Bob Dylan, noted singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the folk-acoustic tradition. Singer-songwriters often provide the sole accompaniment to an entire composition or song, typically using a guitar or piano; both the compositions and the arrangements are written primarily as solo vehicles, with the material angled toward topical issues—sometimes political, sometimes introspective, sensitive, romantic, and confessional.

History[link]

Théodore Botrel

The concept of a singer-songwriter can actually be traced to ancient bardic culture, which has existed in various forms throughout the world.^{[citation needed]} Poems would be performed as chant or song, sometimes accompanied by a harp or other similar instrument. After the invention of printing, songs would be written and performed by ballad sellers. Usually these would be versions of existing tunes and lyrics, which were constantly evolving. This developed into the singer-songwriting traditions of folk culture.

Traveling performers existed throughout Europe. Thus, the folklorist Anatole Le Braz gives a detailed account of one ballad singer, Yann Ar Minouz, who wrote and performed songs traveling through Brittany in the late nineteenth century and selling printed versions.^[1]

In large towns it was possible to make a living performing in public venues, and with the invention of phonographic recording, early singer-songwriters like Théodore Botrel and George M. Cohan became celebrities. Radio further added to their public recognition and appeal.

During the period from the 1940s through the 1960s and sparked by the American folk music revival young performers inspired by traditional folk music and groups like the Almanac Singers and The Weavers began writing and performing their own original material and creating their own musical arrangements.^[2]

North America, United Kingdom and Ireland[link]

Singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie

The term, "singer-songwriter" in North America can be traced back to singers who developed works in the blues and folk music style. Early to mid-20th century American singer-songwriters include Leadbelly,^[3] Jimmie Rodgers,^[4] Blind Lemon Jefferson,^[5] T-Bone Walker,^[6] Blind Willie McTell,^[7] Lightnin' Hopkins,^[8] Son House,^[9] and Robert Johnson,^[10][11] (Johnson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an "Early Influence" in their first induction ceremony in 1986,^[12] he was ranked fifth in Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time ^[13]). In the 1940s and 50s Woody Guthrie, and Pete Seeger,^[14] along with Lee Hays and other members of The Weavers performed their mostly topical works (Seeger performed solo and as part of the Weavers) to an ever growing wider audience.^[15] These proto-singer-songwriters were less concerned than today's singer-songwriters with the unadulterated originality of their music and lyrics, and would lift parts from other songs and play covers without hesitation. The tradition of writing topical songs (songs regarding specific issues of the day, such as LeadBelly 's "Jim Crow Blues" or Guthrie's "Deportee") was established by this group of musicians. Singers like Seeger and Guthrie would attend rallies for labor unions, and so wrote many songs concerning the life of the working classes, and social protest; as did other folksingers like Josh White, Cisco Houston, Malvina Reynolds, Earl Robinson, Ewan MacColl, John Jacob Niles, and Doc Watson, while blues singers like Johnson and Hopkins wrote songs about their personal life experiences. This focus on social issues has greatly influenced the singer-songwriter genre. Additionally in the 1930s through the 1950s several jazz and blues singer-songwriters emerged like Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, and Nina Simone, as well as in the rock n' roll genre from which emerged influential singer-songwriters Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Roy Orbison, Sam Cooke, Richie Valens and Paul Anka. In the country music field singer-songwriters like Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Roger Miller, Billy Edd Wheeler, and others emerged from the 1940s through the 1960s, often writing compelling songs about love relationships and other subjects.

The first popular recognition of the singer-songwriter in English-speaking North America and Great Britain occurred in the 1960s and early 1970s when a series of blues, folk and country-influenced musicians rose to prominence and popularity. These singer-songwriters included Bob Dylan, Jackie DeShannon, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Brian Wilson, Tom Waits, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, Tom Rush, Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Arlo Guthrie, John Denver, Jackson Browne, John Prine, Grace Slick, Dave Mason, Jim Croce, Roger McGuinn, Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, David Crosby, Donovan, Stephen Stills, Randy Newman, Steve Goodman, Gordon Lightfoot, Paul Brady, Johnny Tillotson, Sylvia Tyson, Ian Tyson, Nick Drake, Tim Hardin, Laura Nyro, Carly Simon, John Fogerty, Eric Andersen, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Joan Armatrading, Emmylou Harris, Cat Stevens, Bruce Cockburn, Harry Chapin, James Taylor, Jerry Jeff Walker, Lou Reed, Gram Parsons, Nick Gravenites, Rick Nelson, Richard Fariña, Tuli Kupferberg^[16] Mark Spoelstra, Don Mclean, Patrick Sky, Mickey Newbury, Janis Ian, Dan Fogelberg, Dave Van Ronk, Waylon Jennings, Dolly Parton, and Frank Zappa. People who had been primarily songwriters, notably Carole King, Townes Van Zandt and Neil Diamond, also began releasing work as performers. In contrast to the storytelling approach of most prior country and folk music, these performers typically wrote songs from a highly personal (often first-person), introspective point of view. The adjectives "confessional" and "sensitive" were often used (sometimes derisively) to describe this early singer-songwriter style.

While the members of rock bands of the era were not technically singer-songwriters as solo acts, many were singer-songwriters who created songs with other band members including Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir, Elton John (with Bernie Taupin), Justin Hayward, John Lodge, Ian Anderson, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Peter Frampton and later Don Henley, Glenn Frey and many others like Eric Clapton found success as singer-songwriters in their later careers.

By the mid 1970s and early 1980s the original wave of singer-songwriters had largely been absorbed into a more general pop or soft rock format, but some new artists in the singer-songwriter tradition (including Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Mark Heard, Lucinda Williams, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Patti Smith, Elvis Costello, Cyndi Lauper, Kate Bush, Rickie Lee Jones, Stevie Nicks, Cheryl Wheeler, Loudon Wainwright III, The Roches and Warren Zevon) continued to emerge, and in other cases rock and even punk rock artists such as Peter Case, Paul Collins and Paul Westerberg transitioned to careers as solo singer-songwriters.

