Allison Russell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Allison Russell
Russell in 2021
Background information
Born	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Genres	Americana folk
Instruments	Vocals guitar banjo clarinet
Years active	1999–present
Labels	Fantasy

Allison Russell is a talented Canadian singer, songwriter, and musician. She is also an activist who uses her voice for important causes.

Before starting her solo music career, Allison was part of several music groups. These included Po' Girl, Birds of Chicago, and Our Native Daughters. She released her first solo album, Outside Child, in 2021. This album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Americana Album. Her song "Nightflyer" also received two Grammy nominations.

Her second album, The Returner, came out in September 2023. This album earned four Grammy Award nominations. It even won a Grammy for Best American Roots Performance for the song "Eve Was Black." Allison Russell has received a total of eight Grammy nominations and won one. She has also won four Canadian Folk Music Awards and two Juno Awards.

Allison's Early Life

Allison Russell was born in Montreal, Canada. She had a challenging childhood. At age 15, she left home and later moved to Vancouver in 1998. She studied at Dawson College.

Allison's Music Journey

Allison started her music career in Vancouver. She was first a member of a Celtic folk band called Fear of Drinking.

Russell performing with Po' Girl in 2009

In 2003, Allison helped create the band Po' Girl. She recorded seven albums with this group. Later, in 2011, she worked on a project called Sankofa. She wrote an original song for their album, "The Uptown Strut."

The next year, Allison formed the band Birds of Chicago with JT Nero. With Birds of Chicago, she released three studio albums. These included Birds of Chicago (2012), Real Midnight (2016), and Love in Wartime (2018).

In 2018, Allison joined a music group called Our Native Daughters. Other musicians in this group were Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, and Amythyst Kiah. In 2019, they released the album Songs of Our Native Daughters. Allison also appeared in a Smithsonian Channel documentary about the group. In 2021, she released her own versions of popular songs. These included "By Your Side" by Sade and "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac. She also covered "Everything I Wanted" by Billie Eilish.

Russell in 2020

In March 2021, Allison released "Nightflyer." This was the first song from her solo album Outside Child. She then released other songs like "Persephone," "Montreal," and "The Runner."

On May 21, 2021, Allison released her first solo album, Outside Child. This album shares stories from her younger years. For her work on this album, Allison was nominated for many awards. These included four Canadian Folk Music Awards.

Allison performed her song "Nightflyer" on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in May 2021. She also made her first appearance at the famous Grand Ole Opry. In the same year, she performed at the Country Music Hall of Fame. She sang songs from Outside Child on CBS This Morning Saturday.

In September 2021, Allison performed at the annual Farm Aid event. In November 2021, she received three Grammy nominations. She also performed with the Black Opry, a group that highlights Black artists in country music. In 2022, she released a new version of "You're Not Alone" with Brandi Carlile.

In March 2023, Allison helped organize a special concert called Love Rising. This event raised money in response to new laws in Tennessee.

Allison's second solo album, The Returner, was released on September 8, 2023. It was nominated for four Grammy Awards.

In July 2024, Allison provided the voice of Teddi Barra for the Country Bear Musical Jamboree at Walt Disney World. In September 2024, it was announced that Allison would perform on Broadway. She will play the role of Persephone in the musical Hadestown. Her performances start in November 2024.

Allison's Family Life

In 2013, Allison Russell married her bandmate, Jeremy Lindsay. They had a daughter named Ida in 2014.

Allison's Albums

Solo albums

Awards and Nominations

Allison Russell has won many awards for her music. Here are some of her notable wins:

• In 2022, she won International Artist of the Year and International Album of the Year for Outside Child at the UK Americana Music Awards.
• She also won Contemporary Album of the Year and English Songwriter of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards in 2022.
• Her album Outside Child won Album of the Year at the Folk Alliance Awards in 2022.
• In 2022, she won a Juno Award for Outside Child.
• In 2023, she won International Song of the Year for "You're Not Alone" at the UK Americana Music Awards.
• She also received the Spirit of Americana/Free Speech Award in 2023.
• In 2024, her album The Returner won International Album of the Year at the UK Americana Music Awards.
• She won a Grammy Award in 2024 for Best American Roots Performance for her song "Eve Was Black."