Merchant

Over her 40-year career, Natalie Merchant has attained a place among America’s most respected recording artists. With her reputation for being a songwriter of quality and for having a captivating stage performer, Merchant has also distinguished herself as a social justice and environmental activist. She began her musical career as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the pop music band 10,000 Maniacs, releasing two platinum and four gold records with the group. Merchant has gone on as a solo artist to collaborate, both on stage and in the studio, with an impressive array of artists, including: Philip Glass, Wynton Marsalis, David Byrne, REM, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and Tracy Chapman, among many others. No Depression calls Merchant’s recent album “Keep Your Courage” “marvelous…To go a little deeper than that, it’s full of ambitious musical passages, thoughtful lyrics, and fantastic vocal performances centered on the need for love and meaningful human connection.”