Nanci Griffith

Description: Singer/Songwriter

Comparisons: Nanci Griffith's work shows clear comparisons to the women who came before her, such as Joni Mitchell, Janis Ian, and Joan Baez. Similar contemporaries include Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin, and Dar Williams.

Starter CDs: Poet In My Window (Philo, 1982). Last of the True Believers (Philo, 1986). The Complete MCA Studio Recordings (MCA Nashville, 2003). Hearts In Mind (New Door, 2005).

Quote From Nanci Griffith: “Being a good songwriter means paying attention and sticking your hand out the window to catch the song on the way to someone else's house!”

Nanci Griffith Biography: Nanci Griffith was born in July, 1953 in Seguin, Texas – a small town near San Antonio. She grew up in Austin, and learned to play guitar by watching a show on PBS. By the time she was 14 years old, she was already beginning to play her original songs out at clubs around Austin.

She attended the University of Texas, where she studied education. After college, she took a teaching job, although she continued to play her standing gigs in local clubs.

In 1978, Griffith released her debut album – There's a Light Beyond These Woods on an independent local label. This was followed by another independent release – Poet In My Window. It wasn't until 1985 that she released her third album, which became her first nationally distributed record – In a Very Blue Moon (Rounder/Philo). The following year, she formed her back-up band – The Blue Mountain Orchestra.

Since then, Griffith has released 15 more records, and has received a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. She's toured with Suzy Bogguss, Judy Collins, Iris DeMent, and many others. She's also a frequent performer at several folk festivals, and enjoys considerable popularity in Ireland, particularly.
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