Eliza Gilkyson

Biography

Eliza Gilkyson (born August 24, 1950, Hollywood, California) is an American folk musician based in Taos, New Mexico. Gilkyson is a two-time Grammy Award nominee, receiving a nomination for Best Contemporary Folk Album in 2004 and Best Folk Album in 2014.

Personal life

Eliza's father was singer-songwriter Terry Gilkyson and her brother is Tony Gilkyson.

Career

Gilkyson released Eliza '69, her first album, in 1969 while raising a family in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She didn't come out with her second, Love from the Heart, until ten years later. She moved to Austin, Texas, in 1981 and released the commercial album Pilgrims×Pilgrims1987 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Calling All Angels4:222Shadows and Footprints3:193Material Man2:354Foolish Heart4:135Mister Mystery3:436Pilgrims5:147My Baby Is a Universe2:568One Heart in Time3:179Closer4:15 before moving to Los Angeles in 1987.
After a brief stint in Los Angeles, Gilkyson returned to New Mexico in the early 1990s, releasing several albums of original material. In 1993 she collaborated with New Age artist Andreas Vollenweider on his recording, Eolian Minstrel.
Gilkyson has been with Red House Records since 2000, although she also worked on three albums independently, recording on her own label, Realiza Records. In 2003 she was inducted into the Texas Music Hall of Fame. Her third album with Red House Records, Land of Milk and Honey×Land of Milk and Honey23 March 2003 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Hiway 94:172Not Lonely4:143Dark Side of Town5:244Tender Mercies4:255Wonderland3:126Separated5:517Ballad of Yvonne Johnson6:478Runnin Away4:039Milk and Honey2:5910Peace Call3:54 was released in 2004 and was nominated for a Grammy. In 2005, she released Paradise Hotel with the song "Requiem×RequiemReleaseSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Requiem2Greenfields3Requiem (Live Mix)" about the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami in December 2004. Coinciding with Hurricane Katrina's devastation of the Gulf Coast region in August 2005, this composition is a song of prayer and comfort. The same year Gilkyson was recognized with three Austin Music Awards and four Folk Alliance Music Awards, one of which was for her song "Man of God" about the Bush administration.
In 2008, Gilkyson's album Beautiful World×Beautiful World2008 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Emerald Street3:462Wildewood Spring4:313The Party's Over4:224Great Correction5:045Clever Disguise4:046Dream Lover3:317He Waits for Me4:368Runaway Train4:219Beautiful World6:2510Rare Bird4:5611Unsustainable3:33 was released, again on Red House Records. The songs vary from pop to folk, ranging from intimate ballads to rallying cries against imperialism. In 2010, she collaborated on a new album entitled Red Horse with two of her Red House Records label-mates John Gorka and Lucy Kaplansky.
In 2011, Gilkyson released Roses at the End of Time and in 2014 released The Nocturne Diaries, which was nominated for a Grammy for best Folk Album. Both CDs were recorded at her home with the help of her son and co-producer Cisco Ryder.
In 2020, Gilkyson released 2020, described as "a collection of politically charged anthems."
Gilkyson continues to tour about 150 dates per year in the United States and overseas, as well as hosting annual songwriting workshops near Taos, New Mexico.
In June 2026, CBS News included her song When You Walk On in its list of the 250 essential American songs of the past 250 years.

Albums

1969 – Eliza '69, Mont Clare Records (out of print)
1979 – Love from the Heart, as Lisa Gilkyson, Helios Records (out of print)
1982 – No Commercial Potential, as Lisa Gilkyson, Wind River Productions (cassette - out of print)
1984 – Eliza Gilkyson / Mark Hallman, SouthCoast Records (EP - out of print)
1987 – Pilgrims, Gold Castle Records
1988 – Legends of Rainmaker, Gold Castle Records (out of print)
1992 – Through the Looking Glass, Private Music (out of print but may be reissued in the future)
1993 – Eolian Minstrel by Andreas Vollenweider, vocals, acoustic guitar, and lyrical co-author, although Gilkyson's credit only appears in the liner notes, Capitol Records
1994 – Undressed, Realiza Records (out of print)
1997 – Redemption Road, Silverwave Records
1999 – Misfits, Realiza Records
2000 – Hard Times in Babylon, Red House Records
2001 – More Than a Song, with Ad Vanderveen and Iain Matthews, Perfect Pitch Productions
2002 – Lost and Found, Red House Records
2004 – Land of Milk and Honey, Red House Records
2005 – RetroSpecto, Realiza Records
2005 – Paradise Hotel, Red House Records
2007 – Your Town Tonight, Red House Records
2008 – Beautiful World, Red House Records
2010 – Red Horse with John Gorka and Lucy Kaplansky, Red House Records
2011 – Roses At The End Of Time, Red House Records
2014 – The Nocturne Diaries, Red House Records
2018 – Secularia, Red House Records
2020 – 2020, Red House Records
2022 – Songs from the River Wind, Howling Dog Records
2023 – Home, Realiza
2025 - Dark Ages, Realiza

Personal life

Gilkyson is the daughter of songwriter and folk musician Terry Gilkyson and his wife, Jane. Her brother is guitarist Tony Gilkyson, who played with the Los Angeles–based bands Lone Justice and X. She is married to scholar and author Robert Jensen.