At one of her shows I felt really low, as I was living with depression. But thats it isnt it? As much as it broke my heart when my stepdad died, Im glad he didnt live to see poor Nancis passing. Im torn, and torn up. While that album comprised versions of other people's songs, other artists appreciated the quality of her own material. I was truly saddened at the passing of Nanci. I played the album for guests the next night and there wasnt a dry eye.. Complete information on survivors was not immediately available. I am shocked and amazed at the outpouring of sadness and loss at this wonderful artist. A previous version of this story said Nanci Griffith had been married to Eric Anderson. A huge and largely unappreciated talent(at least by the wider public) I believe health issues both physical and emotional made her withdraw from the scene. I started to cry during the last song,Love at the Five and Dime. Griffith received a Lifetime Achievement Trailblazer Award from the Americana Music Association in 2008, and released her final studio album, "Intersection," in 2012. Great article about an absolute Great Artist. Thanks for including the video, as I listened to it while reading all of these wonderful comments. I know its a common name, but by any chance are you the beloved Bob Jones who ran the Newport Folk Fest for decades? Thank you for this article. Imagine that, a critic being needlessly negative . A. Her arrival there coincided with a boom in so-called 'new country' artists, including Steve Earle and Lyle Lovett, though she insisted that she did not belong to that category. Was disappointed in the Nashville move, though I could understand her intention with it. Nanci Griffith, whose album Other Voices, Other Rooms won the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album, died on Friday, as reported by the Associated Press. The youngest of three children, Griffith was born in Seguin, Texas, a small town near San Antonio. His wife, Ruelen (nee Strawser), worked as an estate agent. Griffith. Why is there so much mystery around her cause of death? Nanci Griffith, a Texas-born singer-songwriter celebrated in folk and country-music circles for her crystalline voice and storytelling skill, died Friday in Nashville at age 68. She was the sweetest of all air. Her parents moved to Austin during her childhood before divorcing in 1960. A nice tribute. Ive never been this sad to lose someone I never knew. Throughout her life, Griffith was only married once. And as a singer, she gave precious a good name. What a beautifully written tribute. Ive been there ever since. Thanks for the wonderful reflections of a truly special artist. The Tragic Death Of Singer Nanci Griffith. Saw her some years back in the UK. One of those performances, at the Paramount Theater in Austin, was for her video of Other Voices, Other Rooms. I will miss her, Mr. Gewertz, your article is nothing less than phenomenal to me. This is terrific. But, shes free from all that now, and soaring somewhere. While a cause of death has not been revealed,. I took home my selections, and popped OFSE in my cd player and started cleaning and straightening my apartment. She was truly heads above the rest. Nothing on the record mind you. In the end the news of their leaving us reminds me of the passing John Stewart, another of my favorites about this time of year back in 2008. Welty, etc. The 89 Austin City Limits concert that you mentioned gave me my first glimpse of her. The Winter Marquee show feels like something more than a superb concert: it is a career benediction. When I saw that she died last month, well, my mouth flew wide open and I blurted out a big, OH NO! I have loved Nanci Griffith since the early 80s, and over the years I would pull out a CD and reconnect. The Texas-born. Like, how do you even turn around to get back off the diving board? She listed the songwriter Odetta as one of her key influences, and defined herself by saying: "You take a whole lot of Woody Guthrie and a whole lot of Loretta Lynn, swoosh it around and it comes out as Nanci Griffith.". Greatly admired by her fellow artists and a devoted army of fans, Nanci Griffith, who has died aged 68, exemplified a style of musical storytelling with a literary flavour, focusing on the small details of the lives of her characters. One of Texas' finest." Im just reading this now as Im watching an Austin City Limits show piecing together Nancis best (Dec 2022). Vietnam was the subject of several songs on her last Elektra album Clock Without Hands (2001), named after a novel by Carson McCullers. She was so beautiful with just her guitar under the lights. Boston took to Griffith earlier and stronger than any