Shawn Colvin
Shawn Colvin (born January 10, 1956 in Vermillion , South Dakota ) is an American singer-songwriter .
Career
Shawn Colvin grew up in Carbondale in the US state of Illinois and later studied at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She started playing the guitar at the age of ten. She gave her first public concert at the age of 15 on the University of Illinois campus. Colvin named Joni Mitchell as the primary influence on her music in interviews and autobiography .
Colvin began working seriously in the music scene in the late 1970s, first in Austin, Texas, and then nationwide. During this time she met her music partner John Leventhal ; he later became the producer of several Colvin's albums.
Her career began after her first attempts with her own band and various other engagements in 1987 as a background singer for Suzanne Vega . In addition to appearances with Tracy Chapman , Suzanne Vega, the Indigo Girls and other artists, she also made several tours of her own. Her first album under her own name came out in 1989.
Colvin's first releases received critical acclaim but did not sell in proportion. After a few albums with her own songs, she released Cover Girl , a collection of new recordings of other people's songs.
Colvin had a chart success with the album A Few Small Repairs , released in October 1996 . The included single Sunny Came Home reached the US Top Ten and won a Grammy for best song and recording of the year. She has released several other albums that were nominated for Grammys. She has also released a Greatest Hits album and a collection of Christmas music.
In 2012 her autobiography Diamond in the Rough: A Memoir was published , which was published and promoted together with All Fall Down . The album was produced by longtime friend Buddy Miller and recorded in his home studio in Nashville . Miller engaged guitarist Bill Frisell , bassist Viktor Krauss and Brian Blade as drummer for the recordings .
Shawn Colvin lives in Austin , Texas with her daughter and is still involved in the Austin music scene. She supports liberal values and has occasionally played benefit concerts for candidates for the US Democratic Party. She also supports the Texas Public Interest Research Group .
Awards and distinctions
Grammy Awards
- 1991: Best Contemporary Folk Album - Steady On
- 1998: Record of the Year - "Sunny Came Home"
- 1998: Song of the Year - "Sunny Came Home"
Grammy nominations
- 1994: Best Contemporary Folk Recording - Fat City
- 1994: Best Female Pop Vocal Performance - "I Don't Know Why"
- 1995: Best Contemporary Folk Album - Cover Girl
- 1997: Best Pop Album - A Few Small Repairs
- 1997: Best Female Pop Vocal Performance - "Get Out of This House"
- 1998: Best Female Pop Vocal Performance - "Sunny Came Home"
New York Music Award
- 1989: Best Debut Female Vocalist
Discography
Studio albums
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DE | AT | CH | UK | US | |||
1989 | Steady on | - | - | - | - |
US111 (24 weeks) US |
First published: October 17, 1989
|
1992 | Fat City | - | - | - | - |
US142 (14 weeks) US |
First published: October 27, 1992
|
1994 | Cover girl | - | - | - |
UK67 (1 week) UK |
US48 (11 weeks) US |
First published: August 23, 1994
|
1996 | A few small repairs | - | - | - |
UK100 (1 week) UK |
US39 (52 weeks) US |
First published: October 1, 1996
|
1998 | Holiday Songs and Lullabies | - | - | - | - |
US181 (2 weeks) US |
First published: October 27, 1998
|
2001 | Whole New You | - | - | - | - |
US101 (7 weeks) US |
First published: March 27, 2001
|
2006 | These four walls | - | - | - | - |
US109 (3 weeks) US |
First published: September 12, 2006
|
2012 | All fall down | - | - | - | - |
US126 (1 week) US |
First published: June 5, 2012
|
2015 | Uncovered | - | - | - | - |
US175 (1 week) US |
First published: September 25, 2015
|
2016 | Colvin & Earle | - | - |
CH70 (1 week) CH |
- |
US128 (1 week) US |
First published: June 10, 2016
with Steve Earle |
more publishments
- 1995: Live '88
- 2004: Polaroids: A Greatest Hits Collection
- 2009: Live
- 2010: The Best of
Singles
year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DE | AT | CH | UK | US | |||
1993 | I don't know why Fat City |
- | - | - |
UK52 (3 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: November 1993
|
1994 | Round of Blues Fat City |
- | - | - |
UK73 (2 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: February 1994
|
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic Cover Girl |
DE67 (10 weeks) DE |
- | - |
UK65 (2 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: August 1994
|
|
One Cool Remove Cover Girl |
- | - | - |
UK40 (3 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: December 1994
with Mary Chapin Carpenter |
|
1997 | Get Out of This House A Few Small Repairs |
- | - | - |
UK70 (2 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: March 1997
|
Sunny Came Home A Few Small Repairs |
DE90 (5 weeks) DE |
- | - |
UK29 (6 weeks) UK |
US7 (32 weeks) US |
First published: June 1997
|
More singles
- 1990: Steady On
- 1990: Diamond in the Rough
- 1992: Climb on (A Back That's Strong)
- 1997: You and the Mona Lisa
- 1998: Nothin 'on Me
- 2001: Whole New You
- 2001: Bound to You
Filmography
- 1993: Baywatch - The Lifeguards of Malibu ( Baywatch , TV series, an episode)
- 1995–1996: The Larry Sanders Show ( The Larry Sanders Show , television series, two episodes)
- 1996: Grace of my Heart
- 1997: Fame LA (TV series, episode)
- 2000–2001: The Simpsons ( The Simpsons , television series, two episodes, voice)
- 2001: Heartbreakers - Warning: Sharp curves! (Heartbreakers)
- 2008: Crazy
- 2013: Heart & Friends: Home for the Holidays (TV movie)
Web links
- Shawn Colvin in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- official homepage
- Colvin on Nonesuch Records
- Shawn Colvin at Discogs (English)
- Shawn Colvin at Allmusic (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Shawn Colvin: Diamond in the Rough: A Memoir . William Morrow / HarperCollins, New York 2012, ISBN 978-0061759598
- ↑ Jazzdimensions discussion on All Fall Down ( Memento of the original of December 13, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , August 9, 2012, accessed August 10, 2912
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from June 28, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Official website of Colvin (English)
- ↑ a b Chart sources: DE CH UK US
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Colvin, Shawn |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American singer-songwriter |
DATE OF BIRTH | January 10, 1956 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Vermillion , South Dakota , United States |