In the late 1980s, the term was applied to a group of predominantly female U.S. artists, beginning with Suzanne Vega whose first album sold unexpectedly well, followed by the likes of Tracy Chapman, Nanci Griffith, k.d. lang, Shania Twain, Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow, Lisa Loeb, Joan Osborne, and Tori Amos, who found success first in the United Kingdom, then in her home market. In the early 1990s, female artists also began to emerge in new styles, including Courtney Love and PJ Harvey. Later in the mid-1990s, the term was revived again with the success of Mariah Carey, Kylie Minogue and Canada's Alanis Morissette and her breakthrough album Jagged Little Pill.

Also in the 1980s and 1990s, artists such as Bono, The Edge, Dave Matthews, Duncan Sheik and Elliott Smith borrowed from the singer-songwriter tradition to create new acoustic-based rock styles. In the 2000s, a quieter style emerged, with largely impressionistic lyrics, from artists such as Norah Jones, Conor Oberst, Sufjan Stevens, David Bazan, South San Gabriel, Iron & Wine, David Gray, Ray LaMontagne, Meg Hutchinson, Steve Millar, Jolie Holland, Richard Buckner, Jewel, Jack Savoretti, Richard Shindell, and John Gorka. Some started to branch out in new genres such as Kurt Cobain, Noel Gallagher and Eddie Vedder. Others used drugs as a mind-altering way to boost creativity; for example, Emil Amos of Holy Sons took drugs daily from age sixteen on, wrote over 1,000 songs, and landed a record contract with an indie label.^[17]

Recording on the professional-grade systems became affordable for individuals in the late 1990s. This created opportunities for people to independently record and sell their music. Such artists are known as "indies" because they release their records on independent, often self-owned record labels, or no label at all. Additionally the Internet has provided a means for indies to get their music heard by a wider audience. During the 2000s Amy Winehouse, Adele, Ellie Goulding, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga are amongst the newest generation of singer-songwriters to emerge.

Cantautori, the Italian tradition[link]

	Domenico Modugno "Nel blu dipinto di blu" (1958) noicon Modugno's "Volare" was the Billboard Hot 100 single of the year 1958.
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Cantautori (Italian plural; the singular is cantautore) is the Italian expression corresponding to singer-songwriters in English. The word is a portmanteau of cantante (singer) and autore (writer).

Even if the first internationally renowned cantautore was Domenico Modugno with his song "Volare" in 1958, currently the most famous cantautore in Italy is Fabrizio De André.^{[citation needed]} His songs are still popular today. In his works he often told stories of marginalized and rebellious people. In Italy he is considered as a poet because of the quality of his lyrics.^[18]

Among the other best known are Lucio Battisti, Gino Paoli, Francesco Guccini, Roberto Vecchioni, Lucio Dalla, Francesco De Gregori, Claudio Lolli, Franco Battiato, Rino Gaetano, Ivan Graziani and Ivano Fossati.

Of the younger generation of artists, Samuele Bersani, Jovanotti, Carmen Consoli, Daniele Silvestri, Cristina Donà, Max Gazzè, Luciano Ligabue, Vinicio Capossela, and Zucchero have often been tagged as modern cantautori.

The Neapolitan cantautore Pino Daniele has often fused genres as diverse as R&B, pop, jazz, rock, fusion, blues and tarantella to produce a sound uniquely his own, with lyrics variously in Italian, Neapolitan, or English. Similarly Paolo Conte was often tagged as a cantautore, but was more into the jazz tradition.

In the 1980s Vasco Rossi was renowned for his "rock" music mixed with Italian melodies. He was nicknamed the "only Italian rockstar" (l'unica rockstar italiana).^[19]

The word has been borrowed into other languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, and Catalan cantautor, French chantauteur, Maltese kantawtur, Romanian cantautor, and Slovenian kantavtor.

Latin traditions[link]

Beginning in the 1960s and following the Italian cantautori style of the 1950s (like the one of Domenico Modugno), many Latin American countries developed singer-songwriter traditions that adopted elements from various popular styles. The first such tradition was the mid-60s invention of nueva canción, which took hold in Andean countries like Chile, Peru, Argentina and Bolivia.

Brazilian singer-songwriter Caetano Veloso

At around the same time, the Brazilian popular style bossa nova was evolving into a politically charged singer-songwriter tradition called Tropicalismo. Two performers, Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso became two of the most famous people in all of Brazil through their work in Tropicalismo.

After World War II it was developed in Italy a very prolific singer-songwriter (in Italian cantautore) tradition, initially connected with the French school of the chansonniers, and lately developed very heterogeneously. Although the term cantautore normally implies consistent sociopolitical content in lyrics, noteworthy performers in a more inclusive singer-songwriter categorization are: Domenico Modugno, Luigi Tenco, Gino Paoli, Sergio Endrigo, Fabrizio De André, Francesco De Gregori, Antonello Venditti, Roberto Vecchioni, Ivano Fossati, Lucio Dalla, Francesco Guccini and Franco Battiato.

In neighbouring Malta, the main singer-songwriters are Walter Micallef, Manwel Mifsud and Vince Fabri. They all perform in Maltese.

Spain and Portugal have also had singer-songwriter traditions, which are sometimes said to have drawn on Latin elements. Spain is known for the Nova Cançó tradition — exemplified by Joan Manuel Serrat and Lluis Llach; the Portuguese folk/protest singer and songwriter José Afonso helped lead a revival of Portuguese folk culture, including a modernized, more socially-aware form of fado called nova canção. Following Portugal's Carnation Revolution of 1974, nova canção became more politicized and was known as canto livre. Another important Spain singer-songwriters are Joaquín Sabina, José Luis Perales and Luis Eduardo Aute .

