Cris Williamson at Swallow Hill Music

Long before indie labels were the norm, and years before women had any real access to the industry, Cris Williamson, was busy changing the face of popular music. In 1975, the twenty-something former schoolteacher recorded The Changer and the Changed, for her brainchild, Olivia Records, the first woman-owned, woman-focused record company. Her music and voice quickly became an essential part of the soundtrack of a movement, and was the cornerstone of what would become known as “women’s music,” music created, performed, and marketed specifically for and by women. Today, that recording, The Changer and the Changed, remains one of the best-selling independent releases of all time.

For Cris, the music has always been the vehicle for something larger. Her work appears on a regular basis in books and thesis papers, on radio and film. Her albums are part of the curriculum for women’s studies courses, and thousands of people join their voices in “Song of the Soul” around campfires and places of worship. She is embraced by women. She is sampled in hip-hop. Her work on display at the Smithsonian. Her music is used by midwives welcoming life into the world, while hospice choirs sing her songs in tender sacred escort. “She is often considered a treasure, passed hand-to-hand, person-to person,” says the Boston Phoenix, “Williamson is a heroic character whose tireless activism continues.”

2025 marks the 50th Anniversary of The Changer and the Changed and Cris will begin the celebration early, including some of the favorites in her shows, as well as premiering brand new works from her forthcoming new album to be released this Fall. A graduate of the University of Denver, Cris last visited Denver to open the festivities for the Women’s March in 2017! This is Cris’s first time at Swallow Hill!

“Denver is one of my longtime homes. Can’t wait to be back and play Swallow Hill!” – Cris