Patty Larkin was born in Des Moines, Iowa, United States, and grew up in a musical and artistic family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Descended from a long line of Irish-American singers and storytellers, her mother was a painter and her sisters both musicians. She learned at a young age to appreciate the beauty and magic of the arts. She began classical piano studies at age 7, and became swept up in the sounds of pop and folk in the 1960s, teaching herself the guitar and experimenting with songwriting in high school. An English major, Larkin sang throughout her high school and college career, starting out in coffeehouses in Oregon and San Francisco. Upon graduation from the University of Oregon, she moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where she devoted herself to music, busking on the streets of Cambridge and studying jazz guitar at Berklee College of Music and with Boston areajazz guitarists. Her recording career began in 1985 with Philo/Rounder Records where she recorded Step into The Light, I'm Fine, and Live in the Square. In 1990, she signed to Windham Hill's new High Street label and delivered four releases: Tango, Angels Running, Strangers World, and Perishable Fruit. After Windham Hill was sold to BMG, Larkin moved to Vanguard Records and released à gogo, Regrooving The Dream, Red=Luck, and Watch The Sky. The latter was a New York Times "critic choice". In 2010, Larkin celebrated her 25th year of recording with 25, a stripped down retrospective of 25 love songs with 25 featured guests. Larkin produced La Guitara, a compilation of international women guitarists challenging the notion that there are no great women guitarists. She has also performed on numerous compilations and her songs have been featured in the following films: "Anyway The Main Thing Is" in Evolution ; "Good Thing" in Random Hearts ; and "Coming Up For Air" and "Tenderness on the Block" in Sliding Doors. Cher recorded Larkin's "Angels Running" on her album It's a Man's World. Larkin is the recipient of an honorary doctorate of music degree from Berklee College of Music. She has also been honored by Boston's Mayor Thomas Menino with "Patty Larkin Appreciation Day" for her career in music and philanthropic contributions.