In the latter part of the 1960s and into the 70s, socially and politically aware singer-songwriters like Silvio Rodríguez and Pablo Milanés emerged in Cuba, birthing a genre known as nueva trova. Trova as a genre has had broad influence across Latin America. In Mexico, for example, canción yucateca on the Yucatán Peninsula and trova serrana in the Sierra Juárez, Oaxaca are both regional adaptations of trova. Today, Guatemalan Ricardo Arjona qualifies as Latin America's most commercially successful singer-songwriter. Although sociopolitical engagement is uneven in his oeuvre, some see Arjona's more engaged works as placing him in the tradition of the Italian cantautori.

In the mid-1970s, a singer-songwriter tradition called canto popular emerged in Uruguay.

With the influence of Tropicalismo, Traditional Samba and Bossa Nova, MPB (Música Popular Brasileira), or Brazilian Popular Music, became highly singer-songwriter based. For years solo artists would dominate Brazilian popular music with romantic cynicism alla Jobim or subliminal anti-government messages alla Chico Buarque. After the end of the military dictatorship in Brazil, Brazilian music became less politically and socially conscious. The censored Raul Seixas or the humorous spiritualist Jorge Ben were slowly obscured by funk carioca, axé music and Brazilian disco. In recent years, however, a new stock of socially conscious Brazilian singer-songwriters is beginning to break the almost strictly dance-music momentum that has reigned since the 1980s (see the 'Brazilian folk/folk-rock sub-article in Brazilian Music).

Soviet Union and Russia[link]

Soviet and Russian bard Bulat Okudzhava

Since the 1960s, those singers who wrote songs outside the Soviet establishment have been known as "bards". The first songs traditionally referred to as bard songs are thought to be written in late 30s and early 40s, and the very existence of the genre is traditionally originated from the amateur activities of the Soviet intelligentsia, namely mass backpacking movement and the students' song movement of 1950s and 1960s. Many bards performed their songs in small groups of people using a Russian guitar, rarely if ever would they be accompanied by other musicians or singers. Though, bards using piano or accordion are also known. Those who became popular held modest concerts. The first nationwide-famous bards (starting their career in 1950s) are traditionally referred to as the First Five: Mikhail Ancharov, Alexander Gorodnitsky, Novella Matveyeva, Bulat Okudzhava, Yuri Vizbor. In 1960s they were joined by Victor Berkovsky, Yuliy Kim, Sergey Nikitin, etc.

In the course of 1970s the shift to the classical 6-string guitar took place, now a Russian guitar is a rare bird with the bards. In the same period the movement of KSP (Kluby Samodeyatelnoy Pesni – amateur song fan clubs) emerged, providing the bards with highly educated audience, and up to the end of 1980s being their key promotion engine. Bards were rarely permitted to record their music, partly given the political nature of many songs, partly due to their vague status in the strictly organised state-supported show business establishment of the USSR. As a result, bard tunes usually made their way around as folk lore, from mouth to mouth, or via the copying of amateur recordings (sometimes referred as magnitizdat) made at concerts, particularly those songs that were of political nature. Bard poetry differs from other poetry mainly in the fact that it is sung along with a simple guitar melody as opposed to being spoken. Another difference is that this form of poetry focuses less on style and more on meaning. This means that fewer stylistic devices are used, and the poetry often takes the form of narrative. What separates bard poetry from other songs is the fact that the music is far less important than the lyrics; chord progressions are often very simple and tend to repeat from one bard song to another. On the other hand, in the USSR the chief bard supporter was the state Union of Composers, and the main bard hater was the state Union of Writers. A far more obvious difference was the commerce-free nature of the genre: songs were written to be sung and not to be sold. The similar genre dominated by singers-songwriters is known as sung poetry in other Post-Soviet countries.

Bulgaria[link]

Singer-songwriters are popular in Bulgaria under the name "bards", or "poets with guitars". Their tradition is a mixture of traditional folk motifs, city folklore from the early 20th century and modern influences. In the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the Communist regime in the country started to tolerate the Bulgarian "bards", promoting the so called "political songs", performed usually by one-man bands. A national festival tradition was established, under the title "Alen Mak" (Red Poppy), a symbol with strong Communist meaning in Bulgaria. At the same time, there were some prominent underground figures which were against the official Communist Party line, such as Angel "Jendema" Angelov, Yavor "Yavkata" Rilov and Velizar "Valdes" Vankov. After the collapse of Communism in 1989 the singer-songwriters' tradition was re-established. Currently the Bulgarian "bards" enjoy several festivals (local and international) per year, namely the PoKi Festival (Poets with Guitars, Poetic Strings) in the town of Harmanli, the Bardfest in Lovech, the Sofia Evenings of Singer-Songwriters and others. Major figures in the Bulgarian tradition are Dimitar Taralezhkov,Angel "Jendema" Angelov,Yavor "Yavkata" Rilov, Velizar "Valdes" Vankov,Dimitar Dobrev, Andro Stubel,Branimir "Bunny" Stoykov,Dorothea Tabakova, Mihail Belchev, Assen Maslarski, Grisha Trifonov, Plamen Stavrev, Vladimir Levkov, Margarita Drumeva, Maria Batchvarova, Plamen Sivov, Krasimir Parvanov.

