If you’re a fan of Tish Hinojosa, you’re in seriously good company. Who does the beloved cantautora (That’s Spanish for singer-songwriter; Ms. Hinojosa says she loves the romantic lilt of the word.) count among her fans? Well, for starters there’s Linda Rondstadt, who once flew Ms. Hinojosa from Texas to her home in San Francisco. “She wanted me to play some songs for her, and she ended up liking Donde Voy,” the singer recalled in a phone interview from Boston this week, where she had just finished performing at an elementary school.

In fact, Ms. Rondstadt loved the knockout ballad so much she recorded it for her acclaimed 1993 covers album Winter Light; Ms. Hinojosa’s track is nestled in quite nicely alongside the work of Brian Wilson and Emmy Lou Harris.

The crystal-voiced Ms. Hinojosa is often compared with Ms. Rondstadt as well as Joan Baez. “I always take that as a compliment, of course,” she said, “because at the time when I was picking up guitar, everyone wanted to be Joan Baez. But I always feel like if Linda Rondstadt and Joan Baez had a baby . . . ” she laughed.

Another fan is Carly Simon, who once asked her to play at a party in her Vineyard living room.

She also played at Bill Clinton’s Inaugural Ball, “which was wonderful,” she said, but closer to her heart was a separate night in 1996 when she and her band played a White House reception for Hispanic leaders. “It was everything we could have wished for. We had our own personal tour of the White House, and they treated us really special. We had been forewarned sometimes the President and First Lady get called away and they just can’t attend, but they both showed up and were there for the whole thing and did a little reception for just me and the band.”

But her most enduring Island connection is Kate Taylor, who fell for the music of Ms. Hinojosa one warm summer night 18 years ago at the Old Whaling Church in Edgartown. “I saw that show and was very moved by Tish’s voice, her songs and her presence,” Ms. Taylor wrote in an e-mail this week. “She writes lovely and compelling songs, and delivers them with great grace. She sings traditional Mexican ballads that she learned from her mother.”

Recalled Ms. Hinojosa: “That was a magical night. It was summertime, and I think all the windows were open [in the majestic old church] because it was a balmy night. And it was so quaint, there were people out on the streets — a lot of tourists — and the church was filled.” The day after the show, some friends took the singer and her two children up to Gay Head, and then on a memorable boat ride. “My children [now 26 and 23] have fond memories of that time,” she said. Ms. Hinojosa kept the Island in her heart, and she and Ms. Taylor remained friends.

Because of that friendship Ms. Hinojosa is returning, 18 years later, to formally play the Island again. On Saturday night Ms. Taylor and the cantautora will cohost From Texas for a Christmas Night at the Vineyard Playhouse. Fittingly, the night is named after Ms. Hinojosa’s 2003 Christmas record.

“We’ll play some of those songs, for sure,” she said, “but I always like to feel out the audience, see what they feel like hearing. It’s not strictly a holiday show.” The set list will also feature songs from the singer’s latest record, the countrified Our Little Planet. Ms. Hinojosa had always wanted to resurrect a handful of demos from her Nashville days in the mid 1980s, and she felt a certain peace when they finally found a home on Our Little Planet. “I wanted to make a record that could sound more like what we sound like when we’re live,” she said. “The production is a little simpler, it’s all acoustic, and there’s a little pedal steel, banjo, guitars, and lots of three-part harmonies. It’s a blend of Tex Mex and bluegrass — but it’s a very simple country record. That’s what I like calling it.”

Also appearing on the bill will be bluesman Marvin Dykhuis. “He’s been my guitar player for 20 years,” she said. “He’s on the road with me now, and he’s got his own record out. He’ll be playing a few songs by himself, and I’m so glad people are getting to hear him,” she said, fairly beaming through the telephone. And for an early Christmas present, Ms. Taylor, who is currently working on her own new record, and Ms. Hinojosa will close out the night together. “That is going to be so much fun,” she said.

From the Island Ms. Hinojosa heads to Austin, Tex., where she once lived and still keeps a house with her daughter. Then she will celebrate Christmas in Germany, where she now lives. “I married a German man! I did!” she laughed. “I was on tour and I met a wonderful man at my show. We had the next day off in Hamburg which made it even nicer, and he took me around and showed me his city and I just fell in love with the whole package.”

Early next year she will begin work on her 16th record. “I’ll get to work in a studio in Berlin, where I’ve got a lot of connections and know some great musicians. I’ll also be sending some files to Marvin in Austin so he can add some guitar parts — I guess that’s how people are making records these days!” she marveled.

After that? “Eventually I’d love to retire to New York and write. Or work on Sesame Street. Wouldn’t that just be the best job?”

From Texas for a Christmas Night will feature shows on Saturday, Dec. 18 at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the Spoon in the Moon Coffeehouse at the Vineyard Playhouse on Church street in Vineyard Haven. Admission is $20; for information go to vineyardplayhouse.org.