Nanci Griffith
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| Nanci Griffith | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Nanci Caroline Griffith |
| Born | July 6, 1953 |
| Genres | country, folk, singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocalist, acoustic guitar |
| Years active | 1978 to present |
| Labels | B.F. Deal, Featherbed, Philo, MCA, Elektra, Rounder, New Door |
| Associated acts | The Blue Moon Orchestra The Crickets Darius Rucker The Kennedys |
| Website | http://www.nancigriffith.com |
Nanci Griffith, (born Nanci Caroline Griffith, July 6, 1953, Seguin, Texas) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter based in Austin, Texas.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Griffith's career has spanned a variety of musical genres, predominantly country, folk, and what she terms "folkabilly." Griffith won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album in 1994 for her recording, Other Voices, Other Rooms. This album features Griffith covering the songs of artists who are her major influences. One of her better-known songs is "From a Distance" by Julie Gold, although Bette Midler's version achieved greater commercial success. Similarly, other artists have occasionally achieved greater success with Griffith's songs than Griffith herself. For example, Kathy Mattea had a country music top five hit with a 1986 cover of Griffith's "Love at the Five and Dime," and Suzy Bogguss had one of her largest hits with Griffith's and Tom Russell's "Outbound Plane."
Griffith's high school boyfriend, John, died in a motorcycle accident after taking her to the senior prom, and subsequently inspired many of her songs.[1] Griffith was married to singer-songwriter Eric Taylor from 1976 to 1982. In the early 1990s, she was engaged to singer-songwriter Tom Kimmel, but the couple parted before marrying. In 1994, Griffith teamed up with Jimmy Webb to contribute the song "If These Old Walls Could Speak" to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Country produced by the Red Hot Organization. Griffith is a survivor of breast cancer which was diagnosed in 1996, and thyroid cancer in 1998.[2]
Griffith has in recent years toured with various other artists including Buddy Holly's band, The Crickets; John Prine; Iris DeMent; Suzy Bogguss; and Judy Collins. Griffith has recorded duets with many artists, among them Emmylou Harris, Mary Black, John Prine, Don McLean, Jimmy Buffett, Dolores Keane, Willie Nelson, Adam Duritz (singer of Counting Crows), The Chieftains, and Darius Rucker (singer of Hootie & the Blowfish). She has also contributed background vocals on many other recordings.[3]
Griffith suffered from severe 'writers block' for a number of years after 2004, lasting until the 2009 release of her "The Loving Kind" album which contained nine self-penned or co-written songs.
After several months of limited touring in 2011, bandmates The Kennedys (Pete & Maura Kennedy) packed up their professional Manhattan recording studio and relocated it to Nashville, where they installed it in Nanci's home. There, Ms Griffith and band (including Pete & Maura Kennedy and Pat McInerney) co-produced her forthcoming album, "Intersections" over the course of the summer. The album includes several new original songs and is due to be released in early 2012 with a UK tour scheduled and an American tour to follow.
As well as her own songs Griffith is well-known for her outstanding versions of other people's material, usually by contemporary singer-songwriters.
