Joyce Andersen has made a living by singing and playing violin all the way from the bluegrass and country bands of her native New England to the jazz clubs of New York, for over a decade; she has even worked the tour bus circuit of Nashville. In the year 2000, Andersen was found stepping out as a singer and a songwriter, with a fresh new voice in acoustic music. She has the ability to sing loud and sing sultry, while being equally at home belting out a bluegrass, old-time, blues song, and melting one's heart with a ballad or a Celtic classic. The performer has also been known to captivate an audience with some of her own catchy pop/rock songs. Joyce Andersen studied violin at the prestigious Berklee College of Music. She has backed up an impressive list of folk and country artists in her career. She has appeared on the Conan O'Brien show, and on stages as varied as the Winterhawk Bluegrass Festival, and even Carnegie Hall. After several years of residing in New York, the New Hampshire native made the move back into Southern Maine. After moving back into New England, she focused on her long-awaited solo album, The Girl I Left Behind, which was released in September 2000. The Girl I Left Behind features her voice, guitar, and violin on a collection of original, traditional, and contemporary acoustic songs. The Girl I Left Behind contains solo performances, while being joined by stellar local musicians Jon Ross, Harvey Reid, David Surette, and Lex Romane on other tunes from the album. Joyce Andersen's career appears to be moving in a perpetual forward motion, as the response to her debut album receives positive national attention. ~ Larry Belanger