Singer, songwriter, and activist Amy Ray broke through to mainstream success in the late '80s as one-half of the acclaimed folk-rock duo Indigo Girls, whose willingness to take on a variety of challenging social and political issues has helped them endure long into the 21st century. Often representing the darker-toned side of the pair's output, Ray launched a solo career in 2001 with the gritty Southern punk of Stag, introducing a more rock-edged sound that channeled the Replacements and Patti Smith. Alternating between Indigo Girls releases and managing her own Daemon Records label, Ray continued to explore her myriad influences on standout solo albums like 2005's fuzzy Prom. She later paired the country heritage of her native Georgia with her own leftist political bent on Americana-flavored records like 2014's Goodnight Tender, 2018's Holler, and 2022's resilient If It All Goes South.