Tracy Bonham is a classically trained vocalist and violinist, a multi-instrumentalist, and self-taught guitarist. She reached commercial success in 1996 with the release of her debut album, The Burdens of Being upright. 

In this oral history, Tracy Bonham discusses her childhood, upbringing, relationships with her parents and siblings, her early love of music, and her training as violinist and pianist. She details her high school and college years, a move to the east coast to study vocal performance at Berklee College of Music and how she began writing songs on guitar. She discusses her rise to fame with her debut album ‘The Burdens of Being Upright,’ the music industry, touring, her relationships with her bandmates and songwriting. Bonham talks openly about personal struggles, subsequent musical output, and her most recent project ‘Modern Burdens.’ The interview closes with her thoughts on ageism, gender, motherhood, and finding an art/ life balance.