Margo Price
Margo Price – Life, Career, and Musical Legacy
Explore Margo Price — American country & Americana singer-songwriter born April 15, 1983. Learn her biography, breakthrough album, musical style, personal struggles, and lasting influence.
Introduction
Margo Rae Price (born April 15, 1983) is an American singer, songwriter, producer, and author known for her emotionally raw, roots-driven country / Americana music. Based in Nashville, she earned acclaim with her debut Midwest Farmer’s Daughter (2016) and has since built a reputation for honest storytelling, resilience, and pushing against the norms of mainstream country.
Her songs often grapple with grief, independence, social issues, and the realities of life. She’s become one of the leading voices in modern alt-country and women’s expression in the genre.
Early Life, Roots & Influences
Margo Price was born and raised in Aledo, Illinois. dance and theater at Northern Illinois University but left college to pursue a music career.
In 2003, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to try and make it as a professional musician.
Her musical influences include legends like Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Bonnie Raitt, Bobbie Gentry, and Janis Joplin.
Musical Career & Breakthrough
Early Bands & Collaborations
Before going fully solo, Price formed and played in several groups. With her husband Jeremy Ivey, she was part of the Secret Handshake (a politically minded band) and later Buffalo Clover. Margo and the Pricetags, her backing band.
Rolling Stone Country profiled her as a rising voice in the Nashville East scene, and she was named among “Country Artists You Need to Know.”
Debut Album: Midwest Farmer’s Daughter
Her solo debut, Midwest Farmer’s Daughter, was released March 25, 2016 on Jack White’s Third Man Records. Sun Studio in Memphis, and was engineered by Matt Ross-Spang.
Shortly after that release, she performed on Saturday Night Live, walking the red carpet while six months pregnant. Grammy nomination for Best New Artist in 2018.
Subsequent Albums & Evolution
After Midwest Farmer’s Daughter, Price released:
-
All American Made (2017)
-
That’s How Rumors Get Started (2020)
-
Strays (2023)
-
She has announced an upcoming album Hard Headed Woman slated for August 29, 2025.
Her newer work continues to blend country, rock, americana, and soul, with candid lyricism and bold themes.
Other notable moments include:
-
EP Weakness (2017)
-
Chart success in the UK: her albums topped UK country charts, and she toured Europe, played at Glastonbury, and appeared on Later… with Jools Holland.
-
In April 2021, she joined the Farm Aid board of directors.
Style, Themes & Artistic Identity
Honest, Gritty Storytelling
Price’s music is known for being deeply honest and emotionally raw. She often explores themes of loss, resilience, social inequality, heartbreak, and personal growth.
Blend of Tradition and Innovation
Musically, she fuses classic country influences with more modern sounds—rock, soul, even indie. Her instrumentation is often organic—guitars, piano, drums—with occasional experimentation.
Representation & Voice
As a woman in country music, she has spoken about the challenges of bias and maintaining agency over her narrative.
Personal Life, Struggles & Resilience
Margo Price is married to Jeremy Ivey, who plays guitar in her band and has been her partner in life and art.
In 2010 she gave birth to twin boys; tragically, one died just two weeks later from a heart ailment.
In 2024, she revealed she underwent sinus surgery, septoplasty, and rhinoplasty to address breathing issues and long-standing physical and mental health impacts from broken noses and online bullying.
These struggles have become part of her narrative in interviews, her memoir Maybe We’ll Make It (2022), and many of her songs.
Legacy, Influence & Future
Margo Price is widely regarded as a leading figure in the resurgence of authentic, roots-based country / Americana music. Her voice, both literal and figurative, has inspired other artists to keep truth at the heart of their songwriting.
She has pushed against genre boundaries, showing that a woman can tell her own story unapologetically in a male-dominated industry.
Her upcoming album Hard Headed Woman (2025) is poised to further strengthen her legacy and push her music into new creative territory.
Her role on the Farm Aid board, activism, and public openness about hardship contribute to her status not just as musician but as influencer and voice for change.