Maggie Bjorklund

Pedal steel guitarist Maggie Björklund was born and raised in Denmark, but her playing style is pure American desert pop music, a style that has been wonderfully described as “the sound after the gunfight…” Björklund is best known in Europe as a member of the group the Darleens, and as a featured session player player with Lennart Ginman, Miss B. Haven, Niels Skousen, and others; in the U.S., she has worked with Mark Pickerel & His Praying Hands, been featured as a session player for producers Johnny Sangster and Steve Fisk, and has done extensive work with Exene Cervenka. Her debut solo album, Coming Home, which featured guest spots from Calexico’s Joey Burns and John Convertino and singers Jon Auer, Mark Lanegan, and Rachel Flotard, was released in Europe in 2009, with a U.S. release on Bloodshot Records in 2011. In 2012, she not only appeared on Giant Sand’s Tucson: A Country Rock Opera, but became the pedal steel guitarist in the Peacocks, an all-female ensemble that has backed Jack White in concert. She also a featured guitarist on his Lazaretto album. Björklund’s sophomore recording, Shaken, was produced by John Parish, who also appeared on it, as did Convertino. It was released by Bloodshot in October of 2014. ~ Steve Leggett