Raised in California and Vermont, schooled in New York, Syd Straw started her career as a back-up singer for Pat Benatar, then joined the eclectic Golden Palominos (featuring Michael Stipe, Matthew Sweet, and Anton Fier). In 1989, she released her first solo album Surprise on Virgin records. Her most recent album, War and Peace, features The Skeletons from Springfield, Missouri, deemed by Rolling Stone as "the greatest bar band of all time." In between and during all of this, Syd has maintained an acting career (Pete & Pete, Tales of The City), and collaborated with a slew of other artists, including: Rickie Lee Jones, Freedy Johnston, Marc Ribot, David Sanborn, and Eric "Roscoe" Ambel, just to name a few