Nanci Griffith
Nanci Caroline Griffith (born July 6, 1953 in Seguin , Texas , † August 13, 2021 in Nashville ) was a Grammy- winning American country and folk singer and songwriter .
Career
Nanci Griffith was born in Seguin in 1953 and grew up in Austin . She made her first professional appearance at the age of 14 at the Red Lion Club in Austin.
Well-known pieces she has written for other artists include Listen to the Radio and Love at the Five and Dime , which became a top three hit on the country charts for Kathy Mattea . Goin 'Gone was also recorded by Mattea, a number one in the 1987 country charts, which Griffith did not write, but recorded the original version in 1986. The song Outbound Plane , which Griffith wrote with Tom Russell , reached number nine in the country charts when interpreted by Suzy Bogguss . Griffith also wrote the original version of From a Distance (1987), a song that was covered several times before Bette Midler had a world hit with it in 1990. Griffith didn't write this song though.
As a singer, Griffith could never quite assert herself in the country scene. Her half-dozen country hits didn't get above middle chart positions. With Lone Star State of Mind (1987) and I Knew Love (1988) she achieved two top 40 successes. What is remarkable about these two titles is that again Griffith was not involved in the songwriting.
In 1994 Griffith was awarded a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album Other Voices / Other Rooms . The title of the album refers to the novel of the same name by Truman Capote . With over 500,000 copies sold and a gold award, Other Voices / Other Rooms is Griffith's most successful and best-known album. The album's 17 songs are a tribute to the singers and songwriters who influenced Griffith the most. Many of these artists can be heard as guest stars on the album, including Bob Dylan , Emmylou Harris , Chet Atkins , Leo Kottke and John Prine . A sequel followed in 1998 with Other Voices, Too (A Trip Back To Bountiful) . Both works received critical acclaim.
Her last album was released in 2012 with Intersection . The following year Griffith toured the USA and Great Britain, but then canceled concerts for health reasons. She died in August 2021 at the age of 68. Griffith was married to singer and songwriter Eric Taylor from 1976 to 1982.
Discography
Studio albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 UK
|
 US
|
Country
|
|||
| 1987 | Lone Star State Of Mind | - | - |
Country23 (15 weeks) Country |
|
| 1988 | Little Love Affairs |
UK78 (1 week) UK |
- |
Country27 (27 weeks) Country |
|
| 1989 | Storms |
UK38 (3 weeks) UK |
US99 (14 weeks) US |
Country42 (13 weeks) Country |
|
| 1991 | Late Night Grande Hotel |
UK40 (5 weeks) UK |
US185 (1 week) US |
- | |
| 1993 | Other Voices / Other Rooms |
UK18 (6 weeks) UK |
US54  (14 weeks)US |
- | |
| 1994 | Flyer |
UK20 (5 weeks) UK |
US48 (8 weeks) US |
- | |
| 1997 | Blue Roses From The Moons |
UK64 (5 weeks) UK |
US119 (6 weeks) US |
- | |
| 1998 | Other Voices, Too (A Trip Back To Bountiful) | - |
US85 (7 weeks) US |
- | |
| 2001 | Clock Without Hands |
UK61 (1 week) UK |
US149 (3 weeks) US |
- | |
More studio albums
- 1978: There's A Light Beyond These Woods
- 1982: Poet In My Window
- 1984: Once In A Very Blue Moon
- 1986: The Last of The True Believers
- 1999: The Dust Bowl Symphony
- 2004: Hearts In Mind
- 2006: Ruby's Torch
- 2009: The Loving Kind
- 2012: Intersection
Live albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
UK
|
US
|
Country
|
|||
| 1988 | One Fair Summer Evening | - | - |
Country43 (20 weeks) Country |
|
| 1992 | An Irish Evening: Live At The Grand Opera House, Belfast | - |
US120 (4 weeks) US |
- |
with The Chieftains & Roger Daltrey
|
| 2002 | Winter marquee | - | - |
Country45 (5 weeks) Country |
|
Compilations
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
UK
|
US
|
Country
|
|||
| 1993 | The Best of Nanci Griffith |
UK27  (4 weeks)UK |
- | - | |
More compilations
- 1987: Best Rounders - Nanci Griffith
- 1993: The MCA Years: A Retrospective
- 1997: Country Gold
- 2000: Wings To Fly & 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: Complete MCA Studio Recordings
Singles
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Country
|
|||
| 1986 | Once in a Very Blue Moon Once in a Very Blue Moon |
Country85 (3 weeks) Country |
|
| 1987 | Lone Star State of Mind Lone Star State of Mind |
Country36 (14 weeks) Country |
|
| Trouble in the Fields Lone Star State of Mind |
Country57 (7 weeks) Country |
||
| Cold Hearts / Closed Minds Lone Star State of Mind |
Country64 (6 weeks) Country |
||
| Never Mind Little Love Affairs |
Country58 (7 weeks) Country |
||
| 1988 | I Knew Love Little Love Affairs |
Country37 (13 weeks) Country |
|
| Anyone Can Be Somebody's Fool Little Love Affairs |
Country64 (5 weeks) Country |
More singles
- 1988: From a Distance
- 1989: It's a Hard Life Wherever You Go
- 1989: I Don't Wanna Talk About Love
- 1991: Late Night Grande Hotel
- 1993: Speed of the Sound of Loneliness
- 1994: This Heart
- 1995: Well ... All Right (with The Crickets )
- 1997: Maybe Tomorrow
- 1997: Gulf Coast Highway
- 1999: These Days in an Open Book
Web links
- Official website (English)
- Nanci Griffith at AllMusic (English)
- Nanci Griffith at Discogs
- Nanci Griffith in the Internet Movie Database (English)
swell
- ↑ Josie Fischels, Barbara Campbell: Nanci Griffith Has Died. The Texas Singer-Songwriter Was 68. In: National Public Radio . August 13, 2021 (English).
- ↑ Nanci Griffith. May 19, 2020, accessed October 29, 2020 .
- ↑ Nanci Griffith ••• Top Songs as Writer ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts. Retrieved October 29, 2020 .
- ↑ Nanci Griffith Songs ••• Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts. Retrieved October 29, 2020 .
- ↑ Gold & Platinum. Retrieved October 29, 2020 (American English).
- ↑ Other Voices, Other Rooms | Rhino. Retrieved October 29, 2020 .
- ↑ Other Voices, Other Rooms - Nanci Griffith | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic. Retrieved October 29, 2020 (American English).
- ↑ Jerry Weber says: Illness forces cancellation of Nanci Griffith performance at ECA tonight. April 5, 2013, Retrieved October 29, 2020 (American English).
- ↑ Previous Shows Nanci Griffith. Retrieved October 29, 2020 (American English).
- ↑ Jon Freeman, Jon Freeman: Nanci Griffith, Folk and Country Songwriter, Dead at 68. In: Rolling Stone. August 13, 2021, accessed August 13, 2021 (American English).
- ↑ a b c d Chart sources: UK US
- ↑ a b c Music Sales Awards: US UK
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Griffith, Nanci |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Griffith, Nanci Caroline (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country and folk singer and songwriter |
| BIRTH DATE | July 6, 1953 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Seguin , Texas |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 13, 2021 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Nashville |