Susan Cagle

by Marisa BrownA common face in New York subways since 2002, singer Susan Cagle was signed to a record deal when producer Jay Levine saw her playing at the Herald Square Street station at 34th Street. Cagle, who spent her childhood traveling the world with her family -- who were part of the Children of God religious sect -- singing and playing the guitar, had never seriously considered music as a career. But after she set off on her own to New York in 2001, she soon found that she could make just as much money -- and have a much better time doing it -- performing her blend of pop, rock, and soul underneath the city as she could with a more "typical" job. In 2006 Cagle and her band (which includes sister Caroline on bass and brother Jesse on guitar) released her debut album, The Subway Recordings, which, as the title suggests, contains songs taken from two live performances, one in the Times Square Station and the other beneath Grand Central.