Musicians

Amy Ray, 2020

acrylic on panel  
28 x 24 in

acrylic on panel

Joan remembers how natural it felt to sing with Emily Saliers and Amy Ray – the Indigo Girls – on a tour in 2017 with Mary Chapin Carpenter. “Whatever happened with my singing with them, it really worked,” she recalls. “And then when we added Mary Chapin Carpenter, those were really top-notch shows.”

Joan and the Indigo Girls had more than music in common. Joan admires them for being political activists as well as performers, supporting Native American issues, the environment, LGBTQ rights and Black Lives Matter, among other causes.

In addition to being politically conscious, Joan says, “They are stellar people. You can’t get any more down home than either of them.” And, while on the road, they became more than just touring partners. They became friends.

“They call me the matriarch,” Joan says, smiling, “and I call them the whippersnappers.”