Sloan Wainwright has been a pioneer all her life.

A forerunner in the independent music scene long before it became hip to walk the road less traveled, Sloan is an artist whose passionate work and extraordinary life have fused to burn a new definition for women in music. Grown-up girl style.

An outstanding and highly original singer, Sloan is a compelling performer best known for her rich contralto voice, intensely personal lyrics, and an innovative approach to song. Hard to categorize, her musical style melds the best of pop, folk, jazz, and blues to create a soulful hybrid. Her personal appearances are forceful and uplifting, her stage persona self-described as "we take our audience on a journey, we come in full tilt and do our show."

"Exploring everything from childhood to September 11th, the trio delivers songs in what is not only a well-timed display of musical cohesion but also a full-throttle emotional ride." (The Washington Post)

Born into a highly acclaimed musical family (youngest sister to Loudon Wainwright, auntie to Rufus Wainwright and Martha Wainwright) Sloan's teenage years were largely influenced by a constant flow of diverse artists, writers and musicians. She learned to play the piano and watched her brother Loudon, 11 years older--and the father of Rufus and Martha-- become successful. Writing and performing, throughout the Greenwich Village hipster scene, Sloan developed her own unique style. She says: There was an effortlessness about the flow of creativity at that stage of my life. I didn't think, I was just fearlessly flowing.

In the mid 90's Sloan began to collaborate with guitarist Stephen Murphy. From their instant creative synergy, a band was put together and within no time, Sloan released a self-titled debut CD in 1996 -- 'Sloan Wainwright'. The CD was a critical success and introduced the music to a national audience.

The Sloan Wainwright Band followed with a second release in 1998. A tribute in memory of her mother Martha entitled 'From Where You Are'.

The third band release -- in early 2001 -- 'The Song Inside' is a pivotal work in its merging of traditionally based folk music and more eccentric, creatively evolved variations - sometimes suggesting a stylistic crossroad of Bonnie Raitt and Kate Bush.

The CD release, entitled Cool Morning, sees Sloan take on a myriad of musical challenges. Songs like "Word of The Day" showcase her unique singing voice and vocal styling. One of the most memorable cuts on the CD is her rendition of U2's "Where The Streets Have No Name." Her performance of this classic not only radiates the greatness of the song, but also gives the listener the clear vision of Sloan as a modern day interpreter of lyrics and music.

For Cool Morning, Sloan teamed up once again with her band mates Stephen Murphy (guitar) and Cary Brown (piano) with production and drum credits going to well-known New York City session musician Joe Bonadio (Martin Sexton, Avril Lavigne, Shawn Colvin). Bonadio, best known as a diverse and musical drummer, stepped into the producers chair to allow Sloan more room to concentrate on delivering her brand of compelling vocal styling.

Other musicians showcased on Cool Morning come from a handpicked ensemble of artists with resumes as impressive as Sloan's musical family tree:

• David Sancious (Bruce Springsteen, Sting) on piano
• Jeff Allen (Avril Lavigne, Duncan Sheik) on bass
• John Patitucci (Chick Corea, Stan Getz) on jazz bass
• Harvey Jones (Ellis Paul, Robbie Dupree) on keyboards
• Marc Shulman (Celine Dion, Patty Larkin) on additional guitar

The result of all this artistic synergy, musical talent and personality is Cool Morning, a triumph for Sloan Wainwright.

"Her melodies are the aural equivalent of smoky, tantalizing aromas emanating from a soul kitchen" (Dirty Linen)

"...a masterful amalgam of folk, rock, jazz, blues and an occasional tincture of funk, discovering her music is like finding a treasure... " (The Boston Globe)

"Her lyrics are not tough stances on a woman's experience, but rather sensitive explorations of childhood and the poetry of life." (The New York Times)

"Her songs, like her voice cast a lasting spell, at times drawing the listener into a world of unquestionably heartfelt emotion." (The Washington Post)

"Wainwright's music is kinda like Joni, Odetta, and Yeats nakedly stomping grapes to paint wine-soaked canvases in a SoHo loft only prettier and more straightforward than that metaphor." (Washington City Paper)

"Her husky voice, unusual phrasing and awesome stage presence has resulted in sold-out performances...." (The Westchester County Times)

"Ms. Wainwright has a powerful, earth mother voice that she pours into unexpectededly sensitive blends of folk, jazz, blues and funk." (Footlights, The New York Times)

"...(her) thick as molasses voice gets under your skin in all the right ways." (Performing Songwriter)

"She is, however, talented enough to thrive even if her last name were, say, Whifflepickle...." (Creative Loafing)

December 2005 saw the release of the first-ever live in concert CD for Sloan and bandmates entitled Sloan Wainwright and Friends, On A Night Before Christmas. This Holiday Celebration CD features The Sloan Wainwright band live in concert along with guest performances by The Kennedys, Cadence Carroll, Penny Nichols and Gandalf Murphy and The Slambovian Circus of Dreams. 'On A Night Before Christmas' was recorded Live at Northern Westchester Center for the Arts in Mt. Kisco, NY on December 18th, 2004 and serves to capture the fearless energy and sensational musical performance.

