Amy Ray

Amy Ray surprised a lot of folks when her 2001 solo record, Stag, was released sans Indigo Girl partner Emily Saliers. It was essentially punk rock, shot through with unapologetic lyrics about the struggles of being and growing up gay in America. She was supported on the record by contemporary riot-starters like the Butchies, and garnered nearly universal acclaim. And while the Indigo Girls have not dissolved, Ray has continued to indulge her darker side on 2005's Prom and 2008's Didn't It Feel Kinder?, which follow in the outspoken rock poet tradition of Patti Smith.