Cris Williamson was born in 1947 in Deadwood, South Dakota. She graduated from the University of Denver.

During a radio interview in Washington, D.C. in 1973, she suggested that someone should form an all-women's record company. The company, Olivia Records, was founded the next day. Olivia released Williamson's The Changer and the Changed, which became one of the best-selling independent releases of all time.

Williamson went on to record more than a dozen more albums with Olivia, and then formed her own record company, Wolf Moon Records, once Olivia stopped producing records. She recorded two albums with her long-time producer and lover, Tret Fure. Williamson and Fure ended their 20 year relationship in 2000, and each now records as a solo artist.