Lucinda Williams (born 1953, Lake Charles, Louisiana) is an American singer-songwriter whose music crosses country, blues, rock, and folk - a body of work that earned her three Grammy Awards and the title of America's Best Songwriter from Time magazine in 2002. Her 1998 album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road is widely regarded as a landmark of the alt-country movement, and she has continued releasing critically acclaimed records into her seventies, most recently World's Gone Wrong (2026). The daughter of poet Miller Williams, she brings a literary, plain-spoken intensity to her lyrics that sets her apart from most of her contemporaries.
Lucinda Williams released her 16th studio album World's Gone Wrong on January 23, 2026, featuring guest appearances by Mavis Staples, Norah Jones, and Brittney Spencer.
Williams spoke publicly about her ongoing recovery from a 2020 stroke, confirming she can no longer play guitar on stage but continues to tour and sing.
Williams scrapped a completed album in spring 2025 to write an entirely new set of politically charged protest songs, which became World's Gone Wrong.
Williams was announced as a support act on Heart's 2025 North American 'Royal Flush Tour', alongside Squeeze and Cheap Trick.
Williams recorded a Lu's Jukebox installment of Beatles covers at Abbey Road Studios, released in late 2024.
