Ellen Warshaw

US singer, born May 31, 1955. Was discovered at the age of 15 while playing guitar outside of a Manhattan head shop. Her “Sister Morphine” was electronically slowed down to make it sound less rock and more folk. Reputable folk stalwart Vanguard issued Warshaw's self-titled record in 1973 to critical deafness. Other than a phone call from Joan Baez, she received almost no support from the folk fraternity that inhabited Manhattan's lower east side. Too young to hang with Bob Dylan and Fred Neil at The Gaslight or Kenny’s Castaways, Warshaw's few performances there made little impact. She quit playing folk music soon after, and spent the rest of the 1970s performing rock and disco with gigging bands. She continues writing to this day, and even hosts a songwriter’s workshop at her Nashville, Tennessee, bed and breakfast.