Romania[link]

Despite the communist isolation, the tradition of singer-songwriter in Romania flourished beginning with the end of the 1960s and it was put in the context of the folk music, with its three main styles in Romania: ethno folk, American-style folk and lyrical (cult) folk. The framework for many of these initiatives came under the form of Cenaclul Flacara, a series of mass cultural events with an inevitable ideological touch. Still, with the merit of supporting great opening initiatives: the appropriation of Western artists like Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and others from the Woodstock generation, the public performance of gospel-like music, the opening to big international issues (pop culture, accountability of the leadership, tension surging during the Cold War-with surprisingly neutral positions etc.). Overall, the Romanian folk, in general, could be marked as an underground cultural movement, somewhere between non-aligned and protest music.

Netherlands[link]

Ede Staal (Warffum) (1941–1986), was a Dutch singer-songwriter from the Northern province of Groningen who sang mainly in the Groninger dialect of Dutch.

Norway[link]

Maria Mena contemporary singer-songwriter.

Periodicals that include coverage of singer-songwriters[link]

• Rolling Stone, focus on music and popular culture
• Dirty Linen, focus on folk and world music.
• No Depression, focus on alternative country styles.
• Paste, eclectic music coverage.
• Pitchfork Media, focus on independent artists.
• Sing Out! focus on folk styles.
• Broadside focus on folk music, and folk-rock.

See also[link]

• List of singer-songwriters
• Protest songs in the United States
• Cantautori
• Swedish ballad tradition
• Composer
• Lyricist
• List of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Alarik, Scott, Deep Community, (2003), Black Wolf Press. [1]
• Hoffman, Frank "The Singer-Songwriter Tradition", from Survey of American Popular Music (modified for the web by Robert Birkline)
• Knopfler, David, The Singer-Songwriter: Defining the Genre – Defining the Style
• DiMartino, Dave singer-songwriters: Pop Music's Performer-Composers from A to Zevon (1994), Billboard Books(web search required).
• Rodgers, Jeffrey P., The Complete Singer-Songwriter: A Troubadour's Guide to Writing, Performing, Recording & Business, (2003) Backbeat Books(web search required).
• singer-songwriters of the Rock Era, (1996), Hal Leonard (sheet music)(web search required).
• Contemporary singer/songwriter at Allmusic

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (August 2010)

Josh Doyle is a British-American songwriter and musician who was the lead singer and guitarist for British punk-pop band Dum Dums. He disappeared after the break-up of Dum Dums in 2001, the band having released one album. He resurfaced in Nashville, Tennessee in 2004 with a wife and daughter and a new "folktronica" sound on the independent The End Of Fear EP.

In 2009, Doyle released Values and Virtues EP independently funded by his fanbase. With the proceeds of those sales Doyle was able to tour the UK without a label or any sponsorship, testing a new way forward for artists who have fans but choose not to sign with a record label.

History[link]

Dum Dums[link]

Between 1998 and 2001, Dum Dums were among a handful of successful guitar bands amongst a glut of all singing, all dancing boy-bands and female pop starlets. While touring the "toilet" circuit^[1] (small clubs across the country such as "The Charlotte" in Leicester and "The Camden Monarch" in London) in the UK, they were signed to Wildstar by Ian McAndrew (Arctic Monkeys, Travis) and exploded across the radiowaves. Their first single 'Everything' hit the Official UK Top 20 and led to four UK hit singles from the first hit album, "It Goes Without Saying".

Doyle became a recognisable face in the UK music scene. The band grew in stature, selling out venues all over the UK including Shepherds Bush Empire in London. They were cover stars of national music magazines including Melody Maker, and due to their live reputation made new fans of Paul Cook of The Sex Pistols and John Entwistle of The Who. They were invited by Paul Weller (The Jam) to play Earls Court and by Robbie Williams to support him on 30 arena dates.

They played all the major festivals, sharing the stage with The Flaming Lips in Glastonbury, Supergrass at V2000 (the same day they supported Bon Jovi at Wembley Stadium) and a star studded line-up at Party in the Park for 250,000 at Hyde Park. They toured as headliners in Germany and Japan, hitting the Japanese charts with single "Everything", in 2001 signing to MCA in the US.

While recording the follow-up album, after the big US deal, the band span off into personal breakdown. Given a "write more 'pop' or get 'dropped' " ultimatum by the UK label, Doyle decided they had already strayed too much into 'pop' territory and quit the band. He watched as poppier, manufactured copies of his band sprung up such as Busted and McFly and dominated the music charts for the next couple of years, while he could not put his finger on a direction to pursue next. Depression descended and Doyle became reclusive, not leaving the house for days at a time.^{[citation needed]}

Solo[link]

In 2003, he and his wife sold and gave away all their personal belongings and moved from the UK to Nashville, Tennessee.

The next year saw him recording the "End Of Fear EP" with college student Sam Shacklock, one half of Intramural^[2] (the other half being Statistics frontman and Conor Oberst bandmate Denver Dalley). Doyle released the EP independently from his website, mailing each CD out by hand.

An underground US following developed quickly, and respected zines such as Absolute Punk^[3] "a stellar debut, 8/10" and Sound The Sirens "a therapeutic must-have" gave high ratings. Using only MySpace and physical CD mail order sales (no touring, no digital sales, no radio) Doyle slowly but surely sold out of the first run of the EP, with help from a remnant of Dum Dums fans and a growing contingent newly discovered fans from the US.

In 2006 he played rough acoustic demos of new material to rock producer Joe Baldridge (Beck, Family Force 5, Jewel), who agreed to produce his album without a record deal or management. At the same time, he also played his first solo shows in four years in Tennessee supporting Imogen Heap. His new songs impressed sufficiently to obtain international management from Showdown in the US (Creed, MUTEMATH, Paramore, Family Force 5) and Radius in the UK (Imogen Heap, Dum Dums).

