Rain Perry

California native Rain Perry has built an impressive career not only as a singer/songwriter, but as a theater and film actor. Known for her thoughtful, often autobiographical D.I.Y. folk-rock style, Perry has had songs covered by Nanci Griffith and Tom Russell and has collaborated with a range of artists including Victoria Williams and Chuck Prophet. Her 2008 release, Cinderblock Bookshelves, was developed into a successful one-woman play and she even wrote the theme song to the television drama Life Unexpected. After directing the 2016 music documentary The Shopkeeper, Perry released two more albums including 2022's socially conscious A White Album. Born in Hollywood, California, Perry was raised by her father, the writer and actor John Hazen Perry, after her mother died. Moved between Marin County and Colorado finally led to the city of Ojai, California where she put down roots. After graduating from college in 1996, Perry began to focus on her songwriting career. She earned her first taste of national success with "Yosemite," a heartfelt, country-indebted folk song that took top honors in the folk category of the 2000 John Lennon Songwriting Contest. "Yosemite" went on to be covered by Tom Russell and Nanci Griffith in 2003. Meanwhile, Perry continued releasing her own folk albums, having issued an independent debut, Balance, several years earlier on her homegrown label, Precipitous Records. Her second album, Cinderblock Bookshelves, appeared in 2008 and gradually evolved into a one-woman autobiographical play, which debuted at a theater in her native Ojai. Perry took the play on the road while continuing to write new songs, many of which appeared on her 2010 release, Internal Combustion. That same year, a track from Cinderblock Bookshelves, "Beautiful Tree," became the theme song for the CW Network series Life Unexpected. Perry later appeared on an episode of the series playing at a music festival. Working again with longtime collaborator Mark Hallman, she recorded her fourth album, Men. Released in 2013, Men was a wide ranging set that moved through rugged alt-rock, tranquil folk, and even orchestral arrangements. It included a duet with singer/songwriter Matt the Electrician called "One of the Those Days." Perry then made her directorial debut with the documentary film The Shopkeeper. Released in 2016, it explored the effects of the streaming economy in the music business and featured Ani DiFranco, Tom Russell, Iain Matthews, and Sara Hickman, among others. After the devastating Thomas Fire destroyed her recording studio, Perry rebounded to write her next album, 2019's Let's Be Brave, which was inspired by personal and environmental themes and featured Chuck Prophet and Jon Dee Graham. Continuing to grapple with topical issues, her next project was 2022's A White Album. Centered around the topic of race, the guest-heavy album featured appearances from Ben Lee, Akina Adderley, and Pihcintu Multinational Children's Chorus with the aim of becoming a theatrical production.
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