When discussing k.d. lang, it is first of all her voice that is mentioned. Even lang herself talks about her voice and its demands as if it doesn't quite live inside her. The voice itself, rich and powerful with an effortless broad range, dictates what kind of music she will sing. And the voice has gained her entry into some arenas that seem unlikely for a lanky, country-bred, lesbian performance artist.

Born Kathryn Dawn Lang on November 2, 1961, in Edmonton, Alberta, lang grew up in the tiny town of Consort, four hours away in the Canadian countryside. Growing up in a farming and ranching town with a population of 650 gave lang her country roots, and a certain self-acceptance that comes from living where "everybody knows you." Her parents were both musical and, determined to nurture her children's cultural development, lang's mother drove...