“Girl from the Canyon” is a song written by the American singer-songwriter Jonathan Edwards, best known for his early-1970s hit “Sunshine.” Edwards wrote the song and first recorded it himself in the 1970s.
Though it came from the folk and soft-country side of the singer-songwriter era, “Girl from the Canyon” found an especially warm reception among bluegrass musicians. Its clean melodic line and wistful lyric of a remembered love suited the close-harmony singing and acoustic textures of the music, and it crossed over readily.
The song’s bluegrass life owes much to J.D. Crowe and the New South, the influential band whose recordings drew freely on contemporary songwriters. It has since been recorded by a range of artists, among them Keith Whitley and Johnny Cash.
