Nanci Griffith
Nanci Griffith | |
|---|---|
 Griffith in 2004 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Nanci Caroline Griffith |
| Born | July 6, 1953 Seguin, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | August 13, 2021 (aged 68) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | Folk, Country Folk, Americana |
| Instruments | Vocals, acoustic guitar |
| Years active | 1977–2013 |
| Labels | B.F. Deal, Featherbed, Philo, MCA, Elektra, Rounder, New Door |
| Associated acts | The Blue Moon Orchestra The Crickets Darius Rucker The Kennedys James McMurtry |
| Website | nancigriffith |
Nanci Caroline Griffith (July 6, 1953 – August 13, 2021) was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter,[1] raised in Austin, Texas, who lived in Nashville, Tennessee. Griffith appeared many times on the PBS music program Austin City Limits starting in 1985 (season 10). In 1994 she won a Grammy Award for the album Other Voices, Other Rooms.[2]
Career
Griffith was born in Seguin, Texas,[3] and her career spanned a variety of musical genres, predominantly country, folk, and what she termed "folkabilly."[1] Griffith won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album in 1994 for her 1993 recording, Other Voices, Other Rooms.[4] This album features Griffith covering the songs of artists who were her major influences. One of her better-known songs is "From a Distance," which was written and composed by Julie Gold, although Bette Midler's version achieved greater commercial success.[citation needed] Similarly, other artists have occasionally achieved greater success than Griffith herself with songs that she wrote or co-wrote. For example, Kathy Mattea had a country music top five hit with a 1986 cover of Griffith's "Love at the Five and Dime"[citation needed] and Suzy Bogguss had one of her largest hits with Griffith's and Tom Russell's "Outbound Plane".[citation needed]
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 was a survivor of breast cancer which was diagnosed in 1996, and thyroid cancer in 1998.[5]
Singer-songwriter Christine Lavin remembers the first time she saw Griffith perform:
I was struck by how perfect everything was about her singing, her playing, her talking. I realized from the get-go that this was someone who was a complete professional. Obviously she had worked a long time to get to be that good.[6]
Griffith toured with various other artists, including Buddy Holly's band, The Crickets; John Prine; Iris DeMent; Suzy Bogguss; and Judy Collins. Griffith 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, John Stewart; and Darius Rucker (lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish). She also contributed background vocals on many other recordings.[7] Griffith suffered from severe writer's block for a number of years after 2004, lasting until the 2009 release of her The Loving Kind album, which contained nine selections that she had written and composed either entirely by herself or as collaborations.[citation needed]
After several months of limited touring in 2011, Griffith's bandmates The Kennedys (Pete & Maura Kennedy) packed up their professional Manhattan recording studio and relocated it to Nashville, where they installed it in Griffith's home. At this location, with her backing group, including Pete & Maura Kennedy and Pat McInerney, she co-produced her album Intersection over the course of the summer. The album included several new original songs and was released in April 2012 on Proper Records.[8]
On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Griffith among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the Universal Studios fire in June 2008.[9]
Awards
Griffith won the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album for Other Voices, Other Rooms. Griffith was awarded the Kate Wolf Memorial Award by the World Folk Music Association in 1995.[10] In 2008, the Americana Music Association awarded her its Americana Trailblazer Award.[citation needed] Lyle Lovett, who contributed backing vocals to some of "The Blue Moon Orchestra's" recordings,[which?] had won it before her.
Band (The Blue Moon Orchestra)
Griffith referred to her backing band as "The Blue Moon Orchestra". This reference is believed to have been drawn from both the title of one of her earliest albums, Once in a Very Blue Moon,[citation needed] and its title selection, which reached number 85 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1986.
