Album Notes

Sharon Dressen McKnight resides in Lafayette, Indiana, and has performed at a wide variety of festivals, concerts, and coffeehouses. She began her public music career in the Minneapolis/St.Paul area in the early '80s. "My Backyard", Sharon's first recording, draws from those years of song collecting and includes cuts from St. Paul songwriters Larry Havluck and Patrice Kersting.
The Indiana influence is present in Appalachian tunes "Cold Frosty Morn" and "Cluck Old Hen". This banjo/fiddle medley features Sharon on clawhammer banjo and veteran Indiana fiddler, Edwin Layer. And Lafayette, a stop along the route of the well-intended but bittersweet Orphan Trains, influenced Sharon's song by the same title.
Rich in harmonies and diverse with instrumentation, this recording melds traditional with contemporary folk in a most comfortable way. It is the sort of recording that has instant listening appeal, but the more one listens, the more affected and connected one becomes to the message and people in these carefully selected ballads.
Sharon followed with a 2005 recording entitled "Factory Girl". Everything Sharon did right with “My Backyard”, she did even better with “Factory Girl”! Wonderful harmonies, great song selection, well selected instrumentation. This recording is a gem.