American city outside her native Texas. I saw a lot of gigs, many of them solo. There were virtually no Americana type acts on commercial radio then, save for the odd PBS station that would play almost anything on a particular evening, so ACL and decent record stores were necessary if you wanted to hear her. Nanci Griffith, the Grammy-winning folk singer and songwriter, has died aged 68. I feel better. Im sure you consider yourself lucky to have seen her in person. I am stunned almost to tears. And her beautiful live album from 89.). Nanci Caroline Griffith was born on July 6, 1953, in Seguin, TX; the family moved to Austin soon afterward. Not sure if I would have found this remembrance otherwise, and Im now letting go the need to know exactly how she met her end, and instead enjoying her lifes work. I come from a basically really dysfunctional family, she told Texas Monthly in 1999. [25][26], 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. She put aside finger paints when she won a songwriting award at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas; she released her first album, Theres a Light Beyond These Woods, in 1978. The core of the band stayed with her for the long haul." [1] She appeared many times on the PBS music program Austin City Limits starting in 1985 (season 10). Once in Seattle and then the next night in Portland. I hope her family has seen this lovely tribute to Nanci that you wrote. Completely agree about A Light Beyond These Woods a masterful piece of songwriting. And, to be straight up, seems Nanci lost her voice after he cancer bout(s), and, naturally, pulled away and was miserable about that. Rosanne Cash remembered her on Twitter, offering a video of a performance of "Trouble in the Fields" that Griffith gave in the 90s at a show at New York City's Bottom Line. ", Saving Country Music reported that Griffith was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996 and thyroid cancer in 1998. This is the most comprehensive and compassionate remembrance of Nanci that I have seen. I appreciated her strength and the emotions she let out as well, and Daniel, I think your overview of her life and work conveys some of these forces she may have come up against as well in all their complexities, and I appreciate the work you put into making this piece so complete. Then in 1999 Texas Monthly did an expose on that situation titled You Can Never Go Home Again or something similar. Obviously she had worked a long time to get to be that good. All of that must have stuck in some Texan craws. I found her an inspiration as a musician and as a woman, as back then I felt some backlash as a woman trying to be a musician in my own right. In my view it isnt a fair assessment but of course I was a fan or hers. There were no further comments in the hour-long set about the mishap. As a songwriter myself her influence has guided me in recent years. Suzy Bogguss had a country Top 10 hit with Griffith's Outbound Plane. Griffith referred to her backing band as the Blue Moon Orchestra. It is no accident I put the word won in quotes, for the move to MCA, in my opinion, ultimately diminished Griffiths career. January 12, 2022. Anywaythanks for writing about her in such an inspired, insightful, loving way. Like, how could she when she gave us so much? Lung cancer? As you noted, some great songs from that record, and as a whole, its got that feel that Nanci brought to her shows in those days. I discovered a few years ago when my assistant decided she could take no more and had to re-alphabetize and index my music collections, that Nanci took up more shelf space than any other modern artist. She was closely associated with "From a Distance," a Julie Gold song that provided a major hit for Bette Midler. Griffith continued to perform while attending the University of Texas, and after hours while working as a kindergarten teacher. I recall her saying onstage, almost as a brag, that he was the only singer-songwriter she ever made love with. In my assessment it was unwise of her to write letters to these critics. Thanks, everyone, and thanks Daniel Gewertz, for sharing your touching memories of one of musics best. A life changing artist and a beautiful person as I am finding out. I agree she was phenomenal in the 90s but actually my favorite concert was in August 2005 in Fargo, ND. One of the reasons I am in Nashville," he wrote. Thank you! Thank you. And yet thinking about it, a part of me is not amazed. She's a deeply talented writer, singer, and guitarist. I have never been so affected at the loss of someone I have never known personally. Ive never felt this way after a person I didnt know passed on. She was 68. Thank you