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Margo Cilker

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Margo Cilker
Margo Cilker by Jon Moore
Margo Cilker by Jon Moore
Background information
Bornc. 1993 (age 32–33)
OriginSanta Clara Valley, California, United States
GenresCountry, Americana, Folk
Instruments
AwardUK Americana Music Awards nomination for International Album of the Year

Margo Cilker (born c. 1993) is a highly acclaimed American country musician based in the Pacific Northwest[1] critically recognized for writing classic cowboy country songs for modern times.[2] She has been called "the future Lucinda Williams of the West"[3] and "a remarkable lyricist carving out her own space within a grand tradition."[4]

Cilker's Sera Cahoone-produced 2023 album Valley of Heart's Delight received Best Album of the Year accolades across the US and UK and was nominated for International Album of the Year at the 2024 UK Americana Music Awards alongside Allison Russell, Drew Holcomb, and Jason Isbell.[5]

Biography

[edit]

Cilker was born c. 1993[6] in California and raised in the Santa Clara Valley. She later moved with her husband to a ranch in eastern Oregon and then to Goldendale, Washington.[7] During the COVID-19 lockdowns, she worked on her ranch with her husband, sometimes doing local live shows.[8]

Cilker has released two full-length albums via Portland-based record label Fluff & Gravy, both produced by Sera Cahoone with Jenny Conlee on keyboard.[9] Her 2021 debut Pohorylle was featured by Rolling Stone, saying, "Cilker shows that she is as interested in reinvigorating Southern country-folk storytelling tropes as she is in exposing their flaws."[10] Pitchfork gave the record a rating of 7.7 out of 10, calling it "a vivid introduction to this country artist who pushes against conventions of the genre."[11] According to Metacritic, the album received an average score of 84/100, reaching "universal acclaim".[12]

Cilker released her second album, Valley of Heart's Delight, on September 15, 2023.[13] It was nominated for International Album of the Year at the 2024 UK Americana Music Awards and received Best of the Year accolades from NPR Music, Rolling Stone, Stereogum, Bandcamp Daily, Paste Magazine, No Depression, Uncut, Mojo, BrooklynVegan, and more.[2] Bandcamp Daily praised, "To put it plainly: Margo Cilker is a stunning songwriting talent. On her new album Valley of Heart’s Delight, she sings evocatively of her deep roots in California’s Bay Area, her adopted homes in the rural Pacific Northwest, and the alluring freedom of a life spent wandering the wide open spaces in between (and beyond). Musically, she’s as wide-ranging as the Americana genre itself, capable of tender folk ballads, boisterous blues rock and bucolic country with equal aplomb."[3] American Songwriter added, “Cilker proves herself to be one of our finest and most literate songwriters, one whose physical and psychological distance from the pressures of Nashville seems to be at least partially tied to her artistic triumphs.”[14]

In 2026, Cilker launched an independent record label with fellow musician Avery Hellman (aka ISMAY) called Fossil Records.[15] They describe the venture as "a cooperative project of musicians, writers and artists from the American West...our aim is to capture the expression drawn from seasons of work on ranches and in rural outposts."[16]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Bernstien, Jonathan (11 September 2023). "Margo Cilker's First Album Was a Sleeper Hit. Now What?". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  2. 1 2 Powers, Ann (2023-12-05). "The 50 Best Albums of 2023". NPR. Retrieved 2026-08-05.
  3. 1 2 Salmon, Ben (2023-10-04). "The Best Country Music on Bandcamp: September 2023". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved 2026-08-05.
  4. ↑ "Album Of The Week: Margo Cilker Valley Of Heart's Delight". stereogum.com. 2023-09-12. Retrieved 2026-08-05.
  5. ↑ Whitfield, Mark (2024-01-26). "2024 AMAUK Awards winners announced". Americana UK. Retrieved 2026-08-05.
  6. ↑ Admin (2021-11-17). "MARGO CILKER "Pohorylle" (Fluff & Gravy Records)". Coachella Valley Weekly. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
  7. ↑ "How Margo Cilker Became One of the Best Old-Soul Singers in the Pacific Northwest". Willamette Week. 2023-11-21. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
  8. ↑ Siegler, Kirk (12 June 2022). "Rural singer-songwriter Margo Cilker's pandemic hustle is paying off". NPR. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
  9. ↑ Moore, John (2021-11-10). "Margo Cilker Makes Stunning Americana Debut with 'Pohorylle' (ALBUM REVIEW)". Glide Magazine. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
  10. ↑ Bernstein, Jonathan (2021-11-15). "Song You Need to Know: Margo Cilker, 'Kevin Johnson'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2026-08-05.
  11. ↑ Deusner, Stephen M. "Margo Cilker: Pohorylle". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2026-08-05.
  12. ↑ Pohorylle by Margo Cilker, retrieved 2024-06-17
  13. ↑ Spencer, Neil (9 September 2023). "Margo Cilker: Valley of Heart's Delight review – more engaging, minimal Americana". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  14. ↑ Horowitz, Hal (2023-09-13). "Review: Margo Cilker Can't Go Home Again on the Stirring 'Valley of Heart's Delights'". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2026-08-05.
  15. ↑ Anderson, Martin. "Tuesday 5/26: ISMAY – Half Truth". WNCW. Retrieved 2026-08-05.
  16. ↑ "About — Fossil 🪨 Records". fossilrecordsco.com. Retrieved 2026-08-05.
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