INDIGO GIRLS FACTS:
Members: Amy Ray, Emily Saliers
Genre: Folk Rock Music
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Awards: 1 Grammy
Albums: Indigo Girls (1987); Strange Fire (1987), Indigo Girls (1989), Nomads Indians Saints (1990), Rites of Passage (1992), Swamp Ophelia (1994), Shaming of the Sun (1997), Come on Now Social (1999), Become You (2002), All That We Let In (2004), Despite Our Differences (2006), Poseidon and the Bitter Bug (2009), Holly Happy Days (2010)
Hits: "Closer to Fine," "Hammer and Nail," "Galileo," "Shame on You," "Get Out the Map"
Other: Featured in Pink’s album, I'm Not Dead, in the song "Dear Mr. President"
Comprised of singers Amy Ray and Emily Sailers, the Indigo Girls have been one of the most popular folk rock duos of the last 20 years. By championing various environmental and political causes, the pair gained a very loyal following and have enjoyed considerable success throughout their lengthy career.
Ray and Sailers began performing together at a relatively young age after they met in high school in Decatur, Georgia. They eventually both attended Emory University in Georgia where they continued to perform at local bars, and they recorded their first album, Strange Fire, in 1987. The release attracted the attention of talent executive Russell Carter, and the group was soon signed to a record deal in 1988.
Soon after being signed, the Indigo Girls released their self-titled major-label debut. The album was an immediate success and was met with overwhelmingly positive critical reception. The record featured a number of hit songs including the first track "Closer to Fine" and "Secure Yourself." The album earned the duo several nominations at the Grammy's, eventually winning the award for Best Contemporary Folk Recording.
The group's next album, Nomads Indians Saints, was released in 1990. While it was not as commercially successful as their previous project, it earned mainly positive reviews and the song "Hammer and a Nail" reached number 12 on the modern rock charts. The Indigo Girls followed that up with 1992's Rites of Passage, which earned Ray and Sailers their first top-10 track with Galileo.
After Rites of Passage, the pair released what would become their most popular album, Swamp Ophelia, in 1994. The record reached number 6 on the Billboard 200, and was certified platinum in 1996. When Sarah McLachlan founded Lilith Fair in 1997, the Indigo Girls were one of the headlining acts and their 1997 release Shaming of the Sun became their most popular crossover recording.
Despite embarking on solo careers, Ray and Sailers continued to make music together throughout much of the 2000s. In 2006, their 10th studio album Despite Our Difference proved to be somewhat of a resurgence, and was considered by many critics to be their best release since the early 1990s.
Their most recent project, Holly Happy Days, was released in October 2010 and provided their dedicated fan base with a new batch of folk-infused rock. Despite the bursting of the folk bubble after the late '90s, the Indigo Girls remain a popular force within the music world.