for this wonderful article about Nanci Griffith. Its such a strange thing to say but its true. Only days later did we hear that Griffith had suffered bruises to both skin and bone, and was seen at a local hospital. Griffith's management company announced the news in a statement. I discovered her back in the eighties at what was the Strawberry Music Festival near Yosemite. Im absolutely embarrassed to say Ive only started to listen to Nanci in the last few years but my, what a singer songwriter and artist she was. It was a horrible job and involved very little that had anything to do with. I agree, however, that Winter Marquee is an excellent recordingreally a nice career summary up to that point and her voice sounded as good as ever. Which is a shame due to her talent as a singer-songwriter. Your article is filled with so much I did not know. So the news of her passing came through the news of the passing of Bill Staines. One of my late stepfathers very favourite musicians. The core of the band stayed with her for the long haul. [4][5] Nanci's mother Ruelene was a real estate agent and amateur actress, her father, Marlin Griffith, was a graphic artist and barbershop quartet singer. Thank you. I felt my cares melt away as I got to know the characters in her songs, and heard her angelic but still somehow human voice sing meaningful, beautiful, and heart touching lyrics. Nanci Griffith, a Grammy award-winning musician, died on 13 August 2021 at the age of 68. In the very early days of the Web I was part of a mailing list of devotees who would trade cassette tapes samizdat-style of her music and her friends which helped get me through a time of a lot of trial caused by a career change. Covid? Boots of Spanish Leather better than all the others. While no cause of death has been released, Griffith's management company, Gold Mountain Entertainment, released a statement Friday confirming the singer's death and saying that it was "Nanci's wish that no further formal statement or press release happen for a week following her passing" (via The Associated Press ). Ms. Griffith followed it up in 1998 with the album Other Voices, Too (A Trip Back to Bountiful), accompanied by a book, Nanci Griffiths Other Voices: A Personal History of Folk Music, but it was less successful. It was announced on August 13, 2021 that Griffith passed away at the age of 68. Ive been a fan of the lyrics for all of my life. [9] This album features Griffith covering the songs of artists who were her major influences. Only was able to see her live on one occasion in Lakewood Ohio back in September of 2001. Thank you, Daniel, for what has been the most thorough and most balanced remembrance of Ms. Griffith that I have read thus far. (The Nashville industry joke at the time was that MCA stood for More Crummy Artists.) Griffith told me, and others, that the label didnt know what to do with her. Gulf Coast Highway, I Wish It Would Rain and the sublime Dust Bowl ballad Trouble in the Fields were sung by many, including Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris. I asked her a question about If Wishes Were Changes and I dont even remember her reply but it must have resonated because following the press conference she was happy to have a chat and then take a picture with me and my wife which I will treasure always. According to Saving Country Music, Griffith was "a living legend in Austin. Didnt realize she had passed (being in the mom bubble with young children) until one of my boys teachers (very young herself) recently used Trouble in our Fields as an example when teaching about The Great Depression. Nanci Griffith breathed her last on (August 13, 2021) in Nashville and died at the age of 68. I know a couple of musicians who backed her up in her group and they only have kind and wonderful things to say about her. Nanci Griffith began her career as a singer performing in a local coffeehouse, aged 12. She was a such a beautiful, honest, melancholy (and hopeful) voice of love, light, truth- both hard and lovely all at the same time. I just want to mention my favorite song of hers. Michael Corcoran was a music critic for one of the Austin papers was very critical of her. Intrigued by the interesting cover, I selected it and placed it in my pile. The same week I heard Natalie McMaster at the same theatre. Her first performance was at the Red Lion club in Austin, when she was 12. In August 2005 I heard her in concert at the Fargo Theatre in Fargo, ND. The Grammy winner was 68. Griffith was known for her skills as a story-telling songwriter, producing memorable songs like "Late Night Grand Hotel" and "It's a Hard Life Wherever You Go." Griffith had a backing band which