"For the Canadian folkie sisters Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Christmas could never be simply "the holidays." On Wednesday night at Carnegie Hall, they alluded to the sacred nature of their musical inquiry.....The onstage crowd of roughly a score included an elder McGarrigle sister, Jane; Kate's children, Rufus and Martha Wainwright; Anna's husband, Dane Lanken, and daughter Lily; and good friends Emmylou Harris and Sloan Wainwright, whom Kate introduced as her "ex-sister-in-law.....But Sloan Wainwright garnered the most applause with the folk-gospel "Thank God, It's Christmas." (The New York Times, Dec 23, 2005)

"What gives the show its holiday spirit is not only the Christmas songs but the concert's enactment of a family gathering: motley, full of overlapping agendas, a little sentimental, a little fractious but harmonious in the end. Among the relatives were... aunt Sloan Wainwright, who has a rich, almost gospelly voice...." (The New York Times, Dec 15, 2006)

All five releases are sung with a depth that makes the heart ache with recognition and a passion that calls it to rise above. Sloan's voice and expert song craft are instantly memorable.

To maintain her own sense of creative diversity, Sloan has written numerous musical compositions for theater and dance (for which she has been the recipient of various grants and awards). Recently Sloan composed music for the January 2004 presentation of Peter Pucci's 'To Begin Again' at the famous Joyce Theater in New York City. The work was funded through the award of the Mary Flager American Music Center grant and both the music and dance were based on fresh interpretations of Chopin's Nocturnes.

Additionally, Sloan continues to teach the craft to aspiring young musicians. Her open spirit and first-hand experience is welcome --year after year-- in the musical classrooms of such prestigious song camps as The Swannanoa Gathering, Summersongs, Wintersongs, WUMB Radio's Summer Acoustic Music Week (SAMW) and Lamb's Retreat.

The current CD Life Grows Back: self-released June 13, 2006. Derby Disc Music.

Life Grows Back boasts an eclectic collection of 11 new, original tunes. Sloan’s musical expression puts her immediately into a group of artists known for their unique vocal styling and introspective songwriting (Joan Armatrading, Eliza Gilkeyson, Kate Campbell). Defying standard categorization, Life Grows Back sees Sloan demonstrate her easy command of a variety of American musical styles: pop, folk, jazz and blues. The end result is soulful hybrid unique to Sloan. What holds the entire work together is the extraordinary tone of her rich contralto.

Produced with longtime musical partner and guitarist Stephen Murphy and mixed by renowned music producer Stuart Lehrman (Dar Williams, Jules Shear). The album was recorded in the artist’s hometown of Katonah, New York. Guest musicians include nephew Rufus Wainwright (vocal duet) on the track ‘Tired of Wasting Time’. Fred Lieder (cello) on ‘Bad For Her’. David Mansfield (fiddle) on ‘Wild In This World’.

"Sloan Wainwright is one of those singers whose performance is a force of nature. Her big alto voice wraps itself around the lyrics and then wraps the music around you. Wainwright's songs reveal personal dramas and the stories of those within her field of view. Her songs poetically expose the inner workings of relationships using highly original metaphors and images." (Sing Out Magazine. Winter 2007)

"...Consider the warmly titled Life Grows back, as not only a beautifully sung collection of bluesy, folk-like tunes with a bluegrass underpinning, but also as a selection of understanding words." (Music Tap Magazine)

The new CD was recorded early 2006 during the heart of winter. As a songwriter, Sloan is able to pinpoint and articulate the inspiration for this latest collection: " The Reservoir Road in my hometown of Katonah is a beautiful, powerful and creative place. The songs on Life Grows Back grew from my time on that dirt road these past two years. I've been walking there since I was a little kid. My Mom used to walk it with me. I feel so much at ease and at peace as I venture onto the riding trail to be by the stream. I am at home there with the trees and the rocks and with the water. In the flow. I have so much history there. It is the place that has taught me about impermanence and how to be comfortable with change. Everything is the same and everything is different.”

Sloan is an independent artist making grown-up girl music in the truest sense - a rare, one of a kind voice that speaks deeply to our humanity and leaves us forever changed.