Country Gold | ||||
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Greatest hits album by | ||||
Released | March 11, 1997 | |||
Genre | Folk, country | |||
Label | MCA Records | |||
Producer | Tony Brown, Glyn Johns, Nanci Griffith Carl Michelakos (compilation) | |||
Nanci Griffith chronology | ||||
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Country Gold is a 10-track compilation CD of songs taken from Nanci Griffith's MCA Records albums released by the label from 1986 to 1991: Lone Star State of Mind , Little Love Affairs , One Fair Summer Evening and Storms . It was released on March 11, 1997.
All tracks composed by Nanci Griffith except where indicated.
Nanci Caroline Griffith was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. She appeared many times on the PBS music program Austin City Limits starting in 1985. In 1994 she won a Grammy Award for the album Other Voices, Other Rooms.
"From a Distance" is a song written in 1985 by American singer-songwriter Julie Gold. Gold was working as a secretary at the time for HBO and writing songs in her free time. Gold's friend, Christine Lavin, introduced the song to Nanci Griffith, who first recorded it for her 1987 album, Lone Star State of Mind.
The Kennedys are an American folk-rock band, consisting of husband and wife Pete and Maura Kennedy. They are recognized for their harmonies and instrumental prowess, blending elements of country music, bluegrass, Western swing and janglepop.
Poet in My Window was the second studio album by the singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith, released in 1982. A reissue of the album included a bonus track, "Can't Love Wrong", in the unusual position as the album's lead-off track, preceding all of the original tracks. Griffith wrote all but one of the album's tunes.
The Last of the True Believers is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith, released in 1986 by Philo Records. The acclaim accorded her from her previous album, Once in a Very Blue Moon, and this album earned her a contract with a major recording company. Here, Griffith continued her turn toward a more country-oriented work than her first two albums, which were primarily folk-sounding. It also includes two songs which were later hits for Kathy Mattea, "Love at the Five and Dime" from Walk the Way the Wind Blows (1986) and "Goin' Gone", her first number one, from Untasted Honey (1987).
Lone Star State of Mind was the fifth studio album released by Nanci Griffith, and her first album for MCA Records. Griffith's music took a turn from her original folk music base into more commercially viable country music. For this album, she enlisted the talents of veteran country producer Tony Brown. The album garnered her first appearance on the Billboard Country charts, rising to #23 on the Country Albums chart, and was her highest charting album. The title track, "Lone Star State of Mind," became the first of only three Griffith singles to enter the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It peaked at #36, while two other singles from the album, "Cold Hearts/Closed Minds" and "Trouble in the Fields", reached #64 and #57 respectively. "From a Distance" failed to chart because it was released only as a promotional single in the USA. That song successfully hit the charts when Bette Midler covered it in 1990.
Little Love Affairs was Nanci Griffith's sixth studio album, and it had similar success to the preceding album, Lone Star State of Mind, on the Billboard charts. The album peaked at #27 on the Country Albums chart and one of its tracks entered into the Top 40 of the Hot Country Singles chart: "I Knew Love" rose to #37. Two more tracks also charted: "Never Mind" at #58, and "Anyone Can Be Somebody's Fool" at #64.
One Fair Summer Evening was Nanci Griffith's seventh album, and her first one recorded in a live setting. It was recorded on August 19 and August 20, 1988 at Anderson Fair, a Houston, Texas club long known for featuring folk artists in an intimate setting.
Storms was the eighth studio album released by singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith. When recording the album, Griffith chose to go in the direction of mainstream pop music. This was quite a musical change for her, as her previous albums had been folk and country music. Griffith enlisted the talents of noted rock music producer Glyn Johns for the musical style change. The album landed at No. 42 on the Billboard Country Albums chart, and at No. 99 on the Pop Albums chart in 1989. The last track on the album, "Radio Fragile", is about singer-songwriter Phil Ochs.
Hearts in Mind is an album by folk-country singer Nanci Griffith, which was released in Ireland and the United Kingdom on October 11, 2004. It was later released in the USA on February 1, 2005 featuring the bonus track "Our Very Own".. As with Griffith's 2001 album Clock Without Hands, Vietnam is a recurring theme.
