Singer/songwriter Tift Merritt seemingly appeared out of nowhere in the spring of 2002 with her acclaimed debut album Bramble Rose, but as is often the case, this triple-threat artist -- a gifted singer, superb songwriter, and skillful guitarist -- actually has plenty of experience under her belt. Born in Houston, TX, in 1975, Merritt's family moved to North Carolina when she was young and she's lived there ever since. Merritt first developed an interest in music when she was a child and learned to sing harmonies with her father, who had dabbled in folk music in his younger days; in her early teens, she picked up a guitar and her dad taught her her first four chords. While Merritt was drawn to the rebellious spirit of punk and indie rock, she felt a greater emotional connection with more acoustic-oriented artists, particularly Joni Mitchell (Merritt once told a reporter, "I went through a Joni Mitchell phase -- and all girls go through a Joni Mitchell phase; if any girl tells you she never did, don't believe her."). Hearing Emmylou Harris' album Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town opened Merritt's ears to roots music and she soon began to immerse herself in North Carolina's active alt-country scene. Merritt began appearing on a semi-regular basis with the band the Two Dollar Pistols, singing duets with lead singer John Howie and playing rhythm guitar; she eventually appeared on a seven-song EP of classic country covers the group released in the fall of 1999. Looking for a vehicle for her own songwriting, in 1998 Merritt formed a band called the Carbines with drummer Zeke Hutchins, guitarist Greg Reading, and bassist Jay Brown; the band soon became a fixture on the North Carolina club scene and they released a well-received 7" single. Between the Carbines and the Two Dollar Pistols, Merritt was becoming a popular figure in the North Carolina roots music community and in early 2000, Merritt and the Carbines seemed poised to sign a contract with Sugar Hill Records. The deal fell through at the last minute, but when Merritt won the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at the annual 2000 Merlefest Music Festival, it sparked a new round of interest in her work. Fellow North Carolina native Ryan Adams brought Merritt to the attention of his manager, Frank Callari, and he began shopping a record deal for her; when he was hired as an A&R executive for the Universal-distributed roots music label Lost Highway, Merritt became one of his first signings. (While Merritt was signed as a solo act, she's continued to use the Carbines as her backing band, both for live shows and for the recording of Bramble Rose). Her debut album was released to enthusiastic reviews in June 2002. The George Drakoulias-produced Tambourine appeared two years later, followed by Another Country in 2008, and the live Buckingham Solo in 2009, both on Fantasy Records. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
Tift Merritt (born January 8, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter. She has released two studio albums for Lost Highway Records and one for Fantasy Records. She has released six singles, one of which ("Good Hearted Man") has charted. Her 2004 album Tambourine earned her a Grammy Award and Americana Music Association nominations. The first single from her latest album Another Country also received AMA Award nominations and held the #1 slot on the Americana airplay chart for several weeks. Her live albums so far are Home Is Loud released in 2005 and Buckingham Solo released in 2009.
Merritt began her professional career playing small clubs in Chapel Hill and Raleigh. In 1998 she was part of a band called The Carbines, which released a single, "Jukejoint Girl" b/w "Cowboy", on the Oil Rig Recordings label. In 1999, she released a 7-song EP with the Two Dollar Pistols, led by John Howie, Jr. The EP featured two original songs and five covers.
In 2002, after signing with the Lost Highway label, Merritt released her debut album Bramble Rose. Her follow-up release, 2005's Tambourine, was produced by roots rock producer George Drakoulias and featured backing by Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell (of the Heartbreakers) and Don Heffington (of Emmylou Harris's Hot Band and Lone Justice). Tambourine was honored with a 2004 Country Album of the Year Grammy nomination. In 2005, Merritt and Tambourine were also nominated for three Americana Music Awards by the Americana Music Association: Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Song of the Year for "Good Hearted Man". It also produced her only chart single in "Good Hearted Man", which reached #60 on the country singles charts in the US.
Tift Merritt signed a new record contract with Fantasy Records on June 25, 2007 and recorded her third full-length studio album, Another Country, in L.A. with George Drakoulias producing in the summer of 2007. Another Country was released in Australia February 22, Norway February 25, February 26, 2008 in the U.S. and Canada.
Merritt is also a photographer; her first gallery exhibition, Other Countries, ran at the new Mahler Gallery in Raleigh, North Carolina in May of 2009. She also hosts an artist-to-artist interview radio show called The Spark with Tift Merritt which is produced by KRTS in Marfa, Texas. [1]