In 2009, Doyle parted ways with Joe Baldridge and Showdown Management frustrated by the lack of time they had for his project and released Values and Virtues EP independently, funded by his fanbase.^[4] With the proceeds of those sales Doyle was able to tour the UK without a label or any sponsorship, testing a new way forward for artists who have fans but choose not to sign with a record label. Interview about his crowd funding project in Music Magazine^[5]

In 2010, Josh had his songs featured on ABC TV show The Unusuals and in promos for the ION Network over all the US cable networks. He used the licensing fees to fund a home studio and began his "Songs From The Nuclear War" project in 2011, which itself led to a Midwest US tour and a UK acoustic tour.

In 2012, Josh was a top ten finalist in the Guitar Center Singer Songwriter Contest and ultimate winner. The Grand prize of $10,000 cash, 3-song EP with Grammy Award-winning producer John Shanks, Studio time at Converse Rubber Tracks studio in NYC, Worldwide distribution from TuneCore including Free Album, Music Video and Global Songwriting Service was awarded to him. See his winning performance here:: http://www.guitarcenter.com/SingerSongWriter--Winner-g26380t0.gc

Solo discography[link]

• 2002 - The Barnroom Sessions
• 2004 - The End Of Fear
• 2009 - Values And Virtues
• 2011 - Songs From The Nuclear War (Volume One)
• 2011 - Songs From The Nuclear War (Volume Two)

External links[link]

• Official Josh Doyle Website
• Official Josh Doyle MySpace
• Josh's "great American novel in album form" MySpace
• "The End of Fear EP" on Allmusic
• "Josh Doyle on LyricWiki"

References[link]

Anya Marina
Anya Marina performs at the Showbox Market on March 4, 2011 in Seattle, Washington
Background information
Origin	Ann Arbor, Michigan United States
Genres	Pop rock, alternative, indie
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, DJ, comedienne
Labels	Chop Shop
Website	Anya Marina.com

Anya Marina (Ann Arbor, September 23, 1976) is a singer-songwriter based in Portland, Oregon. Her music has primarily gained notice after being on a variety of television sitcoms and has been featured on prime time dramas.the ABC television drama Grey's Anatomy as well as CBS's How I Met Your Mother, MTV's The Real World, ABC's Castle, Showtime's United States of Tara, CW's Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries, and Supernatural and has a song featured on the Twilight "New Moon" soundtrack.

Early life[link]

Anya Marina Kroth was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and was raised in the Columbus area of Georgia, as the eldest of two sisters. Her parents are both University professors, who teach Psychology and Russian Literature.^{[citation needed]} Marina moved to Los Angeles as an aspiring actress. She attended classes at the British American Drama Academy, taught by Richard Dreyfuss, and Eli Wallach among others, and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pasadena, California, Marina also acted in television and film (in 2001, she acted in the feature film, 100 Girls). She moved back home to earn a college degree in English composition at Santa Clara University, where she continued to work in acting, musical theatre, music, improvisation and comedy, working as a DJ on KSCU, the University's radio station.

Career[link]

After graduating in 1997, Anya worked at radio station XHRM-FM in San Diego. She was first hired by Mike Halloran, initially at another studio, Y107 in Los Angeles before they both moved to Premium Radio in San Diego's North San Diego County, California. After leaving KSOQ^[when?] both disc jockeys worked at FM 94/9.

In San Diego Marina played her first open mic night and began to write her own songs. She developed a live stage act using what she learned as an actress, comic and impressionist. Her recorded debut was a five-song EP called Exercises in Racketeering, which eventually led to a full-length album, Miss Halfway, which was released January 25, 2005. Anya subsequently opened for Jason Mraz and Rhett Miller. She was named one of the "Best Unsigned" acts by the San Diego CityBeat.

The songs on Miss Halfway talk about her upbringing and ex-boyfriends. The album was produced by Scott Russo, the frontman for rockers Unwritten Law, and Peter King from The Surfers. The record eventually earned a San Diego Music Award for Best Recording. The title track also landed on Grey's Anatomy and was featured as the fifth song on the second Grey's Anatomy (soundtrack) disc along with The Fray, KT Tunstall, Gomez and Snow Patrol.

On January 20, 2009, Marina released her second album, Slow & Steady Seduction: Phase II.^[1] The album was produced by Brian Karscig from Louis XIV and Britt Daniel from Spoon. The music video for the album's first single, "Move You", was directed by Scott Coffey. ^[2] On June 8, 2009 the video for "All The Same To Me", directed by Josh Forbes, premiered exclusively on Spinner.com.

Anya Marina performed songs from Slow & Steady Seduction: Phase II at BETA Records TV studios in Hollywood, California. A video was posted of a personal interview and her small intimate performance of "All The Same To Me" directed by Eric MacIver and produced by Chris Honetschlaeger. (Links included in References)^[3]

In the summer of 2009, Anya was nominated for 3 San Diego Music Awards: Artist of the Year, Album of the Year (Slow and Steady Seduction: Phase II), and Song of the Year ("Move You"). On September 10, 2009, "Move You" won the award for Song of the Year, beating out fellow nominees including Jack Tempchin and Jason Mraz.^[4]

Her song "Satellite Heart" was featured on the New Moon soundtrack. "Satellite Heart" was released October 8, 2009, with the video (directed by Scott Coffey), released on November 3, 2009.^[5] Later that same month, she performed the song at multiple venues on the nationwide 'New Moon Talent Tour'. Marina co-hosted the live MySpace broadcast of the New Moon premiere. Anya was highlighted in an article by CNN.com as an artist poised on the edge of breakout success due to her involvement in the soundtrack.^[6]

Marina's cover of "Whatever You Like", originally by rapper T.I., was featured on the November 9, 2009 episode of Gossip Girl, "They Shoot Humphreys, Don't They?".^[7]

Marina has toured with Jason Mraz, Chris Isaak, Greg Laswell, Eric Hutchinson, Lissy Trullie, and Joshua Radin.

