Biography
Love was born Laura Jones in
Lincoln, Nebraska in 1960.
[1] She is of
African American,
Native American, and
Caucasian descent.
[2] [3] Love had a difficult childhood, raised by a mother with
schizophrenia and in
foster homes. Her father, who had little involvement in her life, was the jazz musician
Preston Love who played sax with Count Basie, Lucky Millander and Johnny Otis and formed his own band in the 1950s. Love's mother, Wini, had been a singer in Preston's jazz band.
Career
Love began her performing career at age 16, singing for the prisoners at the
Nebraska State Penitentiary.
[4] Love relocated to
Seattle, Washington, where she was a member of the late 1980s rock group Boom Boom G.I. She was also a member of an
all-female band,
Venus Envy.
After Love released three albums on her own label,
Octoroon Biography,
Putumayo released a collection of her songs. Her album
Welcome to Pagan Place
included the controversial song "I Want You Gone", about
George W. Bush. She published an autobiography,
You Ain't Got No Easter Clothes
, with an accompanying album of the same name, in 2004. Her style has been described as "Afro-Celtic" and has also been influenced by
bluegrass.
Discography
- Z Therapy
(1990)
- Pangaea
(1992)
- Helvetica Bold
(1994)
- The Laura Love Collection
(1995)
- Jo Miller and Laura Love Sing Bluegrass and Old Time Music
(1995)
- Octoroon
(1997)
- Shum Ticky
(1998)
- Fourteen Days
(2000)
- Welcome to Pagan Place
(2003)
- You Ain't Got No Easter Clothes
(2004)
- NeGrass
(2007)
Bibliography
- Love, Laura (2004). You Ain't Got No Easter Clothes
. New York (Hyperion Books). ISBN 1-4013-0011-1
References
- Encyclopedia of Northwest Music: From Classical Recordings to Classic Rock Performances, Your Guide to the Best of the Region
- Laura Love Biography - Survived Group Suicide Planned by Mother, Formed Own Label after Negative Review
- African-Native American Scholars
- Laura Love Biography