she referred to as the Blue Moon Orchestra. I would re release her album Fair Summer Evening which to me is a beautiful expression of music. The late Bob Donlin was introducing her from the tiny Passim stage in his usual charming yet wooden way. As in many of her songs, the lyrics have odd little jumps in logic and narrative that force the listener to fill in the blanks. I first found Nanci back in the mid eighties while delivering news papers in the middle of the night listening to folk programing on college radio. I dont know, but it just blew my mind because it really was a crazy thing, but it looks so benign, at first. In 1978 she released her debut album, There's a Light Beyond These Woods, on the local Austin label BF Deal. I first saw Nancy at Sanders Theater in the early eighties and fell in love immediately. I had forgotten that I already held tickets to see Cesaria Evora that night when I purchased tickets for her concert. She had a presence and was thoughtful to her Blue Moon Orchestra. She actually didnt do badly for MCA. The Flyer Album has/is/always will be in my playlist rotation. Her next label, Elektra, brought about two triumphs: her Grammy-winning Other Voices, Other Rooms (named after the Truman Capote novel) and The Dust Bowl Symphony with the London Symphony Orchestra. She married fellow singer-songwriter Eric Taylor in 1976. I was sure she was singing just to me and I was completely smitten by her ethereal and sometimes raunchy voice, and by the lyrics which made me think that she must be a short story writer besides. She played in clubs while finishing her academic qualifications, and armed with a degree in education from the University of Texas, she became a kindergarten teacher. I dont think that her failure to achieve adulation from the country music audience was about Griffiths very high voice: it was about her lack of traditional sexiness, or even traditional womanliness. Nanci mightve been the darling of the blue state folk circuit, but on country radio she was a sad-voiced skinny girl without a whit of sex appeal. NANCI Griffith was an award winning musician known for her 1993 covers collection, Other Voice, Other Rooms, featuring John Prine, Emmylou Harris and Bob Dylan. I actually saw her Flyer concert twice. I would sing along in my bad voice. Anyone have insight as to this? I can still see her singing Love at the 5 and Dime at many venues across the UK. My understanding from Facebook posts by her sister is that Nancis last wishes were that the details of her death not be shared. Youll never get tired a living alone. This fact is haunting me. The comments and remembrances have enriched the article itself. Flyer is my favorite. She recorded four more albums, the last of them being Intersection, recorded at her Nashville home with Pete and Maura Kennedy and the percussionist Pat McInerney. Also in 1978 she won the New Folk competition at the Kerrville folk festival. I felt like I let her down that I didnt know right away that shed passed For weeks now, I cant stop thinking about her and grieving her like I would a friend. hide caption. I always had the sense that the Texas music press found both Nancys writing and phrasing/voice too precious for the image that they wanted their musical heroes to project, and what they wanted to project about themselves. Thank you for writing this. My heart had beenbrought Alice through her beautiful story telling . She was such an amazing singer songwriter and I was so very sad to hear of her passing. The musicians were mostly little known at the time. That strikes me as odd as they were longtime friends and collaborators. Thanks so much, Dan, for this lovely lovely tribute from someone truly in the know. The music industry clearly missed the mark. ). And then she talked about the school, and Im thinking again, Wait this is Austin, it cant be too cool sitting there doing this for an extended period. It was totally awesome when I thought about it. It was the first of four folk albums she would make for tiny labels in an eight-year span, during which she also toured constantly. I realized from the get-go that this was someone who was a complete professional. She was suddenly a rootsy poet wandering among the synthesizers. Ive been gobbling up any and all articles about Nanci for over four months now, so I was surprised to stumble into this one for the first time today. She also contributed background vocals on many other recordings. While the death has been confirmed, a cause was not revealed. I am an old Globie and Herald staffer and assume I was made aware of her by my Globe writer pals. Why are womens bodies under attack from autoimmune diseases? The albums Storms (1989) and Late Night Grande Hotel (1991), produced by the rock producer Glyn Johns and Rod Argent and Peter Van Hooke respectively, provoked some criticism from purists for aiming for a more mainstream audience. Ms. Griffith was married to the Texas singer-songwriter Eric Taylor from 1976 to 1982. Girffith is also known for working with other folk singers, including Lyle Lovett and Emmylou Harris. "Home at Last". Folk and country luminaries were swift to respond when news of Griffith's death emerged. Thank you! She was married to the Texan singer-songwriter Eric Taylor from 1976 until their divorce in 1982. Been a huge fan of hers since the early 90s and was so grateful to be able to see her perform last at the Cambridge Folk Festival in 2012 (along with John Prine, and other amazing artists that year.) Born in Austin, Texas, Griffith resided in Nashville, Tennessee prior to her death. I wish I had been aware of her back when she was touring so I could have been at one of her concerts. In 2010, Griffith received a Lifetime Achievement Award at BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Nanci was a gift of Grace and though I know that all life is temporaryweve lost so many (John Prine being so terribly painful) and it was particularly cruel to take Nanci when she vanished from our presence. She was married to the Texan singer-songwriter Eric Taylor from 1976 until their divorce in 1982. Her best-loved songs were closely observed tales of small-town life, sometimes with painful details in the lyrics, but typically sung with a deceptive prettiness. I always knew she had some devoted fans, but it is remarkable to read how she was a light in the darkness, a help with troubled times. Her songs have been on a constant loop in my head since hearing about her death, and I pray shes at peace and her music continues to touch people for years to come! in: "From those early Kerrville campfires to her angelic harmonizing with Nanci Griffith and that classic unreleased tape with Mickie Merkensto crowded folk venues from Texas to Switzerland, Denice Franke's music has always moved me. Grammy Award-winning country and folk singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith has died at the age of 68. She died Friday in Nashville at age 68. A few were hits for other singers, such as Love at the Five & Dime and Listen to the Radio (Kathy Mattea) and Outbound Plane (Suzy Boggus). Good to read your words, Marjorie. Country artists Suzy Bogguss and Darius Rucker pay tribute to the Grammy-winning musician. I think of it sometimes when I am working alone at night and feeling blue. That song sustained my spirit through 14 months of frustration and anger. Her death was confirmed by management and her record label on Friday, without a cause of death being given. That is the best way to honor her. Songs such as Love at the Five and Dime and Gulf Coast Highway have become permanent fixtures in the folk-country canon (Griffith described her music as folkabilly), and the Grammy award she won for her album Other Voices, Other Rooms in 1994 seemed a long overdue reward for her carefully crafted body of work. When Nanci passed away I didnt realize how much impact she made on myself and others. Even though I was never a little girl and my childhood friendships with boys would differ in details, the feeling it evokes about those kind of lifetime friendships the very serious events that inevitably take place, as well as the ways your paths significantly diverge from each other and how you dreamed it would turn out, all the while keeping the original connection is perfect. She was real. From that point on, Griffith named every band she fronted, big or small, The Blue Moon Orchestra. So grateful I found it. No insight. In 1993 she moved to the Elektra label where she would enjoy her highest profile successes. Thanks for your thoughts and memories. I know Nanci as the artist that touched my heart the most, but also know the struggles she went thru. I was at 32-year-old DJ and Taos New Mexico and the owner of the station, KTAO, but Nancy and her band in a motel called the Kachina Lodge. Griffith suffered health problems. One of the greatest tributes we can give is to keep sharing her and her stories/music that teach love and life from a perspective mixed with humor & gritrelatable and valuable no matter how old you are or where youre from. Writing in The New York Times in 1987, Stephen Holden hailed her signing with MCA Nashville as a positive harbinger for the country-music industry, calling her among the most gifted writers to carry forward a Southern country variant of the confessional singer-songwriter mode that dominated Los Angeles rock in