by Erik Hage Singer/songwriter Caroline Herring grew up in Mississippi, but made a name for herself in Austin, TX, where she began lighting up the music scene. Her debut album, Twilight, released toward the end of 2001, earned her Best New Artist honors in the Austin American-Statesman. In a town stocked with rookie musical talent, she also took home the same title at the Austin Chronicle-sponsored Austin Music Awards (held during the annual South by Southwest festival). Herring attended Ole Miss and, upon graduation, hooked up with the Oxford, MS, bluegrass outfit the Sincere Ramblers, in which she sang and played guitar and mandolin. During the '90s, the Ramblers hosted the local Thacker Mountain Radio Show, which was broadcast from a used bookstore. Through her involvement with these ventures, Herring was able to meet and play with such Americana notables as Gillian Welch, Peter Rowan, the Bottle Rockets, and Blue Mountain. Herring moved to Austin to pursue a doctorate in American studies in 1999. A year full of frequent performances with Billy and Bryn Bright (who had played with Rowan in the Texas Trio) led to a deal with Houston's Blue Corn Records, which released Twilight. Rowan and veteran player Lloyd Maines appear on the album.