Discography[link]

• Miss Halfway (January 25, 2005)
• Slow & Steady Seduction: Phase II (January 20, 2009)
• Felony Flats (March 13, 2012)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Anya Marina.com

Josh Ritter
Ritter with the Love Cannon String Band Wexford, Ireland on October 20, 2009
Background information
Born	(1976-10-21) October 21, 1976 (age 35) Moscow, Idaho, United States
Genres	Folk, Alternative Country, Rock
Occupations	Musician, Songwriter, Author
Instruments	Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, lute, violin
Years active	1997–present
Labels	Signature Sounds V2 Sony BMG/Victor
Associated acts	The Frames, Hilary Hahn
Website	joshritter.com

Josh Ritter (born October 21, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and author who performs and records with The Royal City Band. Ritter is known for his distinctive Americana style and narrative lyrics.^[1] In 2006 he was named one of the "100 Greatest Living Songwriters" by Paste magazine.^[2]

Early life[link]

Ritter was born and raised in Moscow, Idaho, a college town in the north central part of the state. As a teenager, after hearing Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan’s “Girl from the North Country” on his parents' copy of Nashville Skyline, he attempted to write songs on a lute that his father had built, before abandoning the lute and buying his first guitar at K-Mart.^[3]

Ritter graduated from Moscow High School in 1995^[4] and attended Oberlin College in Ohio to study neuroscience, but later changed his major to the self-created "American History Through Narrative Folk Music". At the age of 21 Josh recorded his first album Josh Ritter at a recording studio on campus. After graduating, Josh moved to Scotland to attend the School of Scottish Folk Studies for six months.^[5] Josh then moved back to Idaho for a few months, before moving to Providence, Rhode Island, then Somerville, Massachusetts, where he worked temporary jobs and played at open mic nights. During this time, Ritter sold copies of his album and was spotted by Glen Hansard and his band The Frames, who invited him to return with them to Ireland. As an early sign of his success to come, Ritter found on the trip to Ireland that his album sold particularly well at open mics there. With the money from merchandise sales, Ritter was eventually able to quit his day job and devote himself to music full-time.

Career[link]

A year and a half after recording Josh Ritter, Ritter recorded his second album Golden Age of Radio for $1000 and self-published it. The album was recorded in three different studios: Soundgun in Philadelphia, Electric Cave in New Hampshire, and a friend's basement studio.^[6] While promoting Golden Age of Radio, he met Jim Olsen, head of independent record label Signature Sounds, who offered to remaster and re-release the album after hearing Ritter play. The song "Me & Jiggs" was subsequently released as a single in Ireland, where Ritter was quickly becoming a word-of-mouth success, first opening for The Frames, then headlining his own shows. Ritter's third record, Hello Starling, produced by former Frames guitarist Dave Odlum, debuted at #2 on the Irish charts.^[7]

Ritter, left, in concert with long time bassist Zack Hickman

In 2003, Ritter shared top billing with the French Kicks at Sepomana, the annual music festival produced by WRMC 91.1 FM. Ritter and Ron Sexsmith headlined the Friday night singer-songwriter event at the Hotel Viking at the 2004 Newport Folk Festival. He also appeared at Oxegen 2005, and has headlined with artists such as Joan Baez, who later released her own version of Ritter's song "Wings" on her album Dark Chords on a Big Guitar. He was signed by a British label, V2 Records, in 2005 and Hello Starling was subsequently re-released. He began performing and touring in a crossover duo with the classical violinist Hilary Hahn in 2005.

In 2006, Ritter released his fourth album The Animal Years. 2006 also saw the release of Ritter's first full-length live album and DVD In The Dark - Live At Vicar Street which was recorded over two nights in May 2006. Ritter released his fifth album, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, in 2007. Both The Animal Years and Historical Conquests received warm critical reception^[8][9] with Stephen King calling The Animal Years the best album of 2006 in his column for Entertainment Weekly.^[10] In support of Historical Conquests, Ritter appeared as a musical guest on such high profile television shows as Late Show with David Letterman in America and Later... with Jools Holland in Britain.^[11][12]

Ritter re-issued his second and third, Golden Age of Radio and Hello Starling on April 7, 2009 and January 17, 2010 respectively. Each re-issued albums were packaged as two-disc deluxe editions. The deluxe editions contain both the original studio album as well as solo acoustic versions of all the original tracks, live and remixed bonus songs, and never-before-seen photos and artwork. The deluxe editions also feature liner notes written by Ritter fans, including Dennis Lehane and Cameron Crowe.^[13][14]

In Autumn 2009 Ritter toured with Love Canon String Band, where he reinterpreted his songs with a band composed of banjo, double bass, mandolin and guitar. This tour included three nights in Whelans Dublin, where he performed his albums Golden Age of Radio, Hello Starling, and The Animal Years in full.^[15] In 2009, Ritter also provided the soundtrack for the documentary film, Typeface, by Kartemquin Films.

Ritter's sixth album, So Runs the World Away, was released April 23, 2010 in Ireland and May 4, 2010 worldwide.^[16] The vinyl version of the album had an earlier release on April 17, 2010 as a part of Record Store Day celebrations. The vinyl record came packaged with a CD version of the album as well.^[17] To promote the album, Ritter made the song, "Change of Time" from So Runs the World Away, available for free download from his website on February 8, 2010.^[18] The song also appeared in the March 23, 2010 episode of the television series Parenthood. In support of the new album Ritter toured with his newly named The Royal City Band - starting with six dates in Ireland - including a sell out performance at the newly opened 2100 capacity Grand Canal Theatre in Dublin^[19] and continuing with an extensive tour of the United States.^[20] So Runs the World Away largely garnered positive reviews.^[21][22] "Change of Time" was featured on the Parenthood soundtrack in August 2010, and quickly became a fan favorite. The song was also featured in the trailer for the 2011 Natalie Portman film, The Other Woman.^[23]

