Nanci Griffith
Country of origin:
U.S.
Type of music generally:
"Folkabilly" is her term for her blend of contemporary folk and country
Status:
Most recent release, Ruby's Torch (2006)
See also:
Official Nanci Griffith site
Comparisons:
Has received comparisons to Kate Campbell, Kate Wolf, Iris DeMent, Cheryl Wheeler, Joan Baez, and Tish Hinojosa
Covers/own material:
Own, co-written, and covers
General comments:
It has always amazed me when someone can take simple, straightforward chords and guitar notes, and yet come up with songs that are original and hooky enough to be fresh and new. Nanci Griffith is great at this, as she bridges the country/folk frontier. (mjmjminla@yahoo.com)One of my all-time favorite artists, I consider her the goddess of folk music, an icon, a legend. When names like Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Bill Monroe, and Jimmie Rodgers roll off one's tongue, Nanci Griffith's name will also spill from such tongues. Listen to "Clock Without Hands" and you'll agree. (jsutton@hrmusic.com)
Comments about live performance:
I was at the Nanci Griffith/Sara Hickman show (not in that order) which was not as good as the last time I saw Nanci (which was sublime) because she had too much bass and drums and electric guitar smothering her wonderfulness and keyboardist, which really quite sucked. (2/16/95, mjmjminla@yahoo.com)I just came back from seeing Nanci Griffith and Sarah Hickman earlier. The show was pretty fun, but once again I have to wonder about myself. Almost everyone there gave Nanci an enthusiastic standing ovation, but I wasn't that knocked out by the show. I heard lots of "best show of the year" comments (which I know isn't true, because that was Sarah McLachlan's show, so far). Not like the show was bad, it just didn't generate that much excitement for me.
As an encore, she came out and talked about admiring MLK and Lyndon Johnson's idea of a great society, and how spreading racism is an insidious form of child abuse, and dedicated her final song, and a few moments of silence, to the children in Oklahoma City. The song was "It's a Hard Life Wherever You Go", and it had a deep pounding bass drum playing behind it. The version was raw and gritty and heartfelt, more powerful than anything she'd done the whole evening. It was a stunning moment, and I was all too happy to join the standing ovation then, as Nanci stood there with tears in her eyes. That one song vaulted the concert from being a decent evening to being an excellent one. (4/20/95, neal)
Recordings:
- There's a Light Beyond These Woods (1978)
- Poet in My Window (1982)
- Once in a Very Blue Moon (1984)
- The Last of the True Believers (1986)
- Best Rounders (1987)
- Lone Star State of Mind (1987)
- Little Love Affairs (1988)
- One Fair Summer Evening (1988)
- Storms (1989)
- Late Night Grande Hotel (1991)
- Other Voices, Other Rooms (1993)
- The MCA Years: A Retrospective (1993)
- The Best of Nanci Griffith (1993)
- Flyer (1994)
- Country Gold (1997)
- Blue Roses from the Moons (1997)
- Other Voices, Too: A Trip Back To Bountiful (1998)
- The Dust Bowl Symphony (1999)
- Wings to Fly and a Place to Be: An Introduction to Nanci Griffith (2000)
- 20th Century Masters—The Millennium Collection: The Best of Nanci Griffith (2001)
- Clock Without Hands (2001)
- From a Distance: The Very Best of Nanci Griffith (2002)
- Winter Marquee (live, 2002)
- Complete MCA Studio Recordings (2003)
- Hearts in Mind (2004)
- Ruby's Torch (2006)
Further info:
Nanci Griffith has five live video releases: One Fair Summer Evening-Plus! (DVD); Winter Marquee (DVD); Other Voices, Too (VHS); Other Voices, Other Rooms (VHS); and One Fair Summer Evening—Live (VHS). Her recordings appear on many compilations (a full list can be found in the discography section of her website).
Thanks to JoAnn Whetsell for work on this entry.
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