so long ago ,my freind introduced me to her,he would have music night which would consist of a lot a booze good food and great music by artists off the path of commercial stardom.fell in love again and again went to three concert in a row almost to the point of stalking,her with the crickets ,her at south Carolina and numerous concerts at the walnut creek monastery in NC. My favorite song was her cover of Townes Van Zants Towers. She blessed and was blessed. 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. Among his vast vinyl and CD collection was Nancis complete discography, from Theres a Light Beyond These Woods (1978) to Intersection (2012). I have written several poems about losing Nanci. She also was known as an interpreter of songs by other writers, performing with a light, clear voice. I only came upon this article this evening, when I had Nanci on my mind. 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. Thank you for the article. How very sad, Daniel, that you came so close to meeting Nanci but it didnt happen. I caught half the show while running on a treadmill and stopped my workout so I could hear her beautiful voice. Her death was confirmed by management and her record label on Friday, without a cause of death being given. She recalled being strongly affected by seeing her fellow Texan Townes van Zandt perform, singling out his song Tecumseh Valley, the kind of finely drawn narrative that would become a trademark of her own work. Nanci reached a lot of people, despite her lack of super-stardom. I would re release her album Fair Summer Evening which to me is a beautiful expression of music. Ms. Griffith in performance at the Farm Aid concert in Indianapolis in 1990. It happens. AP's tribute to the folk singer noted that Griffith gained many fans in Ireland and Northern Ireland, one of her favorite places to tour. She inspired me to be an artist and to tell my stories. Griffith put together her renowned Blue Moon Orchestra, which would accompany her for more than a decade. Her music has always touched me, and possibly, more so now that she is gone. Recently I came across Theres a Light Beyond these WoodsNow Ive listened to Nanci non stop for two months. No cause of death has been released yet, only a statement from her management company, Gold Mountain Entertainment, that reads: "It was Nanci's wish that no further formal statement or press release happen for a week following her passing." Ive seen her around 15 times at least here in the UK. I heard Nanci in concert five or six times. She attracted great musicians and helped the careers of more than a few as they were coming up. Powered by 70+ experts and writers. Maybe someday Ill see you on that Southbound Train, Nanci. Grammy-winning folk singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith hasdied at age 68. It seemed personal. One of those performances, at the Paramount Theater in Austin, was for her video of Other Voices, Other Rooms. A nice tribute. While that album comprised versions of other people's songs, other artists appreciated the quality of her own material. (It was on her very first album, too, but better on Lone Star.. 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 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. They later became friends. Also Suzanne Vega, John Gorka, Rod MacDonald, Shawn Colvin, David Massingill, Richard Meyer and so many others, including, of course, the late Jack Hardy and Tom Intondi. She was 68. I know Nanci as the artist that touched my heart the most, but also know the struggles she went thru. In 1985, she moved to Nashville, where she was rewarded with a major-label contract. The news was confirmed by her management company, Gold Mountain Entertainment. Thank you for this wonderful article about Nanci Griffith. Beautiful article. Thank you for writing this. Griffith said of Lynn in a 1989 Austin City Limits appearance. I learned of Bill because of Nanci mentioning him on One Fair Summer Evening. The Winter Marquee show feels like something more than a superb concert: it is a career benediction. If it were otherwise, we wouldnt be missing her so much. Below is all you want to know regarding the death of Nanci Griffith and more! Her love songs often struck an honest yet wistful tone, at times unusual in phrasing and the pattern of thoughts. If any fault is to be applied its a mismanagement of a great artist. Her breakthrough came when she shifted labels, to Elektra, and returned to her folk roots. On these music nights up in the quit mountains around Lake fontana some how or nother I would get his cd player stuck on repeat, a feat that could not be done any other time for some reason,and blast ,I knew love when I could still believe it was the greatest power in the world,at Mach 9 as he would say ,the monastery also would be lite up with her Angelica voice ,all who visited were introduced to her.she comes with me where eri I go and times I call her name,my favorite beyond a doubt,she was love ,and she shared it with us all.give her gift to some one,share her masage the world needs it, she did her part.rest in peice true love of mine ,meet you down on congress ave.next to the Woolworth store be driving a Ford econo line listening for the sound of lonliess.. Its good to read that kind of passion for an artist of such high quality. I have read all of the above and am gratified to read that most people feel the same way about Nanci as i do. Wayne Shorter's Cause of Death is Untold. Bob, you shouldnt feel robbed of the afterglow of a wonderful evening because of 911 happening the next morning. Thank you! Hailed by critics as a homey delight, it won the 1994 Grammy Award for best contemporary folk album and was certified gold for sales of more than 500,000 copies. I can still hear her gorgeous voice finishing with, Going Up It breaks my heart that she was never truly appreciated. Yours is the first article that shed light on her sadness and perhaps loneliness. Biography - A Short Wiki. Flyer is my favorite. 