I haven't heard anything about Buffy Sainte-Marie in a while. How many albums has she recorded and what is she doing now?
—Mary F., Kansas
Buffy Sainte-Marie recorded 17 albums; the most recent one, Up Where We Belong, in which she re-recorded her biggest hits, was released in 1996. She still sings, doing about 30 concerts a year, but spends most of her time working with the Cradleboard Teaching Project, which educates children about American Indian culture. She also creates digital art on a computer, and her work hangs in numerous museums in the United States and Canada. On top of all that, she also teaches digital art as an adjunct professor in several United States colleges. Born on a Cree Reservation in Saskatchewan, Canada, Sainte-Marie was raised in New England. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a degree in Oriental philosophy and a doctorate in fine arts. Originally intending to become a teacher, she got caught up in the folk music movement of the 1960s when she visited Greenwich Village in New York City. She's written hit songs recorded by Elvis Presley (Until It's Time For You To Go) and Donovan (Universal Soldier). She won an Oscar in 1981 for her song, Up Where We Belong, which was sung by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes for the movie An Officer and a Gentleman. She currently lives in Hawaii, and is the 2003 spokesperson for UNESCO Canada.