[edit] Band (The Blue Moon Orchestra)
[edit] Current members
- Nanci Griffith — lead vocals, guitar
- Pat McInerney — percussion
- Maura Kennedy — vocals, guitar
- Pete Kennedy — guitar, vocals
[edit] Previous band members
- James Hooker]] — keyboards, vocals
- Clive Gregson — guitar, vocals
- Thomm Jutz — guitar, vocals
- Ron De La Vega — bass, cello
- Pete Kennedy — guitar
- Maura Kennedy — vocals
- Iris DeMent — vocals
- Fran Breen — drums
- Philip Donnelly — guitar
- Le Ann Etheridge — bass guitar, vocals, mandolin
- Lee Satterfield — vocals, guitar, mandolin
- Lyle Lovett — backing vocals
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | UK[4] | |||
| 1978 | There's a Light Beyond These Woods | — | — | — | B.F. Deal (1978), Featherbed (1982 reissue), Philo (1985 reissue) |
| 1982 | Poet in My Window | — | — | — | Featherbed (1982), Philo (1985 reissue) |
| 1984 | Once in a Very Blue Moon | — | — | — | Philo |
| 1986 | The Last of the True Believers | — | — | — | Philo |
| 1987 | Lone Star State of Mind | 23 | — | — | MCA |
| 1988 | Little Love Affairs | 27 | — | 78 | |
| One Fair Summer Evening | 43 | — | — | ||
| 1989 | Storms | 42 | 99 | 38 | |
| 1991 | Late Night Grande Hotel | — | 185 | 40 | |
| 1993 | Other Voices, Other Rooms | — | 54 | 18 | Elektra |
| 1994 | Flyer | — | 48 | 20 | |
| 1997 | Blue Roses from the Moons | — | 119 | 64 | |
| 1998 | Other Voices, Too (A Trip Back to Bountiful) | — | 85 | — | |
| 1999 | The Dust Bowl Symphony | — | — | — | |
| 2001 | Clock Without Hands | — | 149 | 61 | |
| 2002 | Winter Marquee | 45 | — | — | Rounder |
| 2004 | Hearts in Mind | — | — | — | New Door |
| 2006 | Ruby's Torch | — | — | — | Rounder |
| 2009 | The Loving Kind | — | — | — | |
[edit] Compilation albums
| Year | Album | UK[4] | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | The MCA Years: A Retrospective | — | MCA |
| The Best of Nanci Griffith | 27 | ||
| 1997 | Country Gold | — | |
| 2000 | Wings to Fly and a Place To Be: An Introduction to Nanci Griffith |
— | |
| 2001 | 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Nanci Griffith |
— | |
| 2002 | From a Distance: The Very Best of Nanci Griffith | — | |
| 2003 | The Complete MCA Studio Recordings | — |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | |||
| 1986 | "Once in a Very Blue Moon" | 85 | — | Once in a Very Blue Moon |
| 1987 | "Lone Star State of Mind" | 36 | — | Lone Star State of Mind |
| "Trouble in the Fields" | 57 | 43 | ||
| "Cold Hearts/Closed Minds" | 64 | — | ||
| 1988 | "Never Mind" | 58 | — | Little Love Affairs |
| "I Knew Love" | 37 | — | ||
| "Anyone Can Be Somebody's Fool" | 64 | — | ||
| 1989 | "It's a Hard Life Wherever You Go" | — | — | Storms |
| 1991 | "Late Night Grande Hotel" | — | — | Late Night Grande Hotel |
| 1994 | "This Heart" | — | — | Flyer |
| 1995 | "Well...All Right" (w/ The Crickets) | — | 87 | Not Fade Away (Remembering Buddy Holly) |
| 1997 | "Maybe Tomorrow" | — | — | Blue Roses from the Moons |
| "Gulf Coast Highway" | — | — | ||
| 1999 | "These Days in an Open Book" | — | — | The Dust Bowl Symphony |
[edit] Awards
Griffith won the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album for Other Voices, Other Rooms.
[edit] Videography
- Bob Dylan: The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration Sony VHS (1993)
- Other Voices, Other Rooms Elektra Video VHS (1993)
- Winter Marquee Rounder/Universal DVD, Widescreen, (2002)
- One Fair Summer Evening...Plus! Universal Music & VI DVD, Fullscreen, (2005)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://popdose.com/the-popdose-guide-to-nanci-griffith/
- ^ Biography at nancigriffith.com
- ^ Guest Appearances on Other Artists' Albums
- ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 236. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
[edit] External links
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Lyle Lovett |
AMA Americana Trailblazer Award 2008 |
Not Yet Awarded |
- 1953 births
- Living people
- American country singers
- American folk singers
- American female singers
- American feminists
- American pacifists
- American singer-songwriters
- Breast cancer survivors
- Feminist musicians
- Grammy Award winners
- Kerrville New Folk Competition finalists
- People from Austin, Texas
- American people of Welsh descent
- Country musicians from Texas
- Fast Folk artists
- People from Guadalupe County, Texas
- People from Seguin, Texas
