Tift Merritt

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Tift Merritt
Merritt on stage in Silk Hope, NC in 2007.
Merritt on stage in Silk Hope, NC in 2007.
Background information
Birth nameCatherine Tift Merritt[1]
Born (1975-01-08) January 8, 1975 (age 49)[2]
Houston, Texas, U.S.
OriginRaleigh, North Carolina
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • songwriter
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • keyboards
  • piano
  • harmonica
Years active1998–present
Labels
Websitetiftmerritt.com

Catherine Tift Merritt (born January 8, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She has released seven studio albums, two for Lost Highway Records, two for Fantasy Records, and three for Yep Roc Records.

Early life and education[edit]

Merritt was born in Houston and grew up in Raleigh.[2] She credits her father's eclectic taste in music as a major influence.[3] At the age of 20, Merritt enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to study creative writing.[4]

Career[edit]

Merritt joined a band called the Carbines and played small clubs in the cities of Raleigh and Chapel Hill, North Carolina.[5] In 1998, the band released a 7-inch single, "Jukejoint Girl"; in 1999 they released an album, The Two Dollar Pistols with Tift Merritt on Yep Roc.[6]

In 2000, Merritt won the MerleFest's Chris Austin Songwriting Contest[7] and in 2002 released her debut album, Bramble Rose. The record was in the top ten lists for both Time and The New Yorker; it was called the best debut of the year by the Associated Press.[8] While touring to promote Bramble Rose, she opened for fellow North Carolinian Ryan Adams, who had helped her secure her first management and record contracts.[9]

Her follow-up release, 2004's Tambourine, was produced by George Drakoulias; Benmont Tench, Mike Campbell, Neal Casal, and Don Heffington were in her backing band on the album.[citation needed] The album was nominated for a best country album Grammy Award in 2004.[10] She was nominated for Americana Music Association: Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Song of the Year in 2005[11] Her performance on Austin City Limits was released as a DVD on New West Records.[12] A sold-out concert at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh was released under the title Home Is Loud in the same year.[13]

Another Country[edit]

Released on Fantasy Records in 2008, Another Country featured guitarist Charlie Sexton. Merritt wrote the album in a Paris apartment.[14][15] Paste magazine gave the album a four-star review.[16] The song "Broken" was nominated for an Americana Music Award for Song of the Year.[17][18][19] While touring England, Merritt recorded the album Buckingham Solo, which was released on Fantasy Records in April 2009.[citation needed]

Merritt on stage in Seattle in 2010

Merritt's EP, Please Break the Silence of the Middle of the Night, was released later in 2008.[citation needed] She has been the opening act for Joan Baez,[20] Kris Kristofferson,[21] and she sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" for then-Senator Barack Obama at his last campaign rally as a senator.[22]

See You on the Moon[edit]

Merritt's album, See You on the Moon, was released in June 2010 on Fantasy Records.[23][24] Traveling Alone, her first album on Yep Roc Records, was released in October 2012.[citation needed]

Reception[edit]

Merrit's sound has been described as "sonic short stories and poignant performances."[25] She has been compared to artists like Joni Mitchell[26] and Emmylou Harris.[27]

A review in The New Yorker lauded her[27] and The Wall Street Journal included her in a weekend feature on singer-songwriters, describing her as being "in the tradition of Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Leonard Cohen".[26]

Personal life[edit]

In 2009, Merritt married Zeke Hutchins;[28] they separated in late 2013.[29] In 2016, she and Eric Heywood had a daughter named Jean.[30]

Discography[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales
US Country
[31] 		US
[32] 		US Heat
[33] 		US Indie
[34] 		US Folk
[35]
Bramble Rose 47 — — — —
Tambourine
  • Release date: August 24, 2004
  • Label: Lost Highway Records
 — — 21 — —
Another Country — 156 1 — —
See You on the Moon
  • Release date: June 1, 2010
  • Label: Fantasy Records
 — — 6 — 7
Traveling Alone — — 10 46 12
Night (with Simone Dinnerstein) — — — — —
Traveling Companion (Traveling Alone expanded version)
  • Release date: October 2013
  • Label: Yep Roc Records
 — — — — —
Stitch of the World
  • Release date: January 27, 2017
  • Label: Yep Roc Records
 — — — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Live albums[edit]

Title Album details
Home Is Loud
  • Release date: 2005
  • Label: RCAM
Buckingham Solo
  • Release date: June 23, 2009
  • Label: Vella Recordings
Love Soldiers On (Concert at the Historic Playmakers Theatre)

Extended plays[edit]

Title Album details
The Two Dollar Pistols with Tift Merritt
Please Break the Silence of the
Middle of the Night
  • Release date: September 16, 2008
  • Label: Fantasy Records
Sweet Spot
  • Release date: January 24, 2012
  • Label: Yep Roc

Singles[edit]

Year Single Peak positions Album
US AAA
[37] 		US Country
[38]
2002 "Neighborhood"[39] — — Bramble Rose
2004 "Good Hearted Man" — 60 Tambourine
"Stray Paper"[40] — —
2008 "Broken" 28 — Another Country
2010 "Mixtape"[41] — — See You on the Moon
2012 "To Myself"[42] — — Traveling Alone
2016 "Dusty Old Man"[43] — — Stitch of the World
2017 "Proclamation Bones"[44] — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Music videos[edit]

Year Video Director
2002 "Virginia, No One Can Warn You" Douglas Avery[45]
2004 "Good Hearted Man" Philip Andelman[46]
2008 "Broken" Martyn Atkins[47]
2010 "Engine to Turn" John Hulme[48]
2013 "Only in Songs / Night and Dreams"

