Gina Forsyth is an award-winning singer/songwriter, violinist and guitarist. Her southern roots dig deep into the soul of American culture and bloom forth in the form of pertinent, powerful lyrics that rest on the branches of vivid melodies. Steeped in a wide array of influences, she has successfully linked the traditional to the contemporary, the erudite to the instinctual and the accomplished to the unrefined.
Born in Florida and raised in Alabama, Forsyth grew up on hymns, country songs and old time fiddle tunes. In 1983, she moved to New Orleans studying classical and jazz violin at Loyola University. Forsyth quickly grew to love Cajun music, even moving at one point to Lafayette to steep herself in Cajun music.
She toured with the Cajun rock band Mamou in 1989, and sang "Valse de la Vie" on the group's Ugly Day CD, released on Rounder Records (1992). After stints with a number of other Cajun bands, these days she regularly tours with Bruce Daigrepont, and appears on his most recent CD, Paradis, also on Rounder Records (1999). In addition, she is great demand as a session player for many other musicians, including the Burns Sisters, with whom she toured and appeared on their Rounder CD, Out of the Blue (1999).
Currently, Gina tours with the Malvinas , a folk group, with current and former Texans Lisa Markley and Beth Cahill, and appears on the trio's debut CD, i'm not like this (2002). Their second CD, Love, Hope + Transportation (2005), has garnered critical acclaim and much airplay on folk radio over the past couple years.
As a singer/songwriter, Forsyth has earned many honors, including Emerging Songwriter Winner at the Napa Valley Folk Festival (1993), and New Folk Winner at the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival (1996). Her work can also be found on numerous compilations, including five from Waterbug Records . In 2005, two of her songs, “Somewhere Off the Foot of this Mountain†and “St. Anthony†were published in two separate issues of Sing Out!
She has been named Offbeat magazine's People's Choice Winner in the folk category (1994). She also won Offbeat magazine's Best Singer/Songwriter for two years in a row (1995-96) and was the winner of the 1996 Best Cajun CD of the Year (Dans La Louisiane, with Waylon Thibodeaux). She regularly performs at The Neutral Ground Coffeehouse, New Orleans' hangout for the singer/songwriter set, and often hosts touring shows there.
Gina Forsyth's latest release is You Are Here (2001). This debut solo CD was heralded as, "...an eclectic, beautifully played testament to choosing the right personnel and crafting a great song." (The Daily Advertiser, Lafayette, LA). Gina is beginning work on a new solo CD, to be out later in 2007 (maybe 2008).