[2] Griffith toured with various other artists including Buddy Holly's band, the Crickets; John Prine, Iris DeMent, Suzy Bogguss, Judy Collins, and The Everly Brothers.

[3] Griffith recorded duets with many artists, among them Prine, Emmylou Harris, Mary Black, Don McLean, Jimmy Buffett, Dolores Keane, Willie Nelson, Adam Duritz (of Counting Crows), the Chieftains, John Stewart, and Darius Rucker.

Griffith, the youngest of three siblings, was born in Seguin, Texas and grew up in Austin, where her family moved shortly after her birth.

[4][5] Her mother Ruelene was a real estate agent and amateur actress; her father, Marlin Griffith, was a graphic artist and barbershop quartet singer.

[11][12] Christine Lavin, a singer and songwriter, remembers the first time she saw Griffith perform:I was struck by how perfect everything was about her singing, her playing, her talking.

Griffith suffered from severe writer's block after 2004, lasting until the 2009 release of her The Loving Kind album, which contained nine selections that she had written and composed either entirely by herself or as collaborations.

[21] Griffith was posthumously inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Association's Hall of Fame in February 2022 at the Paramount Theatre in Austin.

With regard to the chosen stage name, she wrote: During the Christmas holidays of 1986 I organized a band of musicians to work this road of touring and to pass effortlessly through mine fields of studio sessions.

[25][26] In 1986, Griffith showcased tracks from her Lone Star State of Mind album on The Nashville Network TV show, New Country.

The compilation featured covers of Griffith's songs by her friends and fans including Sarah Jarosz, John Prine, Kelsey Waldon, Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, Kathy Mattea, Brandy Clark, Shawn Colvin, Ida Mae, Steve Earle, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Todd Snider, Iris DeMent, Mary Gauthier, and The War and Treaty.