On February 15, 2011 Ritter reissued The Animal Years on vinyl and as a two-disc deluxe edition on CD. The deluxe edition contains both the original studio album as well as a solo acoustic version of the album. The bonus disc includes four b-side recordings, two videos, new artwork, and liner notes by author Tom Ricks.^[24]

During his early 2011 tour, Josh Ritter released an EP album of previously unreleased material from the So Runs the World Away recording sessions, titled To the Yet Unknowing World. Ritter began streaming the EP for free on his website as well as made it available for digital purchase on February 8, 2011.^[25] To the Yet Unknowing World hit Apple's iTunes and record stores February 15, 2011.^[26] In February 2011, Ritter and his band continued their extensive tour in support of So Runs The World Away touring America and Europe.^[27] During his European tour in April 2011, Ritter released his third live album, Live at The Iveagh Gardens. The limited edition two CD and one DVD set is a live recording of Ritter's performance of 21 songs at the Dublin venue on 18 July 2010.^[28]

Personal life[link]

Josh Ritter married Dawn Landes, a fellow musician, in Branson, Missouri on May 9, 2009.^[29] However, in a February 2011 interview with the Boston Herald, when asked about Dawn Landes, Ritter said "we’ve actually decided to split, which is hard, but is going to be better in the end".^[30]

On November 22, 2009, Ritter played at a Benefit Concert at Moscow Junior High School in Moscow, Idaho for Jim LaFortune, an Earth Science teacher at the school struggling with a brain tumor. LaFortune was one of Ritter's teachers. Ritter attended the school from the 7th through the 9th grade.^[3]

Apart from music, Ritter also has interests in writing. Ritter has claimed many different writers as influences on both his songwriting and fiction work. Some of his favorite authors are Flannery O'Connor, Philip Roth, and Dennis Lehane (who wrote the intro for the Deluxe Edition of Hello Starling). The title of Ritter's sixth album, So Runs the World Away, comes from a line in the third act of Shakespeare's Hamlet.^[31] Ritter's own novel, Bright's Passage, was published by Dial Press on June 28, 2011. Ritter has said of the novel, "Besides my songs, Bright’s Passage is the first [written] work I’ve wanted anyone to see".^[32] Ritter has said that "It’s about a kind of sweet normal guy from West Virginia. He goes to the first World War and he comes back and he has an angel. And it’s about him and this angel escaping this wildfire for five days. It’s sort of this short little comedy".^[33]

The Royal City Band[link]

In 2010, Ritter's band members - some of whom had been performing with him from the early 2000s - were given the name "The Royal City Band" (a reference to the song "Thin Blue Flame" from The Animal Years).

Members:^[34]

• Josh Ritter - Lead vocals, guitar
• Zack Hickman - Bass, guitar, tuba, strings
• Sam Kassirer - Piano, keyboards, organ, accordion
• Austin Nevins - Guitar, lap steel, baritone
• Liam Hurley - Drums, percussion

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Josh Ritter (1999, self-released)
• Golden Age of Radio (2000, re-released 2002, Deluxe Edition 2009)
• Hello Starling (September 9, 2003, re-released 2005, Deluxe Edition 2010)
• The Animal Years (March 20, 2006 in UK, April 11, 2006 in US, Deluxe Edition 2011)
• The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter (August 21, 2007 in US, October 1, 2007 in UK)
• So Runs the World Away (April 17, US (Vinyl Release - Record Store Day), April 23, 2010 in Ireland, May 4, 2010 in U.S./World)
• Bringing in the Darlings (February 21, 2012 in World)

Live Albums[link]

• In The Dark - Live At Vicar Street - Live Album/DVD (November 24, 2006 in Ireland, February 5, 2008 in U.S.)
• Live at the 9:30 Club (April 19, 2008)
• Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band, Live at The Iveagh Gardens (April 2011)
• Josh Ritter: Live at the Record Exchange (2006)

EPs[link]

• Me & Jiggs EP (2002 in Ireland only)
• Come & Find Me EP (2002)
• 4 Songs Live EP (February 22, 2005)
• Good Man EP (August 18, 2006, Ireland only)
• Girl in the War EP (August 29, 2006 on iTunes, November 27, 2006 in UK)
• Live at The Record Exchange EP (January 30, 2007)
• To the Yet Unknowing World (February 8, 2011)
• Bringing in the Darlings (February 21, 2012, February 17, 2012 in Ireland)

Singles[link]

• "Hello Starling (Snow Is Gone)" (May 31, 2004, UK single)
• "Bright Smile" (2004, Irish single)
• "Man Burning" (2004, Ireland promo-only single)
• "Thin Blue Flame" (2005, US promo-only single)
• "Girl in the War" (April 11, 2006)
• "Lillian, Egypt" (May 29, 2006, UK single)
• "Wolves" (July 25, 2006, promo only)
• "Mind's Eye" (October 15, 2007)
• "Right Moves" (December 17, 2007)
• "Empty Hearts" (March 31, 2008)
• "Real Long Distance" (May 5, 2008)
• "Change of Time" (March 16, 2010)
• "Lantern" (2010)

Other contributions[link]

• Sweetheart: Love Songs (2004, Hear Music) - "Tonight You Belong To Me, featuring Blake Hazard"
• Acoustic 05 (2005, Echo) - "Kathleen"
• The Cake Sale (2006, Oxfam Ireland, Yep Roc Records) - "Vapour Trail"
• Acoustic 07 (2007, V2 Records) - "Girl in the War"
• House M.D. (Original Television Soundtrack) (2007, Nettwerk) - "Good Man"
• 1% For The Planet, The Music (Vol. 1) (2010, One Percent for the Planet) - "Great Big Mind"
• Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows - John Prine Tribute Album (2010, Oh Boy Records) - "Mexican Home"
• Americana 2004 UNCUT "Wings"