- Current members
- Pat McInerney – percussion
- Maura Kennedy – vocals, guitar
- Pete Kennedy – guitar, vocals
- Previous members
- Nanci Griffith – lead vocals, guitar
- James Hooker – piano, B-3, keyboards, vocals
- Philip Donnelly – guitar
- Clive Gregson – guitar, vocals
- Doug Lancio – electric guitar
- Thomm Jutz – guitar, vocals
- Byrd Burton – guitar
- Frank Christian – guitar
- Ron De La Vega – bass, cello
- Pete Gorisch – bass, cello
- J. T. Thomas – bass, vocals
- Denny Bixby – bass
- Pete Gordon – bass
- Le Ann Etheridge – vocals, bass guitar, rhythm guitar
- Lee Satterfield – vocals, rhythm guitar, mandolin
- Fran Breen – drums
- Steve Smith – drums
- Liam Genocky - drums
- Guest backing vocalists
- Emmylou Harris
- Iris DeMent
- Lyle Lovett
Personal life
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.[3] She was married to singer-songwriter Eric Taylor from 1976 to 1982. In the early 1990s, she was engaged to singer-songwriter Tom Kimmel.[11]
Death
Griffith died in Nashville on August 13, 2021, at the age of 68.[12]
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [13] |
US [14] |
UK [15] | |||
| 1978 | There's a Light Beyond These Woods | — | — | — | B.F. Deal |
| 1982 | Poet in My Window | — | — | — | Featherbed |
| 1984 | Once in a Very Blue Moon | — | — | — | Philo |
| 1986 | The Last of the True Believers | — | — | — | |
| 1987 | Lone Star State of Mind | 23 | — | — | MCA |
| 1988 | Little Love Affairs | 27 | — | 78 | |
| 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 | |
| 2004 | Hearts in Mind | — | — | — | New Door |
| 2006 | Ruby's Torch | — | — | — | Rounder |
| 2009 | The Loving Kind | — | — | — | |
| 2012 | Intersection | — | — | — | Hell No |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
Live albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [13] |
US [14] |
UK [15] | |||
| 1988 | One Fair Summer Evening | 43 | — | — | MCA |
| 2002 | Winter Marquee | 45 | — | — | Rounder |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
Compilation albums
| Year | Album | Peak positions | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK[15] | |||
| 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 | — | |
| 2015 | Ghost in the Music | --- | VOX ROX |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [16] |
CAN Country [17] |
Irish Singles Chart [18] | |||
| 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 | — | — | ||
| "Never Mind" | 58 | — | — | Little Love Affairs | |
| 1988 | "From a Distance" | — | — | 9 | Lone Star State of Mind |
| "I Knew Love" | 37 | — | 20 | Little Love Affairs | |
| "Anyone Can Be Somebody's Fool" | 64 | — | — | ||
| 1989 | "It's a Hard Life Wherever You Go" | — | — | — | Storms |
| "I Don't Wanna Talk About Love" | — | — | — | ||
| 1991 | "Late Night Grande Hotel" | — | — | — | Late Night Grande Hotel |
| 1993 | "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness" | — | — | — | Other Voices, Other Rooms |
| 1994 | "This Heart" | — | — | — | Flyer |
| 1995 | "Well...All Right" (with 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 |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
Videography
- Bob Dylan: The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration Sony VHS (1993)[citation needed]
- Other Voices, Other Rooms Elektra Video VHS (1993)[citation needed]
- Winter Marquee Rounder/Universal DVD, Widescreen, (2002)[citation needed]
- One Fair Summer Evening...Plus! Universal Music & VI DVD, Fullscreen, (2005)[citation needed]
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "I Knew Love" | Michael Salomon |
| 1989 | "It's a Hard Life Wherever You Go"[19] | Willy Smax |
| 1991 | "Late Night Grande Hotel"[20] | Sophie Muller |
| 1993 | "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness" (with John Prine)[21] | Rocky Schenck |
| 1994 | "This Heart" | |
| 1996 | "Well...All Right" (with The Crickets) |
See also
References
- ^ a b Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 548–9. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
- ^ Sweeting, Adam (August 15, 2021). "Nanci Griffith obituary". the Guardian. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
- ^ a b "The Popdose Guide to Nanci Griffith". Popdose. January 8, 2008. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
- ^ "Nanci Griffith: Folk and country singer-songwriter dies aged 68". BBC. August 14, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
- ^ "Biography". Archived from the original on January 13, 2007. Retrieved January 13, 2007. originating from nancigriffith.com Retrieved January 31, 2013
- ^ Deitz, Roger (May/June 1995). "Home at Last". Acoustic Guitar. No. 30. p. 52.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 5, 2006.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^ Griffith, Nanci (December 20, 2011). "Intersection". Proper-records.co.uk.
- ^ Rosen, Jody (June 25, 2019). "Here Are Hundreds More Artists Whose Tapes Were Destroyed in the UMG Fire". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
- ^ Noble, Richard E. (2009). Number No. 1 : the story of the original Highwaymen. Denver: Outskirts Press. pp. 265–267. ISBN 9781432738099. OCLC 426388468.
- ^ Ibrahim, Samantha (August 13, 2021), "Nanci Griffith, Grammy-winning 'Five and Dime' singer, dead at 68", New York Post, retrieved August 14, 2021CS1 maint: date and year (link)
- ^ Aswad, Jem (August 13, 2021). "Nanci Griffith, Grammy-Winning Singer-Songwriter, Dies at 68". Variety. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
- ^ a b "Nanci Griffith Album & Song Chart History – Country Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media.
- ^ a b "Nanci Griffith Album & Song Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media.
- ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 236. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ "Results – RPM – Library and Archives Canada – Country Singles". RPM. July 17, 2013.
- ^ "The Irish charts – All there is to know - Nanci Griffith". IRMA.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Nanci Griffith : It's A Hard Life Wherever You Go". Country Music Television. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Nanci Griffith : Late Night Grande Hotel". Country Music Television. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Nanci Griffith : Speed of the Sound Of Loneliness". Country Music Television. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nanci Griffith. |
- Nanci Griffith official site (archived final version 2021-02-25)
- Comprehensive Nanci Griffith discography
- 2012 Interview with Nanci Griffith
- Nanci Griffith discography at Discogs
- Nanci Griffith at IMDb
About the page
Presented content of the Wikipedia article was extracted in 2021-08-23 based on https://en.wikipedia.org/?curid=408285