Richard Shindell (born 1960, Lakehurst, New Jersey) is an American folk singer. He currently lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with his wife and their children.
Shindell's songwriting often involves storytelling from a first-person point of view: from an INS officer and illegal immigrant in "Fishing", to a World War II soldier in "Sparrow's Point", to a Confederate drummerboy in "Arrowhead", to a Spanish grandmother in "Abuelita", to a power broker in "Confession". Other personas he adopts include a stowaway in "Che Guevara T-Shirt," a NYC cab driver in "Last Fare of the Day," a man on death row in "Ascent," a Civil War widow in "Reunion Hill," and even Mary Magdalene herself.
Shindell's career received a boost in 1997 when Joan Baez recorded three of his songs ("Fishing", "Reunion Hill" and "Money for Floods") for her album Gone from Danger, and invited the aspiring singer-songwriter to join her 1997–98 tour.
Shindell collaborated with Dar Williams, and Lucy Kaplansky to form the group Cry Cry Cry. On their eponymous 1998 album, Cry Cry Cry covered an eclectic mix of songwriters, from the famous R.E.M. to the lesser known folk singer James Keelaghan. The trio toured in support of their album, but later resumed their solo careers. They have not mentioned plans for future recordings, although Shindell and Kaplansky often appear on stage together.
A new record of cover songs, titled South of Delia, was released on his website in March of 2007, and was released in record stores and on iTunes later in 2007.