Notable performances[link]

In January 2010 Ritter opened at New York City's Radio City Music Hall for Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova of The Swell Season.^[35]

Josh Ritter performed at the South by Southwest Music & Media Conference and Festival, March 18, 2011 at the Historic Sanctuary of St. David's Episcopal Church.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Official blog
• Official fansite
• Official MySpace page
• Josh Ritter collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive
• 2009 interview
• Josh Ritter "So Runs the World Away" Review www.AwaitingTheFlood.com

Kina Grannis
Background information
Birth name	Kina Kasuya Grannis
Born	(1985-08-04) August 4, 1985 (age 26)
Genres	Acoustic Pop
Occupations	Guitarist Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Guitar Vocals Ukulele Glockenspiel Piano
Years active	2001 – present
Labels	One Haven (2010–present) Independent (2009–2010) Interscope Records (2008)
Associated acts	David Choi, Boyce Avenue
Website	www.kinagrannis.com
Notable instruments
Taylor 814ce Taylor K22ce Cordoba 45-R Kamaka HF-2 Concert

Kina Kasuya Grannis (born August 4, 1985) is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter. She is half Japanese and half English, Irish, French, Scottish, Dutch and German.^[1] Grannis was the winner of the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest.^[2] As a result of winning, she earned a recording contract with Interscope Records and had her music video played during the commercials of Super Bowl XLII.^[3] She recently won Best Web-Born Artist at the 2011 MTV O Music Awards.^[4]

Her progress in the competition was covered in The Orange County Register^[5][6][7][8] and The Wall Street Journal.^[9] Grannis has also been featured on FOX News Los Angeles, Good Day L.A. and Yahoo!.^[10][11]

Biography[link]

Early life and career beginnings[link]

Kina grew up in Mission Viejo, California, and it was here where her love for music began. In elementary school, she composed and submitted piano compositions to district art competitions. Soon afterwards, she began playing the violin, an instrument she would play throughout high school. By age 15, she started teaching herself the guitar and it was this instrument with which she fell in love.

She attended Viejo Elementary School, Newhart Middle School and from 1999 to 2003 Capistrano Valley High School.

Grannis enrolled at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles in 2003. Two years later, staff members of the University's Thornton School of Music asked her to produce an album in their music and music industry departments. That album, Sincerely, Me, was released the same year. In 2007, she graduated Summa Cum Laude in social science with an emphasis on psychology. While attending USC, she was inducted into academic societies Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi.^{[citation needed]}

Solo career[link]

In 2006, Grannis recorded and self-released two more albums, One More in the Attic and In Memory of the Singing Bridge. In early 2007, she recorded "Ours to Keep" written by Rachael Lawrence and Deborah Ellen. This song would be featured regularly on General Hospital^[12] and was in an episode of the ABC Family's mini-series Samurai Girl in September 2008.^[13]

On November 14, 2007, she created her YouTube account and began posting videos of her songs online. Her first video, "Message From Your Heart," was entered into Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest. The contest, which she won, landed her a contract with Interscope Records. Her YouTube videos have received more than 77 million views and have propelled her to become one of YouTube's most popular personalities. Grannis planned to work with Interscope Records to produce a new album but in January 2009, she announced that she was leaving the label to be an independent artist.

On February 24, 2008, Grannis sang the national anthem for the Auto Club 500 NASCAR race in Fontana, California. In June 2009 her songs "Never Never" and "People" were used in episodes of MTV's reality series College Life. On January 13, 2010 Grannis was the headliner at a sold-out show at The Troubadour club in Los Angeles.

Stairwells was released on February 23, 2010 and included many original songs already appearing on YouTube, as well as three previously unreleased songs: "World in Front of Me," "In Your Arms" and "Mr. Sun." Stairwells debuted at No. 139 on the Billboard 200,^[14] No. 5 on the Billboard Top Internet Albums chart, No. 2 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart,^[15] and No. 18 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart.^[16] The location of her release party for Stairwells, the Dakota Lounge in Santa Monica, was the subject of an article in the Orange Country Register because the venue enabled her to show her gratitude to her fans.^[17]

On March 13, 2010, her single "Valentine" was played by Paul Gambaccini on BBC Radio 2, the most popular radio station in the UK.^[18] The music video for "Valentine" directed by a young and talented viral video director Ross Ching has been viewed well over 11 million times on YouTube. ^[19][20][21]

Grannis' Stairwells Springtime Tour began in San Francisco on May 24, 2010 and concluded in late June after several stints on the East Coast and in Canada. Her Fall Tour began on September 17, 2010 and concluded on November 17, 2010.^[22] On July 10, 2010 she played at Lilith Fair in St. Louis, Missouri.^[23]

In 2010, Grannis was featured as Judy in a miniseries by Wong Fu Productions entitled "Funemployed".^{[24][25][26][27][28][29]}

In early 2011, Grannis was awarded the title of Sirius/XM CoffeeHouse's 2010 Singer-Songwriter Discovery of the Year after a months-long online voting period. Her song "Heart and Mind" was used for the German TV series Anna und die Liebe.

On November 3, 2011, Grannis released a stop-motion music video for the single In Your Arms, using 288,000 Jelly Belly jelly beans. It took about 2 years to complete the project.^[30] The video accumulated over 1 million views within the first three days.^[31]

World in Front of Me Tour[link]

In April 2011, Grannis launched her first world tour. She performed in the eastern regions of Canada, continuing down the eastern and southern regions of the United States. She continued in May through the northwest region of North America back up to Vancouver British Columbia, and ending in Los Angeles. Shows in Europe and southeast Asia followed into the fall of 2011.