the early and mid-1970s., She assembled a band, the Blue Moon Orchestra, which would stay together for over a decade, and beefed up her finely wrought songs with country-pop muscle, a blend she called folkabilly.. Lone Star State of Mind got me through living in Denver (of all places!) She inspired their songwriting. If I was a woman, I would champion NG as a role model for the ages of strength and perseverance. I would add that Ive read many articles about her including those in the Texas press with who she had a contentious relationship. A shrewd song picker, Griffith was the first artist to record Julie Gold's From a Distance, and it gave her a Top 10 hit in Ireland, though it was Bette Midler who had a huge hit with it in 1990. She had such a unique way of putting things with great wit. She had a couple of singles in the country Top 40, and her first two albums made it above the #30 mark. A formative experience came when, as a teenager, she saw a performance by the melancholy Texas troubadour Townes Van Zandt; she particularly identified with his song Tecumseh Valley, about a doomed young woman named Caroline, and it became a staple of her songbook. Her music has always touched me, and possibly, more so now that she is gone. hardly smooth, easy listening voices there but listen to their heart and youll grow to love the voice, I loved her singing! Telefs: Special Report Remix project only for the most ardent fans, Bog Bodies: Bog Bodies An exhilarating, soul-nourishing album, Anna Agafia: Nielsen & Szymanowski Violin Concertos A passionately classical approach, Jimmy Crowley and Eve Telford: Hello! I feel blessed to have seen her at The Music Hall in Portsmouth NH in the early 2000s. Among the players and singers: Bela Fleck, Mark OConnor, Lyle Lovett, Roy Husky Jr., Lloyd Green, Pat Alger, Robert Earl Keen, Tom Russell and Maura OConnell. Fantastic artist. I like many sadly learned of Nanci Griffith upon her passing. Nanci Griffith, a Texas-born singer-songwriter celebrated in folk and country-music circles for her crystalline voice and storytelling skill, died Friday in Nashville at age 68. Ms. Griffith sometimes affected a folkie casualness toward mainstream success. Her first performance was at the Red Lion club in Austin, when she was 12. I was a big fan of hers, starting with the 2 Philo albums you mentioned and her Austin City Limits appearances. Ill think of her that way always. How did I miss her? She was a TRUE original. She came to Folk City a couple of years later, and I went with my friend Jackie. I read it online in my research for my piece. Daddy Said is one of my favorites. I only saw her perform live once, at the Wiltern in Los Angeles in the 1990s. till I could get back HOME to TEXAS! Among his vast vinyl and CD collection was Nancis complete discography, from Theres a Light Beyond These Woods (1978) to Intersection (2012). It was a great show. Her music shaped my writing (I write fiction) and my soul and just everything in my life. 68 years old at the time of her death, there was no further details given regarding the cause of her death because she did not want any further statement to be made in relation to her death for at least a week after she died. My goodness, I had no idea she was even sick. Nanci Caroline Griffith (July 6, 1953 - August 13, 2021) was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Google works in mysterious ways. Nanci was a treasure to many, myself included. I knew she hadnt recorded in a while but had no idea of the back story. A small part in all of us died with her passing. 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. AIDS? Thanks for the note, Jeff. "She was the first singer I ever saw of the female gender who wrote her own dad-gum songs and played her own rhythm guitar," Griffith said of Lynn in a 1989 Austin City Limits appearance. It is possible that that some viewed her as a defector to Nashville. RIP Nanci. Deitz, Roger (May/June 1995). I was delighted she chose to revive one of my favorite songs from her 1984 Blue Moon album, Im Not Drivin These Wheels. For starters, it takes place in Massachusetts, on a bus ride Nanci took from Boston to Marshfield to be interviewed by Dick Pleasants on WATD. But it was her story-songs inspired by such favorite Southern writers as Capote, Carson McCullers, and Tennessee Williams that employed striking narrative choices. Her death was announced by her management company, Gold Mountain Entertainment. Her 1989 Austin City Limits is such a performance. It is also true that a few of her later sorrowful, introspective songs exhibited self-pity, not the kind of tearful good ol gal pity popular in more mainstream country material.
