Chris Thile facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chris Thile
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Thile hosting A Prairie Home Companion in 2016
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Christopher Scott Thile |
| Born | February 20, 1981 Oceanside, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Bluegrass, progressive bluegrass, folk, country, classical, jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter, radio show host |
| Instruments | Mandolin, bouzouki, mandola, banjo, guitar, tenor guitar, drums, sitar, piano, violin, viola, cello, double bass, vocals |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Labels |
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Christopher Scott Thile (born February 20, 1981) is an American musician. He is famous for playing the mandolin, singing, writing songs, and hosting radio shows. Chris is best known for his work with two amazing bands: Nickel Creek and Punch Brothers. He even won a special award called the MacArthur Fellowship in 2012, sometimes called a "genius grant"! From 2016 to 2020, he also hosted a popular radio show called Live from Here.
About Chris Thile
Chris Thile started his musical journey very early. He is known for his unique style that mixes different types of music. These include bluegrass, folk, country, classical, and jazz. He plays many instruments, but the mandolin is his main one.
His Early Music Life
Chris Thile was born in Oceanside, California, in 1981. He loved music from a very young age. When he was just two years old, his family often went to a place called That Pizza Place. There, they listened to live bluegrass music.
Chris began playing the mandolin when he was five. When he was eight, his family and another family, the Watkins, formed the band Nickel Creek. They played at many bluegrass festivals. Chris was even homeschooled because of his busy music schedule. At age twelve, he won a mandolin championship!
In 1993, Chris sent a demo tape to record labels. He signed with Sugar Hill Records. The next year, he released his first solo album, Leading Off. It featured many songs he wrote himself.
Nickel Creek's Success
The three members of Nickel Creek first met in 1989. Their first album, Little Cowpoke, came out in 1993. Later, they released albums like Nickel Creek and This Side. This Side even won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album! In 2005, Nickel Creek released Why Should the Fire Die?, which was very popular.
In 2006, Nickel Creek announced they would take a break from recording together. But in 2014, they reunited and released a new album called A Dotted Line. They also went on a special tour to celebrate their 25th anniversary.
Solo Albums and Collaborations
Chris Thile has also released many solo albums. These include Not All Who Wander Are Lost (2001) and Deceiver (2004). On Deceiver, he played every instrument himself!
He has also worked with many other famous musicians. In 2003, he made an album with mandolin player Mike Marshall. He also worked with bassist Edgar Meyer on several albums, including their 2008 debut and Bass & Mandolin in 2014.
In 2011, Chris joined cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, and fiddle player Stuart Duncan to create The Goat Rodeo Sessions. This album won a Grammy Award! They released a second album together in 2020.
Punch Brothers
In 2006, Chris Thile formed a new band called How to Grow a Band. They later changed their name to "The Tensions Mountain Boys" and then finally to "Punch Brothers". The band includes Chris Thile (mandolin), Gabe Witcher (fiddle), Chris Eldridge (guitar), Greg Garrison (bass, later Paul Kowert), and Noam Pikelny (banjo).
Punch Brothers released their first album, "Punch", in 2008. It featured a long musical piece Chris wrote called "The Blind Leaving the Blind". They have released several other albums, including Antifogmatic (2010), Who's Feeling Young Now? (2012), The Phosphorescent Blues (2015), All Ashore (2018), and Hell on Church Street (2022).
Radio Host: A Prairie Home Companion / Live from Here
Chris Thile first appeared on the radio show A Prairie Home Companion when he was 15. He returned many times over the years. In 2016, he took over as the permanent host of the show.
In 2017, the show was renamed Live from Here. It continued to air live on public radio until May 2020. The show ended because of the challenges of having live audiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Personal Life
Chris Thile married actress Claire Coffee on December 23, 2013. They have a son named Calvin Eugene Thile, who was born in 2015.
Did you know that Baseball Hall of Fame member Sam Thompson is Chris Thile's great-great-great-great-uncle? That's a cool family connection!
Awards and Recognitions
Chris Thile has won many awards for his music:
- 1997 – IBMA award for Album of the Year for True Life Blues: The Songs of Bill Monroe
- 2001 – IBMA award for Mandolinist of the Year
- 2002 – Won Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album for This Side (with Nickel Creek)
- 2007 – BBC's Folk Musician of the Year
- 2012 – MacArthur Fellowship ($500,000 'Genius Grant')
- 2013 – Won Grammy Award for Best Folk Album for The Goat Rodeo Sessions (with Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, and Edgar Meyer)
- 2014 – Won Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for Bass & Mandolin (with Edgar Meyer)
- 2015 – Awarded Honorary Doctorate from The New School.
- 2019 – Won Grammy Award for Best Folk Album for All Ashore (with Punch Brothers)
Discography
Here are some of the albums Chris Thile has released:
Solo Albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Grass | US Country | US Indie | US Heat | US Classic | ||
| Leading Off |
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— | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stealing Second |
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— | 12 | — | — | — | — |
| Not All Who Wander Are Lost |
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— | 13 | — | — | — | — |
| Deceiver |
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— | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| How to Grow a Woman from the Ground |
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— | 2 | 46 | 27 | 28 | — |
| Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 1 |
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72 | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Thanks for Listening |
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— | — | — | — | — | — |
| Laysongs |
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— | — | — | — | — | — |
| "—" means the album did not appear on that chart. | |||||||
Collaborations
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Grass | US Country | US Heat | US Classic | US Classic Crossover | ||
| Into the Cauldron (with Mike Marshall) |
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— | 6 | 71 | — | — | — |
| Live: Duets (with Mike Marshall) |
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— | 6 | — | — | — | 6 |
| Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile (with Edgar Meyer) |
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— | 3 | — | — | — | 3 |
| Sleep with One Eye Open (with Michael Daves) |
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— | 3 | 34 | 3 | — | — |
| The Goat Rodeo Sessions (with Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer and Stuart Duncan) |
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18 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| The Goat Rodeo Sessions: Live EP |
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— | 4 | — | — | 8 | 6 |
| The Auld Triangle
(with Chris Eldridge, Marcus Mumford, Justin Timberlake and Gabe Witcher) |
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- | - | - | - | - | - |
| Bass & Mandolin (with Edgar Meyer) |
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— | 2 | — | — | 2 | 2 |
| Chris Thile & Brad Mehldau (with Brad Mehldau) |
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— | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| Not Our First Goat Rodeo (with Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer and Stuart Duncan) |
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— | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| "—" means the album did not appear on that chart. | |||||||
Nickel Creek Albums
- 1993: Little Cowpoke
- 1997: Here to There
- 2000: Nickel Creek
- 2002: This Side
- 2005: Why Should the Fire Die?
- 2014: A Dotted Line
Punch Brothers Albums
- 2008: Punch
- 2010: Antifogmatic
- 2012: Who's Feeling Young Now?
- 2012: Ahoy! [EP]
- 2015: The Phosphorescent Blues
- 2015: The Wireless [EP]
- 2018: All Ashore
- 2022: Hell on Church Street
Mutual Admiration Society
- 2004 Mutual Admiration Society (Nickel Creek and Glen Phillips)
Theme Park Attractions
- 2024 Country Bear Musical Jamboree (Wendell,Zeke)
Multimedia
- Listen and/or watch Chris Thile on 5 episodes of the WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour: No. 165 as a member of Nickel Creek; No. 199 Chris Thile with Bryan Sutton; No. 287 Chris Thile and Mike Marshall, another master of the mandolin; No. 416 Chris Thile and the How To Grow a Band, No. 506 Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile
See also
In Spanish: Chris Thile para niños
