Brittany Howard facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brittany Howard
Howard performing with Alabama Shakes in London, 2016
Background information
Birth name	Brittany Amber Howard
Born	(1988-10-02) October 2, 1988 (age 36) Athens, Alabama, U.S.
Genres	Americana garage rock experimental rock roots rock
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Vocals guitar piano drums bass
Years active	2009 (2009)–present
Labels	ATO Island

Brittany Amber Howard was born on October 2, 1988. She is an American musician from Athens, Alabama. She became famous in the early 2010s. She was the lead singer, guitarist, and main songwriter for the band Alabama Shakes.

With Alabama Shakes, she won four Grammy Awards. This included the award for Best Alternative Music Album. In 2018, Alabama Shakes announced they were taking a break. In 2019, Brittany Howard released her first solo album, Jaime. This album was highly praised. It received seven Grammy nominations and won Best Rock Song for "Stay High". Her next album, What Now, came out in February 2024. Alabama Shakes announced a reunion tour for July to September 2025.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Brittany Howard was born in Athens, Alabama. She was one of two daughters. Her older sister, Jaime, taught her to write poetry and play the piano. Jaime sadly passed away in 1998. Brittany had the same eye condition as her sister but survived. She has partial blindness in one eye.

Brittany started playing the guitar when she was 13. She loved listening to albums by Dionne Warwick and Elvis Presley. These artists inspired her to write her own song lyrics.

High School and Musical Influences

Brittany went to East Limestone High School. There, she met Zac Cockrell, who would later be the bassist for Alabama Shakes. In high school, Brittany started listening to rock music from the 1970s. She enjoyed bands like Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd. She said listening to Pink Floyd "blew her mind." She then got into other classic rock bands like Yes and Cream.

After high school, Brittany worked for the United States Postal Service. She later became a full-time musician.

Brittany Howard's Music Career

Brittany Howard performing with Alabama Shakes in 2014

Brittany Howard is most known as the lead singer and guitarist for the rock band Alabama Shakes. The band first formed as "The Shakes." Brittany and bassist Zac Cockrell started playing songs together. Drummer Steve Johnson joined them. Later, guitarist Heath Fogg completed the band.

The band began playing shows in bars in Alabama. They recorded their first album, Boys & Girls. They signed with ATO Records. Boys & Girls was released in 2012. It received great reviews and many Grammy Award nominations.

Success with Alabama Shakes

In April 2015, Alabama Shakes released their second album, Sound & Color. It became number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Music critics gave it very good reviews. The band performed on popular TV shows like Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

At Lollapalooza in 2015, Brittany Howard was invited to sing "Get Back" with Paul McCartney. She also performed at a ceremony for Eddie Murphy. In 2015, she received the "Powerhouse" Award from Billboard's Women in Music.

Brittany Howard performing with Alabama Shakes at Lollapalooza 2015

Other Music Projects

Brittany Howard is also a singer in the band Bermuda Triangle. She formed this band in Nashville in 2017 with Jesse Lafser and Becca Mancari. Their first live show was in July 2017. They released their first song, "Rosey," in September 2017. The trio later went on a small tour in the southern United States.

Howard talking about her new album at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in January 2024

In June 2019, Brittany Howard announced her first solo album, Jaime. It was released on September 20, 2019. She also announced a tour in North America and Europe. Critics loved Jaime. One review called it an "exceptional solo debut." On July 16, 2019, she released the music video for her song "Stay High." It featured actor Terry Crews.

In October 2023, she released the song "What Now" from her second album, What Now. In the same year, Rolling Stone magazine listed her among the "250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."

In 2024, Brittany Howard announced a tour with British singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka. She also made her acting debut in the animated movie Thelma the Unicorn. It was released on Netflix on May 17, 2024. Her personality, hair, and songs helped inspire her character in the film.

In late November 2024, Brittany Howard announced a new music project called KUMITE. KUMITE was scheduled to play their first show in Nashville in January 2025. In 2024, she also helped write a song called "Pale Pale Moon" with Ludwig Göransson. This song was featured in the film Sinners.

Musical Influences

Brittany Howard has said that many artists have influenced her music. These include Led Zeppelin, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Prince, Curtis Mayfield, David Bowie, Mavis Staples, Tom Waits, Björk, Gil Scott-Heron, Freddie Mercury, and Tina Turner.

Awards and Nominations

Brittany Howard has been nominated for and won several awards for her music.

Discography

Studio Albums

Remix Albums

Extended Plays (EPs)

Singles

As Lead Artist

As Featured Artist

Other Songs and Appearances

With Alabama Shakes

• Boys & Girls (2012)
• Sound & Color (2015)

With Bermuda Triangle

• Brittany Howard also plays acoustic guitar and double bass for the trio Bermuda Triangle.

See also

In Spanish: Brittany Howard para niños