Nanci Griffith
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| Nanci Griffith | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Nanci Caroline Griffith |
| Born | July 6, 1953 |
| Genre(s) | country, folk, singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocalist, acoustic guitar |
| Years active | 1978 to present |
| Label(s) | New Door Records, Elektra Records, MCA Records, Rounder Records, Featherbed Records, B.F. Deal Records |
| Associated acts | The Blue Moon Orchestra The Crickets Darius Rucker |
| Website | http://www.nancigriffith.com |
Nanci Caroline Griffith, (born July 6, 1953 in Seguin, Texas) is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter from Austin, Texas.
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 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. Griffith is a survivor of breast cancer which was diagnosed in 1996, and thyroid cancer in 1998.[1]
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), and Darius Rucker (singer of Hootie & the Blowfish). She has also contributed background vocals on many other recordings.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Band (The Blue Moon Orchestra)
[edit] Current members
- Nanci Griffith — lead vocals, guitar
- James Hooker — keyboards, vocals
- Pat McInerney — percussion, vocals
- Thomm Jutz — guitar, vocals
[edit] Previous band members
- Clive Gregson — 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 | US Internet | UK[3] | |||
| 1978 | There's a Light Beyond These Woods | Philo | ||||
| 1982 | Poet in My Window | |||||
| 1984 | Once in a Very Blue Moon | |||||
| 1986 | The Last of the True Believers | |||||
| 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 | 11 | 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[3] | 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 |
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| 2001 | 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Nanci Griffith |
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| 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 | "Gulf Coast Highway" | Blue Roses from the Moons | ||
| 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)
- Winter Marquee Rounder/Universal DVD, Widescreen, (2002)
- One Fair Summer Evening...Plus! Universal Music & VI DVD, Fullscreen, (2005)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ 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 |
