folk-rock

"Mama" Cass Elliot, Baroness von Wiedenman (19 September 1941 – 29 July 1974), born Ellen Naomi Cohen, was a noted American singer who performed with The Mamas & the Papas. She then went onto a successful solo career, releasing nine albums. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, she spent most of her childhood both in Baltimore and Alexandria, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. Elliot was widely considered the most charismatic member of the Mamas & the Papas due to her sense of humor and optimism, in part because of her large size and weight.

Skyclad is a British heavy metal band with strong folk influences in their music. They were formed by former Sabbat vocalist Martin Walkyier, and Satan / Blind Fury / Pariah guitarist Steve Ramsey in 1990 to represent the "ultimate pagan metal band". From the start, they have incorporated a diverse range of influences from British folk music to German thrash metal which has fed their constantly evolving sound. They are widely considered the inventors of folk metal.

Richard Thompson is a gifted guitarist and songwriter whose critical acclaim and cult following has often threatened but never managed to cross over into mainstream appeal. In 1967 as a precocious 17 year old he was a founder member of Fairport Convention. Now legendary as pioneers of folk rock they were then captivated by the sounds of the emerging singer-songwriters of the American east and west coasts.

Sera Cahoone is a Seattle based singer-songwriter who got her musical start on the drums at 12 years old. At 21 she left Colorado in favor of Seattle and drummed for indie favorites Carissa's Wierd and later for Band of Horses on their acclaimed release "Everything all the Time." Despite being an accomplished guitar player and songwriter, Sera largely preferred to stay behind the drum kit until one particular tour across the US in 2006.