Appears on[edit]

Awards and nominations[edit]

Year Association Category Result
2004 47th Grammy Awards Country Album of the Year – Tambourine Nominated
2005 Americana Music Association Album of the Year – Tambourine Nominated
Artist of the Year Nominated
Song of the Year – "Good Hearted Man" Nominated
2008 Americana Music Association Song of the Year – "Broken" Nominated

References[edit]

  1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 275. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  2. ^ a b Deming, Mark. "Tift Merritt: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  3. ^ "Interview: Tift Merritt brings soulful rock to Louisville's Waterfront Wednesday [Music". Louisville.com. July 21, 2010. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  4. ^ [1] Archived July 11, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Kast, Sheilah. "Tift Merritt Performs in NPR's Studio 4A". NPR. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  6. ^ "Yep Roc Records > Store". Store.yeproc.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  7. ^ Merlefest's Chris Austin Songwriting Contest Winners Archived July 24, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Product Categories". Grand Central Music. Archived from the original on March 11, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  9. ^ Harrington, Richard (April 15, 2005). "Start of rightcontent.inc". The Washington Post.
  10. ^ Kast, Sheilah (November 7, 2004). "'Tambourine,' Tift Merritt's 'Rock Soul Throwdown'". NPR. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  11. ^ "Tift Merritt". ABC Country. August 24, 2009. Archived from the original on May 5, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  12. ^ "Live From Austin TX: Tift Merritt: Tift Merritt: Movies & TV". Amazon. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  13. ^ "Blue Rose Records". Bluerose-records.de. Archived from the original on April 11, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  14. ^ Franco, Michael (February 25, 2008). "I Felt Like Another Country Myself: An Interview with Tift Merritt < PopMatters". Popmatters.com. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  15. ^ Pareles, Jon (November 9, 2007). "A Tribute to Bob Dylan, Both Reverent and Rowdy". The New York Times.
  16. ^ "See You on the Moon" (PDF). Concordmusicgroup.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 29, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  17. ^ "Americana Music Awards – Nominees for the 2008 Americana Music Association Honors and Awards". Folkmusic.about.com. September 18, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  18. ^ "Edmonton Folk Music Festival/Festival Archive". Official Website. Edmonton Folk Music Festival. 2010. pp. Festival Archive/Past Performers 2009 (M). Archived from the original on December 14, 2010. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
  19. ^ "Blitzen Trapper adds dates to summer outing". Livedaily.com. May 14, 2010. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  20. ^ "Joan Baez Appears on Pier Tonight". Santa Monica Dispatch. July 9, 2009. Archived from the original on March 11, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  21. ^ [2] Archived January 6, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  22. ^ "On the Beat: David Menconi on music – Tift Merritt sings for change | newsobserver.com blogs". Blogs.newsobserver.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  23. ^ Overdub Lane
  24. ^ "Tift Merritt's 'See You on the Moon' Gets Tracked And Covered". Music.mync.com. March 23, 2010. Archived from the original on February 26, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  25. ^ "Full Album: Tift Merritt – See You On The Moon". Wxrt.radio.com. February 6, 2010. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  26. ^ a b Jurgensen, John (August 13, 2010). "The Secrets of Songwriters". The Wall Street Journal.
  27. ^ a b Greenman, Ben. "Tift Merritt's "See You on the Moon," review". The New Yorker. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  28. ^ Jones, Amy (July 16, 2010). "Tift Merritt makes her own brand of music at Asheville's Orange Peel". Asheville Citizen-Times. Retrieved July 16, 2010. [dead link]
  29. ^ "Tift Merritt's homecoming show centers on 'Bramble Rose' album". newsobserver. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  30. ^ "Live in Denver: With Baby on Board, Tift Merritt Finds Comfort, Joy and Everlasting Love". May 24, 2017.
  31. ^ "Tift Merritt Album & Song Chart History: Country Albums". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  32. ^ "Tift Merritt Album & Song Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  33. ^ "Tift Merritt Album & Song Chart History: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  34. ^ "Tift Merritt Album & Song Chart History: Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  35. ^ "Tift Merritt Album & Song Chart History: Folk Albums". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  36. ^ Bjorke, Matt (March 5, 2017). "Top 10 Country Albums Sales Chart: March 6, 2017". Roughstock.
  37. ^ "Tift Merritt – Chart History (Adult Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  38. ^ "Tift Merritt – Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  39. ^ "Going for Adds (Triple A)" (PDF). Radio & Records. April 26, 2002. p. 34.
  40. ^ "Going for Adds (Triple A)" (PDF). Radio & Records. January 7, 2005. p. 19.
  41. ^ "Mixtape - Single by Tift Merritt". Apple Music. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  42. ^ "To Myself - Single by Tift Merritt". Apple Music. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  43. ^ "Tift Merritt - Dusty Old Man". Daily Play MPE. December 13, 2016.
  44. ^ "Tift Merritt - Proclamation Bones". Daily Play MPE. March 22, 2017.
  45. ^ "CMT : Videos: Tift Merritt : Virginia, No One Can Warn You". Country Music Television. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  46. ^ "CMT : Videos : Tift Merritt : Good Hearted Man". Country Music Television. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  47. ^ "CMT : Videos: Tift Merritt : Broken". Country Music Television. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  48. ^ "Engine to Turn". Vimeo. Retrieved February 3, 2013.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tift_Merritt&oldid=1217193317"