Heidi Berry
| Heidi Berry | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1958, Boston, Massachusetts |
| Genres | Folk |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1987–1999 |
| Labels | Creation, 4AD |
Heidi Berry (born 1958) is an American singer-songwriter who recorded for Creation Records and 4AD in the late 1980s and 1990s.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1958,[1] Berry's mother was a jazz singer with French-Canadian roots, and her father was an actor. Her mother re-married and the family moved to London in 1973.[1][2] While studying print-making at college, she recorded a demo tape in 1985, which eventually found its way to Creation Records boss Alan McGee via her then boyfriend Pete Astor.[2] She signed to Creation in 1987, releasing Firefly, a six-song mini-album, recorded with Martin Duffy of Felt on keyboards and members of Astor's band The Weather Prophets.[1][3][4] A full-length album, Below the Waves, followed in 1989, featuring her brother Christopher on acoustic guitar (who also played on her later albums).[1][5] Her relationship with Creation broke down, and she left, stating "I simply felt that they didn't understand me".[6]
In 1991, Ivo Watts-Russell asked Berry to sing "'Til I Gain Control Again" on the third album by This Mortal Coil (Blood), and over the next five years she recorded three albums for 4AD.[1] Her first album for the label, Love (1991) featured Martin McCarrick (of Siouxsie & the Banshees), Terry Bickers and Laurence O'Keefe (of Levitation), Ian Kearey (Oysterband) and Lol Coxhill.[1]
In 1999 she collaborated with Patrick Fitzgerald of Kitchens of Distinction as The Lost Girls, releasing the single "Needle's Eye".[1]
Berry now teaches at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music.
[edit] Musical style
Her music has been compared to Nick Drake, Sandy Denny, Sarah McLachlan and Beth Orton, and described as "highly orchestrated folk-rock"[2][7] The Boston Globe described her as sounding "like a majestic cross between Sandy Denny, Enya and Sade".[8] Charlotte Robinson of PopMatters described her styles as essentially "folk", with "dark, Celtic instrumental flourishes and layered vocals".[9] Berry cites Billie Holiday and Chrissie Hynde as influences.[10]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Firefly (1987), Creation
- Below the Waves (1989), Creation
- Love (1991), 4AD
- Heidi Berry (1993), 4AD
- Miracle (1996), 4AD
- Pomegranate: an Anthology (2001), 4AD - compilation of 4AD and Creation material
[edit] Singles, EPs
- Distant Thunder (1992), Warner Bros. - promo CD with "Zither Song", "You Upset the Grace of Living When You Lie", "Gloria"
- Soil Samples 13 (1993), Warner Bros. - 7-inch promo single, "Unholy Light" (B-side by Unrest)
- The Moon and the Sun (1993), 4AD
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0, p. 221
- ^ a b c Ankeny, Jason "Heidi Berry Biography", Allmusic, retrieved 2010-10-16
- ^ Larkin, Colin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Indie & New Wave, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0231-3, p. 41
- ^ Anderson, Lydia "Heidi Berry", Trouser Press, retrieved 2010-10-16
- ^ Raggett, Ned "Below the Waves Review", Allmusic, retrieved 2010-10-16
- ^ Sexton, Paul (1996) "4AD's Heidi Berry Spawns a Miracle", Billboard, 21 September 1996, p. 9, 79, retrieved 2010-10-16
- ^ Mason, Stewart "Heidi Berry Review", Allmusic, retrieved 2010-10-16
- ^ Morse, Steve (1991) "Heidi Berry Love 4AD", Boston Globe, 12 December 1991, p. 6
- ^ Robinson, Charlotte (2001) "Heidi Berry Pomegranate", PopMatters, retrieved 2010-10-16
- ^ Draper, Jimmy "Pomegranate Review", Allmusic, retrieved 2010-10-16
