Suzanne Vega

In 1985, Suzanne Vega released her debut, garnering platinum status in the UK and this New York-based singer-songwriter’s self-titled album claimed the number 80 spot on Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Best Albums of the Eighties. Vega began her career as an ambitious ‘second wave’ folk singer in Greenwich Village, but since the inception of that forty-year career, however, she has explored not only neo-folk music, but electronica, blues, new wave, musical theater, pop and Latin-flavored ballads such as ‘Caramel.’
The original songs of her extensive discography highlight heartfelt and humorous narratives drawn from urban glitz and glitter, Greek mythology, and 20th-century literary and cinematic celebrity, but ‘the mother of the mp3’ also observes people navigating the slings and arrows of everyday life.
Much of her catalogue, including the a cappella hit, ‘Tom’s Diner’ and socially conscious ‘Luka,’ have been covered by contemporary artists, but guided by multiple influencers, Vega herself has covered songs by Leonard Cohen, Lou Reed and Laura Nyro. With excerpts from the author’s own interviews with Ms Vega, plus insights from renowned producers, American singer-songwriters, label executives, filmmakers, composers and session musicians, Suzanne Vega on track brings this profound artist’s vivid discography to life.

Lisa Torem, a rock journalist and musician with an M.A. in Linguistics, has interviewed, among others, members of: Alice Cooper, The Animals, Aerosmith, Cream, The Kinks, The Faces, Dave Brubeck, Jethro Tull, Thin Lizzy, The Zombies, 10cc, Judy Collins, Donovan, Darlene Love, Sarah McLachlan, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Jimmy Webb and Dweezil Zappa. Interviews, features, live/CD reviews have appeared in American Blues Scene, The Chicago Reader, Grateful Web, Newcity, pennyblackmusic.co.uk., Popmatters and The Big Takeover. Lisa co-wrote Through the Eye of the Tiger and All That Glitters and wrote Tori Amos and Billy Joel in the On Track series. She lives in Chicago with her husband and loquacious cats.