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.". But there is grace to be found even in those weaker works. Her first performance was at the Red Lion club in Austin, when she was 12. She had every right to be as fierce with critics as has been alleged. Little Love Affairs has so many great songs. Only was able to see her live on one occasion in Lakewood Ohio back in September of 2001. The Tragic Death Of Singer Nanci Griffith. She will be missed. Its a pretty fair term. She did And she was anti-war. I saw a lot of gigs, many of them solo. I didnt know much about her but I showed up that evening with the other employees and was greatly impressed at the end of their short show. She was having drinks with Nanci that evening in Harvard Square, on a weekend Nanci was playing Passim in Cambridge and said Nanci wanted to have me join them. "It was Nanci's wish that no further formal statement or press release happen. Grammy Award-winning folk and country singer-songwriter who played with the Blue Moon Orchestra. Living alone on the outskirts of town and finding myself friendless, I turned on the radio and discovered the Laurel Theater and what was on was one of their Mountain Jubilee Hours or other great radio shows. Nanci Griffith, a Grammy-winning singer and songwriter who kept one foot in folk and the other in country and was blessed with a soaring voice equally at home in both genres, died on Friday. Griffith's death was announced by her manager, but a cause has not been disclosed. Nanci Griffith Cause Of Death:-An American singer, guitarist, and composer by the name of Nanci Caroline Griffith. A previous version of this story said Nanci Griffith had been married to Eric Anderson. In my view it isnt a fair assessment but of course I was a fan or hers. [9] This album features Griffith covering the songs of artists who were her major influences. But I can well imagine Tims comment on her precious voice and phrasing (both of which got more so in the 90s) wasnt authentically Texan enough whatever that might mean. Her management company - Gold Mountain Entertainment - confirmed the news over the weekend, however the company also stated that it was Griffith's wish . One of my late stepfathers very favourite musicians. Even in the company of renowned performers like Harris, Cockburn and others her performance stood out. Thank you, Daniel, for what has been the most thorough and most balanced remembrance of Ms. Griffith that I have read thus far. At this location, with her backing group, including Pete & Maura Kennedy and Pat McInerney, she co-produced her album Intersection over the course of the summer. The other reporters were asking rather stoic questions to the assembled artists when I finally summoned up the courage to speak. While Nanci passed recently shes been gone for the better part of 15 years or more. My favorite songs were the ones with the simplest and most heartfelt delivery, though I knew that the ones with big production were things she felt she had to do to solve the riddle of success which I had to respect. I said something disparaging about Grammy tastes, as I recall. 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. I agree with the commenters who consider this among the best tributes to Nanci. Then when I started high school, Loretta Lynn came along. The Grammy winner was 68. Lung cancer? The core of the band stayed with her for the long haul." She laughed, said something self-deprecating about her innate awkwardness, and then launched into one of her favorite upbeat songs full force, her energy perfectly focused. And were about many other lives, as well, both real and imagined. She could write, and she could sing, and my heart is still moved by her talent all these years later. Thank you for this. In 2012, the year she released her 18th and final studio album, Intersection, she explained her motivations to The New York Times: I am putting to music and words things that have angered me and hurt me. Taylor had served in Vietnam, and in 2000 Griffith visited Vietnam and Cambodia with the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation. She was almost as likely to complain about slights as exhibit contentment. I thankfully had the pleasure of seeing Nanci in concert on many occasions in the UK. Then in 1999 Texas Monthly did an expose on that situation titled You Can Never Go Home Again or something similar. In her later years, the outlet reported the singer lived in Nashville, and she "turned bitter" about the time she spent in Texas trying to build her career. Its such a strange thing to say but its true. Boots of Spanish Leather better than all the others. Its not like youre going to fall into a forgiving cool pool of water if you slip. She was 68. Thank you for this article on Nanci Griffith. Artists like Nanci Griffith was an inspiration to many artists who follow their own path. She was singing her Little Love Affairs songs and she was enthralling. Her 1993 album, Other Voices, Other Rooms (named after Truman Capotes debut novel), comprised 17 versions of songs by her folk forebears, including Malvina Reynolds and Woody Guthrie. But Nanci jumped up and darted purposefully to the stage. As a music fan I was lucky to live in Boston with its plethora of small and college radio stations. In 2015, producer/director Dorsay Alavi began filming a documentary about the life of Shorter called Wayne Shorter: Zero Gravity.