The first biography of the enigmatic and influential singer-songwriter.

"Laura Nyro you can lump me in with, because Laura exerted an influence on me. I looked to her and took some direction from her." —Joni Mitchell

"She wrote about the world I lived in but infused it with so much passion that ordinary things-the weather, the river, the streets, the kids-glowed with a spiritual energy. Though we were plain, ordinary, nasty kids, when she sang she made us beautiful."―Suzanne Vega

Laura Nyro was a beloved and pioneering singer-songwriter of the 1960s and 1970s, whose songs were covered with great success by the Fifth Dimension; Blood, Sweat & Tears; Three Dog Night; and Barbra Streisand. This first biography uncovers previously never revealed details, including a love affair with Jackson Browne, and her relationship with painter Maria Desiderio.

Unappreciated in her time, Nyro's legacy is currently experiencing a revival. With her groundbreakingly honest, passionate, and innovative lyrics, her unusual and revolutionary rhythms and melody, Nyro's influence is still felt by singers and songwriters today.

"Captures the essence of a widely admired, improbably successful artist." —Kirkus Reviews

"Kort's admiring biography begins to give Nyro and her impressive music their due." —Booklist

"Brilliantly captures the world of one of music's most misunderstood and eccentric talents. . . . For the Nyro fan, Soul Picnic deftly fills in the blanks of her life and works. For the uninitiated, the biography will act as the perfect introduction to this highly talented and groundbreaking artist who left us much too soon." —The Tampa Tribune