The Complete MCA Studio Recordings is a compilation album spanning the five-year period, from 1987 to 1991, that Nanci Griffith spent with MCA Records. The 46-track, two-CD album features all of the songs from the four studio albums recorded on the label during these years: Lone Star State of Mind (1987), Little Love Affairs (1988), Storms (1989) and Late Night Grande Hotel (1991), as well as three previously unreleased recordings.
Winter Marquee is a live album by folk singer Nanci Griffith. It was her first album for Rounder Records after leaving Elektra Records. Recorded live during the Clock Without Hands tour in spring 2002, this album grew from the original wish to capture just one live song into a 14-track live CD album, Griffith's first live recording since One Fair Summer Evening (1988). On May 29, 2002, at the historic Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville, a live performance was filmed, and released on DVD under the same name. During the recording of both the album and the DVD, Griffith was joined on stage by Emmylou Harris, Tom Russell and Andrew Hardin.
The Dust Bowl Symphony is an album released by Nanci Griffith in 1999. It consists of songs Griffith had previously released on other albums, but re-recorded with an orchestral backing. The album was recorded at Abbey Road Studios with the London Symphony Orchestra. Darius Rucker duets with Griffith on "Love at The Five and Dime", and the album also has contributions from Sonny Curtis and Glen Hardin, Beth Nielsen Chapman and Griffith's own band, The Blue Moon Orchestra. The song "Waiting for Love", written by Griffith, from Blue Roses from the Moons was picked out by Griffith as giving the singer a "brief moment of being Edith Piaf".
Blue Roses from the Moons was the twelfth studio album by Nanci Griffith, released in March 1997. The album was recorded from live takes in the studio, with her band The Blue Moon Orchestra and Jerry Allison, Sonny Curtis and Joe B. Mauldin of The Crickets. Darius Rucker duets with Griffith on "Gulf Coast Highway". The song "Waiting for Love", written by Griffith, and commencing "Life is full of finer things / They're lost and found in the dark" was later re-recorded with symphony orchestra for the 1999 album The Dust Bowl Symphony.
Flyer was the eleventh studio album released by singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith. Released in 1994, it contained 15 tracks, mostly of original material. It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album at the 37th Annual Grammy Awards. The album had contributions from Peter Buck, Mark Knopfler, Emmylou Harris, Larry Mullen Jr., Adam Clayton, Adam Duritz, The Chieftains and the Indigo Girls.
The MCA Years: A Retrospective was released on MCA Records in 1993, and contains songs from Nanci Griffith's five MCA albums: Lone Star State of Mind (1987), Little Love Affairs (1988), One Fair Summer Evening (1988), Storms (1989), and Late Night Grande Hotel (1991).
Lonesome Standard Time is the seventh studio album by American country artist Kathy Mattea. It was released on September 22, 1992 via PolyGram and Mercury Records. It was recorded during a period when she was experiencing vocal challenges. The project featured songs about heartbreak and loss written by various Nashville writers. It received a mixed critical response, but certified gold in the United States. The album spawned four singles. Both the title track and "Standing Knee Deep in a River " reached the American country chart top 20 in 1993.
"Love at the Five and Dime" is a song written and originally recorded by Nanci Griffith and later recorded and released by American country music artist Kathy Mattea. It was released in April 1986 as the first single from Mattea's album Walk the Way the Wind Blows. The song was Mattea's breakthrough hit, becoming her first top 10 hit and eventually peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
The Loving Kind is the 19th album by singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith. It was released June 9, 2009 as her last album for Rounder Records, a label for whom Griffith worked since 2002. Comprising thirteen songs, it was her first release of all new material since 2005. The album tackles political topics such as Loving vs. Virginia and capital punishment, as well as songs about Griffith's heroes, such as Townes Van Zandt. BBC Music gave the album a generally positive review, stating that "It does sound like her muse is finally on the mend."
The Firm is an album by American pianist Dave Grusin released in 1993, recorded for the GRP label. This album is a soundtrack to the Motion Picture The Firm directed by Sidney Pollack. It reached No. 131 on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz chart. This soundtrack was a 1993 Academy Award nominee for Best Original Score.