Griffith, Nanci

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NANCI GRIFFITH

Born: Nanci Caroline Griffith; Austin, Texas, 6 July 1953

Genre: Country, Folk, Rock

Best-selling album since 1990: Flyer (1994)

Like fellow performer Mary Chapin Carpenter, Nanci Griffith straddles the line between country and folk music, her quiet, girlish voice finding an outlet in her confessional songwriting. Unlike Carpenter, however, Griffith failed to make a significant impact on the country charts, perhaps because her literate material and intellectual demeanor did not translate easily into the smooth conventions of mainstream radio. After scoring with several small country hits in the late 1980s, Griffith spent the early 1990s recording pop and rock-oriented music before returning to her folk roots with the acclaimed album, Other Voices, Other Rooms (1993). A consistently challenging artist, Griffith continued to expand her horizons in the late 1990s and beyond, recording an album of her best-known songs with the London Symphony Orchestra and releasing another set of original material, Clock without Hands, in 2001.

Raised in Austin, Texas, Griffith cultivated her early love of music through the influence of her mother, an amateur actress, and her father, a singer in a barbershop quartet. Although Griffith began performing in Austin-area clubs at the age of fourteen, she later decided upon a career in education, receiving her undergraduate degree from the University of Texas and spending several years in the mid-1970s as a kindergarten teacher. In 1977 she returned to performing, enlisting a small local label to release There's a Light Beyond These Woods (1978), a folk-influenced album of her own material. Recording for the small Philo label during the 1980s, Griffith released fine albums such as The Last of the True Believers (1986). A set of acoustic songs recorded with gentle, sensitive accompaniment, the album features several songs that would become regarded by fans as Griffith classics, particularly "Love at the Five and Dime," later recorded by country star Kathy Mattea. Like much of Griffith's finest work, the song boasts a strong narrative line, lilting melody, and lyrics that mine themes of love, regret, and loneliness: "Dance a little closer to me, 'cause it's closing time / And love's on sale tonight at this five and dime."

In 1987 Griffith signed with the country division of MCA Records, where she enjoyed minor hits such as "Lone Star State of Mind" (1987) and "I Knew Love" (1988). With the albums Storms (1989) and Late Night Grande Hotel (1991), Griffith moved in a rock and pop direction, diminishing her limited country recognition but building a strong fan base among a young, urban audience. With its flowing string arrangement, soulful organ, and assertive backup vocals, the title track of Late Night Grande Hotel imparts a pop and R&B feel representative of this phase of Griffith's career. Moving to the Elektra label, she revisited her early influences on Other Voices, Other Rooms, a faithful, affectionate homage to folk legends such as Woody Guthrie and Malvina Reynolds. On songs such as "Across the Great Divide" and "Tecumseh Valley," Griffith uses her quavering voice and sensitive guitar playing to create a mood of warm intimacy. Featuring guest appearances by folk and country legends Odetta, Arlo Guthrie, and Chet Atkins, the album was applauded by critics as a noteworthy attempt to honor the sincerity and truthfulness of classic folk music.

Throughout the 1990s Griffith continued to release personal albums that resisted musical categorization. Flyer (1994), a collection of original material, sports a rock-oriented sound through the use of electric guitar and drums, while Blue Roses from the Moons (1997) is marked by slick production from Don Gehman, the producer for successful 1990s rock band Hootie & the Blowfish. After releasing another album of folk material, Other Voices, Too (A Trip Back to Bountiful) in 1998, Griffith revisited some of her previous material on The Dust Bowl Symphony (1999), an album recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra. Despite the sophisticated orchestral backing, Griffith retains her air of quiet introspection, proving the adaptability of her unique style. While she is arguably more effective when utilizing the muted, sparse background of earlier albums, Griffith succeeds in capturing on The Dust Bowl Symphony a new, intriguing setting for her talents. Always a prolific artist, Griffith returned to the studio for Clock without Hands, her final album for Elektra, before releasing Winter Marquee in 2002. Recorded for Rounder Records, the parent company of her former label, Philo, Winter Marquee is a live set containing intelligent versions of songs Griffith initially released on previous albums.

A sensitive performer whose restrained voice and intelligent songwriting found limited success on country radio, Griffith has pursued her own musical path, frequently adapting her folk-imbued style to rock and pop formats. Never attaining the far-reaching stardom of some of her country and rock peers, Griffith has nonetheless built up a loyal following over the course of a long and distinguished career.

SELECTIVE DISCOGRAPHY:

The Last of the True Believers (Philo, 1986); Little Love Affairs (MCA, 1988); Late Night Grande Hotel (MCA, 1991); Other Voices, Other Rooms (Elektra, 1993); Flyer (Elektra, 1994); The Dust Bowl Symphony (Elektra, 1999); Clock without Hands (Elektra/Asylum, 2001).