Nina Gordon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nina Gordon
Gordon in 2014
Background information
Birth name	Nina Rachel Gordon Shapiro
Born	(1967-11-14) November 14, 1967 (age 57) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Origin	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genres	Alternative rock power pop grunge
Occupation(s)	Musician singer songwriter
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Warner Bros.
Associated acts	Veruca Salt Fig Dish

Nina Gordon (born November 14, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She is best known for helping start the alternative rock band Veruca Salt. Nina played on their first two albums, American Thighs (1994) and Eight Arms to Hold You (1997). During this time, she wrote their popular songs "Seether" and "Volcano Girls". After leaving Veruca Salt, Nina released two solo albums: Tonight and the Rest of My Life (2000) and Bleeding Heart Graffiti (2006). She later rejoined Veruca Salt for their album Ghost Notes (2015).

Nina Gordon's Early Life

Nina Rachel Gordon Shapiro was born on November 14, 1967, in Washington, D.C.. Her family moved several times between Washington, D.C., and Madison, Wisconsin. They finally settled in Chicago when Nina was a teenager. Nina has a brother named Jim Shapiro. She went to high school at the Latin School of Chicago. Nina studied art history at Tufts University and is Jewish.

Nina Gordon's Music Career

Starting Veruca Salt (1992–1996)

Nina Gordon and Louise Post formed the band Veruca Salt in Chicago in 1992. A friend, actress Lili Taylor, introduced them. Nina and Louise quickly became friends and started making music together. In 1993, they added Steve Lack on bass and Nina's brother, Jim Shapiro, as the drummer. Both Nina and Louise sang and played guitar for the band. They also wrote most of the songs, usually working on their own.

Veruca Salt made a demo tape and sent it to record labels. They also played a few small shows. Soon, many people were talking about the band. After only a few live performances, they signed with Minty Fresh Records. They started recording their first album with producer Brad Wood.

The band released a single called "Seether" on a 7-inch record. Nina wrote this song, which was an alt-rock tune about a misunderstood woman. "Seether" was very catchy and became popular on college and alternative radio stations. It quickly became a hit on MTV and reached number 8 on the Modern Rock charts.

Veruca Salt's first album, American Thighs, came out on September 27, 1994. It was later re-released by Geffen Records after they signed the band. The album reached number 69 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. It eventually sold enough copies to be certified gold. The second single, "Number One Blind," did not become as big a hit as "Seether."

To support their album, Veruca Salt went on tour. They opened for bands like Hole and PJ Harvey. They also did their own club tour. In 1996, they released an EP (a shorter album) called Blow It Out Your ... It's Veruca Salt. This EP included Nina's songs "Shimmer Like a Girl" and "New York Mining Disaster 1996."

During this time, Nina also worked with other musicians. She wrote a song with Scott Miller called "The Softest Tip of Her Baby Tongue." She also sang on the Smashing Pumpkins song "...Said Sadly" with James Iha.

Eight Arms to Hold You and Leaving Veruca Salt (1997–1998)

Veruca Salt's second album, Eight Arms to Hold You, was released on February 11, 1997. This album was harder to make and caused some disagreements within the band. Some fans of American Thighs were surprised by the new, harder rock sound. The album received mixed reviews from music critics. The band members later said that recording this album was more stressful. Nina and Louise also had more creative differences.

However, Eight Arms to Hold You sold well because of its first single, "Volcano Girls." Nina wrote this catchy, power-pop song. It was as successful as "Seether," reaching number 8 on the Modern Rock charts. The album itself reached number 55 on the Billboard Top 200. But sales slowed down when the second single, "Shutterbug," did not become popular.

After recording the album, Jim Shapiro left the band. Stacy Jones became the new drummer. Veruca Salt toured a lot for Eight Arms to Hold You. They opened for Bush and did a long international tour.

Nina and Louise then started working on Veruca Salt's third album. But their disagreements became too much. After an argument with Louise, Nina left the band in early 1998. Stacy Jones also left at the same time. Nina and Stacy dated for a few years after that. In 1998, Nina sang on James Iha's solo album Let It Come Down.

Starting a Solo Career (1999–2001)

Soon after leaving Veruca Salt, Nina Gordon started making demo songs for a solo album. She recorded with producer Bob Rock, who had worked on Eight Arms. Her album, Tonight and the Rest of My Life, was finished in early 1999. It was supposed to be released by Outpost Records. However, the record label closed down, leaving Nina without a label.

A few months later, Warner Bros. Records signed Nina. Tonight was finally released on June 27, 2000. The first song, also called "Tonight and the Rest of My Life," did well on the radio. It was later used in commercials for movies like Chocolat and The Notebook. It also appeared on an episode of the TV show Charmed. The album reached number 123 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. It sold almost 300,000 copies in the U.S. and 50,000 in Japan.

Bleeding Heart Graffiti and a Break (2002–2011)

In the early 2000s, Nina Gordon and Louise Post became friends again through email. However, they did not work together professionally for many years. Louise found new musicians for Veruca Salt, and the band released albums in 2000 and 2006 without Nina.

After promoting Tonight and the Rest of My Life in late 2001, Nina took a break. She started writing songs for her second solo album. She did not go into the studio again until late 2003. Nina said she wanted to write many great songs. To keep fans happy, she released some extra songs from Tonight on her website. She also released a demo song called "The Time Comes." Around this time, she moved to California.

Nina started recording her second album with Ethan Johns in late 2003. She was excited about the album, even though it was very calm and sad. Nina finished recording in early 2004 and named it Even the Sunbeams. A few months later, Nina said she was not happy with the album and would not release it. Only one song from these sessions, "Lighter on the Moon," was available online. In 2006, Nina explained that the album was "really sad and really slow." She later made the remaining songs from Even the Sunbeams available for free on her website as an EP.

During this time, Nina performed at a club in Los Angeles, covering songs by other artists. Her cover of N.W.A's "Straight Outta Compton" became popular online. She also wrote songs for other musicians, including Fefe Dobson and Courtney Jaye.

Still believing in the songs from Even the Sunbeams, Nina decided to record an album with her long-time friend and producer Bob Rock in 2005. She re-recorded most of the songs and added new ones. The album, now called Bleeding Heart Graffiti, was released on August 8, 2006. The first song released from the project was "The Blue Hour." The main single from Bleeding Heart Graffiti was "Kiss Me 'Til It Bleeds." After Bleeding Heart Graffiti, Nina did not release new music for the rest of the 2000s.

In the late 2000s, Nina Gordon had two children with her boyfriend, musician Jeff Russo. Nina and Jeff later got married.

Rejoining Veruca Salt (2012–Present)

Nina Gordon performing in 2015

In 2012, the original members of Veruca Salt – Nina Gordon, Louise Post, Steve Lack, and Jim Shapiro – met for the first time since the 1990s. In 2013, the band announced that their original lineup was officially back together. They announced tour dates in April 2014 and released a special 10-inch single. That year, they played concerts in the United States and Australia.

The fifth Veruca Salt album, Ghost Notes, was released on July 10, 2015. It included songs about the original members' breakup and their reunion. The album received good reviews.

Nina Gordon's Family Life

Nina Gordon is married to Jeff Russo. They have two children together.

Nina Gordon's Music Albums and Songs

With Veruca Salt

Solo Albums

See also

In Spanish: Nina Gordon para niños