She’ll make the Stateside rounds over the next month and a half before wrapping with a two-night stand at Minneapolis’ First Avenue club October 18-19.

Williams has been releasing material to critical acclaim since 1979, though a variety of factors kept her popularity from surging immediately. Record label difficulties as well as her famous perfectionism contributed to persistent gaps of several years between albums.

However, despite her infrequent offerings and sparse promotion, a rabid cult following developed, and by the 1990s, notable fans including Emmylou Harris and Tom Petty were scoring hits with covers of Williams’ tunes.

Since 1998’s Grammy-winning Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, Williams’ popularity has skyrocketed, and she’s become significantly more prolific – releasing Essence in 2001 and World Without Tears in 2003, both on Lost Highway Records.

World Without Tears, which Williams previewed at her SXSW performance in March, hit the Top 20 when it was released the following month.