Poet's Heart - Kate Wolf (1985)

We are running a new LCM feature today in our LCM Classics called 'Lost Voices' dedicated to some of the wonderful musicians, who although excellent left the music world far too early, might not be as well know as other household names. All of them are really worth investigating further, if you don't know them already. For our first feature we will explore the music of a great Californian Folk Singer-songwriter called Kate Wolf. Although her career was relatively short, she had a significant impact on the folk music scene and many musicians continue to cover her songs. Her best-known compositions include "Here in California," "Love Still Remains," "Across the Great Divide," "Unfinished Life," and "Give Yourself to Love."

Born in San Francisco, she started her music career in the band Wildwood Flower, before recording ten records as a solo artist. Her songs have since been recorded by artists such as Nanci Griffith and Emmylou Harris (whose recording of "Love Still Remains" was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1999). An important mentor, friend and touring companion was Utah Phillips. She died in 1986, at age 44, after a long battle with leukemia

Kate music is celebrated each year toward the end of June at the Kate Wolf Memorial Music Festival, held at Black Oak Ranch in Laytonville, California. Several thousand guests attend this outdoor festival, which is regularly headlined by popular folk musicians such as Nina Gerber and Greg Brown. The festival traditionally closes with Kate's song, "Give Yourself to Love."

Our LCM Friday Classic is a lovely version of 'Poet's Heart' first released as the title track of her 1985 album .Thanks to Kevin Penney for the wonderful recommendation.