Elizaland

The daughter of successful songwriter Terry Gilkyson, Eliza is a third generation musician who grew up in Los Angeles knowing that her life would revolve around music. “I got into it for all the wrong reasons, more as a survival tool than anything else, but it proved to serve me more than I dared to imagine.” As a teenager, she recorded demos for her dad, who wrote folk music hits “Greenfields,” “Marianne,” and “Memories Are Made of This,” among others. Soon after, she was writing and recording her own material as well.

Dad's chorus: Tony, Eliza and Nancy

Eliza and the Ark Band 1971

At the end of the sixties, she moved to New Mexico with likeminded souls, eventually raising a family, all the while developing a loyal fan base in the Southwest and Texas. After a period in Europe working with Swiss composer/harpist Andreas Vollenweider, Eliza returned to the United States releasing Through the Looking Glass in ’96 (Private Music), and 1997’s Redemption Road (Silverwave/ MTI), which she has recently reissued. Eliza started her own label, Realiza Records and put out Misfits in 1999, a collection of outtakes that received favorable press as a sound that connected the worlds of folk and modern storytelling.

In 2000, Eliza released Hard Times in Babylon, her first album on the Red House Records label. The album was a critical success, followed by her second recording with Red House, Lost and Found. She has also been on several compilations issued by Red House, including a Bob Dylan tribute album, Nod to Bob, and a Greg Brown tribute called Going Driftless, benefiting a breast cancer research group. In 2003 she was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame, alongside such luminaries as Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zandt, Nancy Griffith, and others. Eliza released Land of Milk and Honey in 2004, a decidedly more sociopolitical record that was nominated for a Grammy. Her most recent CD is Paradise Hotel which has already made DJ Top Ten lists all over the US and Europe.

3 generations on stage in 1979

Eliza is currently touring to promote Paradise Hotel. She will continue to do so through 2006, with tours in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. She is still working on a songbook to come out soon as well as some other side projects. Thanks to all the fans who make this possible and provide the inspiration to "saddle up" and hit the trail one more time.