Tift Merritt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tift Merritt
|
|
|---|---|
Merritt on stage in Silk Hope, NC in 2007.
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Catherine Tift Merritt |
| Born | January 8, 1975 Houston, Texas |
| Origin | Raleigh, North Carolina, United States |
| Genres |
|
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels |
|
| Associated acts | The Two Dollar Pistols with Tift Merritt |
Catherine Tift Merritt (born January 8, 1975) is an American singer and songwriter. She also plays many instruments. Tift has released seven studio albums. These albums were released by different record labels like Lost Highway Records, Fantasy Records, and Yep Roc Records.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Tift Merritt was born in Houston, Texas. She grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. Tift says her father's wide variety of music influenced her a lot. When she was 20, Merritt went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There, she studied creative writing.
Her Music Career Begins
Tift Merritt joined a band called the Carbines. They played in small clubs in Chapel Hill and Raleigh. In 1998, the band released a song called "Jukejoint Girl." In 1999, they released an album titled The Two Dollar Pistols with Tift Merritt.
In 2000, Tift won a special award at the MerleFest music festival. It was called the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest. In 2002, she released her first solo album, Bramble Rose. This album was very popular. Both Time and The New Yorker magazines listed it as one of the top ten albums. The Associated Press called it the best first album of the year. While touring for Bramble Rose, Tift opened shows for another North Carolina musician, Ryan Adams. He had helped her get her first music deals.
Her next album, Tambourine, came out in 2004. A famous producer named George Drakoulias helped make it. This album was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2004 for best country album. In 2005, Tift was nominated for several Americana Music Association awards. She was nominated for Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Song of the Year. Tift's live performance on the TV show Austin City Limits was also released as a DVD. A concert she performed in Raleigh, North Carolina, was released as an album called Home Is Loud.
Creating Another Country
In 2008, Tift released the album Another Country with Fantasy Records. A guitarist named Charlie Sexton played on it. Tift wrote this album while staying in an apartment in Paris, France. Paste magazine gave the album a great review. The song "Broken" from this album was nominated for an Americana Music Award. While touring in England, Tift recorded another album called Buckingham Solo. It was released in 2009.
Later in 2008, she released a shorter album called Please Break the Silence of the Middle of the Night.
Tift Merritt has opened shows for famous musicians like Joan Baez and Kris Kristofferson. She also sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" for then-Senator Barack Obama at one of his campaign events.
Albums See You on the Moon and Traveling Alone
Tift's album, See You on the Moon, was released in June 2010. It was also released by Fantasy Records.
Traveling Alone was Tift Merritt's first album with Yep Roc Records. It came out in October 2012.
Her Personal Life
In 2009, Tift Merritt married Zeke Hutchins. They later separated in 2013. In 2016, Tift and Eric Heywood had a daughter named Jean.
Her Music Albums
Tift Merritt has released many albums throughout her career. Here are some of her main ones:
Studio Albums
- Bramble Rose (2002)
- Tambourine (2004)
- Another Country (2008)
- See You on the Moon (2010)
- Traveling Alone (2012)
- Night (with Simone Dinnerstein) (2013)
- Traveling Companion (Traveling Alone expanded version) (2013)
- Stitch of the World (2017)
Live Albums
- Home Is Loud (2005)
- Buckingham Solo (2009)
- Love Soldiers On (Concert at the Historic Playmakers Theatre) (2020)
Extended Plays (EPs)
- The Two Dollar Pistols with Tift Merritt (1999)
- Please Break the Silence of the Middle of the Night (2008)
- Sweet Spot (2012)
Popular Songs (Singles)
Some of Tift Merritt's well-known songs include:
- "Neighborhood" (2002)
- "Good Hearted Man" (2004)
- "Broken" (2008)
- "Mixtape" (2010)
- "To Myself" (2012)
Awards and Nominations
Tift Merritt has been recognized for her music with several awards and nominations:
- In 2004, her album Tambourine was nominated for a Grammy Award for Country Album of the Year.
- In 2005, she received three nominations from the Americana Music Association: Album of the Year (for Tambourine), Artist of the Year, and Song of the Year (for "Good Hearted Man").
- In 2008, her song "Broken" was nominated for Song of the Year by the Americana Music Association.
Images for kids
-
A robot for kids.
See also
In Spanish: Tift Merritt para niños
