Biography

Liz Ryder was born in Los Angeles in 1981 to Greek/American, English/Welsh parents. She grew up in the Midlands and has been writing and playing music for as long as she can remember. She now amply divides her time between the UK and Northern California, playing her music on both sides of the ocean.

Liz was born into a family of actors and was exposed to theatre from an early age but this was not the route she decided to follow. With a shy demeanor as a child she turned to music for an artistic outlet, learning various musical instruments, first the piano, then flute, harp and recorder until she finally settled with the guitar and began to sing solo, write her own songs and use a wide range of open tunings which she is unafraid to exploit to the full. Highly influenced by Folk and Americana, Liz directs her music with a spirit rooted in tradition as well as the contemporary. With a soulful voice, she renders folk songs with a modern twist and approaches song writing with a sense of progression.

Unwilling to wait around for a record deal, Liz cut her first independent album 'Sacramento Orange' in 2001 on her own label (featuring herself on guitar, vocals, harp, whistles, flute, recorder, bodhran and piano) after which followed festivals, such as Warwick and Towersey, venues like Acoustic Routes in Cambridge and support for artists such as Oh Susanna and Kreg Viesselman, as well as some radio play, live slots and interviews on local Midlands BBC Radio. In 2001 she was the winner of a young musicians competition at Alcester and Arden Festival and in 2002 was a semi finalist at the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards. Since then she has continued to manage herself successfully, shining and progressing on the UK folk and acoustic scenes. In 2005 she graduated with an MA in creative music technology and composition defining her skills as an artist, engineer and writer.

In 2003 Liz recorded and produced her second album 'On the Neon Highway', a more contemporary singer/songwriter- based collection. Then in 2007 she independently released the four track 'Skyline EP'. Look out for her new album in 2008 as well as more live recordings!

With influences ranging from Hank Williams to Cat Stevens, from Johnny Cash to Tori Amos, and from Annie Difranco to Joan Baez, Liz Ryder is a songwriter with a heart in many places.