A Comedian. A Rebel. A Courageous Spark of Joy: Marilyn Walker expresses her passion for a just and sustainable planet through songwriting and activist advocacy. Her eclectic background of ecosystem science, renewable energy, and activism drives her striking lyrics and enthusiastic performances. She cooks up a blend of insight, emotion, and wisdom that keep audiences listening - drop a bit of unexpected humor into a song of deep meaning, or add a dash of insight into deep humor. Serve it up with a penchant for engaging storytelling, and you get a room of people listening deeply, all in for the journey. Marilyn’s deep musical influences combine calypso, Latin, and Appalachian sounds, as well as her many decades in the American west, and travels to far flung regions, so that every song is a delicious surprise.

Marilyn has been recognized by the national nonprofit Music to Life as a juried artist, an acknowledgment of her combination of talent and advocacy. Describing herself as a “bonafide subversive,” Marilyn’s music and life encompass the three tiers of activism - Collaboration, Communication, and Connection. She collaborates with organizations supporting recovery and homeless people, particularly youth. Marilyn has gained international recognition through her work in ecology and renewable energy, but her heart remains in her community. “If I was a brand, it would be the farmer’s market.” Through her nonprofit Connected by Music, she provides socially-conscious musicians in her region support and education in how to best use their own voices to communicate, collaborate, and connect. 

Marilyn is currently working on her third album, Water’s Gonna Rise, produced by Grammy-nominated John McVey of Cinder Sound Studio, to be released in Fall of 2026. Water’s Gonna Rise is a collection of songs about climate and climate change, as well as some of the secondary human impacts of that change. Her album release tour in 2027 will be used to advocate for climate and organizations supporting climate and voting rights. The album is the next logical step in her songwriting, reflecting both her growth as a person and a songwriter. “I started with At the Jamboree, a family music album, because I’m fundamentally a kid at heart. I love writing intelligent songs for children. Boulder Baby Boomer is my silly and impertinent adult album, although admittedly some of the songs on there are about heavy topics. In Water’s Gonna Rise, my scientist comes in and marries my poet and humorist. This is definitely going to be my most impactful album to date.”

One fan states “Marilyn’s songs, as a whole, are love songs to the world around us. They remind me to really pay attention to and take joy in the natural world and in the people I love, to extend that love and attention beyond my own little sphere--and to not be afraid to get a little silly while doing it! Their specificity makes them universal--it's almost as if, collectively, they say that everything belongs.” 

Another says “Her lyrics are extraordinary. Her songs are a journey, an inspiration, and an education.”

If you have a heart and funnybone, you’re gonna love her.