Nan Vernon

Last updated

Nan Vernon
Genres Alternative rock [1]
Occupation(s)Singer
Instrument(s)
  • Lead vocals
  • guitar
Years active1987–present
Labels Eastwest [ citation needed ]

Nan Vernon is a Canadian singer. She is notable for providing the end credit music of both of Rob Zombie's Halloween films and for being part of the "singer-songwriter trend" of women nurturing folk music's rebirth. [2]

Contents

Biography

Early life

Vernon is the daughter of Nancy West and actor John Vernon, and the sister of actress Kate Vernon. [3] She was raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada until age 8, when she moved with her family to Los Angeles, California. [4]

In the late 1980s she recorded and toured with Andy Summers appearing on the XYZ album.

Early career

The Eurythmics' Dave Stewart discovered Vernon. [1] As she explains, "the story we used to tell was that I found Dave and Bob Dylan drunk and lost at a train station in Tijuana and that I gave them a ride home, but that wasn't how I met him. It was a call out of the blue from Wardrobe Stylist, Genny Schorr, who suggested that I might be someone Dave would like as a member of his band. Dave is the kind of person who encourages people." [4] She joined Dave Stewart & The Spiritual Cowboys as Izzy Mae Doorite and contributed backing vocals and rhythm guitar parts on the band's two albums and on tour. Vernon parlayed "her high-profile acquaintance with Stewart into a record deal and released Manta Ray in 1994, through Stewart's Anxious Records." [1]

Recordings and reception

Tom Demalon praises her debut album, lauding the singer for "her keen sense of melody, articulate writing, and pristine vocals" that "make it more memorable than many other such releases. 'Motorcycle' kicks things off with a percolating road tale driven by grinding guitar, but the most of the material is of a more introspective nature such as the dreamy 'Tattoo Tears,' 'No More Lullabies,' and the gorgeous afterlife ballad 'The Big Picture,' all delivered in a breathy fashion....Manta Ray is a better than average debut." [1] John Koenig similarly describes her CD Manta Ray as "a collection of songs brimming with creative music and imagery." [4] Koenig goes on to write that her "exquisite live reworkings of songs from the '60's, like John Lennon's "Nowhere Man" and Jim Morrison's "Crystal Ship" give insight into her appreciation for rock music's classic poet/lyricists." [4]

Vernon has provided covers of songs for the reboot of the Halloween series of horror films. [5] A new version of the song, "Mr. Sandman", recorded by Nan Vernon, is featured in Rob Zombie's Halloween . [6] She also performs "Love Hurts" for the film's sequel.

Influences

In an interview, Vernon said, "I really like theatrical music, like Brecht and that era. I love Eastern European music, the music of the Twenties and Thirties, Cole Porter. I love Elvis Presley. I love lyrical storytelling....I love Tom Waits and Billie Holiday. Velvet Underground. Of the newer bands, I like Belly and Bettie Serveert. I guess my favourite songwriters are John Lennon, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits". [4]

Solo discography

Compilation and soundtrack appearances

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Waits</span> American singer-songwriter and actor (born 1949)

Thomas Alan Waits is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the folk scene during the 1970s, but his music since the 1980s has reflected the influence of such diverse genres as rock, country, Delta blues, opera, vaudeville, cabaret, funk, hip hop and experimental techniques verging on industrial music. Per The Wall Street Journal, Waits “has composed a body of work that’s at least comparable to any songwriter’s in pop today. A keen, sensitive and sympathetic chronicler of the adrift and downtrodden, Mr. Waits creates three-dimensional characters who, even in their confusion and despair, are capable of insight and startling points of view. Their stories are accompanied by music that’s unlike any other in pop history.”

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patty Smyth</span> American singer

Patricia Smyth is an American singer and songwriter. She first came into national attention with the rock band Scandal and went on to record and perform as a solo artist. Her distinctive voice and new wave image gained broad exposure through video recordings aired on cable music video channels such as MTV. Her debut solo album Never Enough was well received, and generated a pair of Top 100 hits. In the early 1990s she reached the top 10 with the hit single "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough," a duet with Don Henley of the Eagles. She performed and co-wrote with James Ingram the song "Look What Love Has Done" for the 1994 motion picture Junior. The work earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Song Written for Visual Media, as well as an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.

<i>House of 1000 Corpses</i> 2003 American comedy horror film by Rob Zombie

House of 1000 Corpses is a 2003 American black comedy horror film written, co-scored, and directed by Rob Zombie in his directorial debut, and the first film in the Firefly film series. It stars Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon, Karen Black, Rainn Wilson, Chris Hardwick, Tom Towles, Erin Daniels, Jennifer Jostyn, Walton Goggins, and Dennis Fimple in his final role. The plot centers on a group of teenagers who are kidnapped and tortured by a psychotic family during Halloween after traveling across the country to write a book.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E. G. Daily</span> American actress (born 1961)

Elizabeth Ann Guttman, known professionally as E. G. Daily or Elizabeth Daily, is an American actress and singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Zombie</span> American rock musician and filmmaker (born 1965)

Rob Zombie is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and actor. His music and lyrics are notable for their horror and sci-fi themes, and his live shows have been praised for their elaborate shock rock theatricality. He has sold an estimated 15 million albums worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Stewart (Eurythmics)</span> English musician, songwriter and record producer (born 1952)

David Allan Stewart is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for Eurythmics, his successful professional partnership with Annie Lennox. Sometimes credited as David A. Stewart, he won Best British Producer at the 1986, 1987 and 1990 Brit Awards. Stewart was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020 and the duo were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Outside of Eurythmics, Stewart has written and produced songs for artists such as Ringo Starr, Stevie Nicks, Mick Jagger and Tom Petty.

<i>Were a Happy Family: A Tribute to Ramones</i> 2003 compilation album by Various Artists

We're a Happy Family: A Tribute to Ramones is a 2003 tribute album to the Ramones by various artists. It started when Johnny Ramone was presented with the idea of a tribute album and was asked if he wanted to participate, to which he agreed, as long as he would have full control over the project. He was able to get Rob Zombie as a co-producer, and call upon high profile bands to participate. Rob Zombie also did the cover artwork, and Stephen King, a Ramones fan, wrote the liner notes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scout Taylor-Compton</span> American actress (born 1989)

Scout Taylor-Compton is an American actress. She has frequently worked in the horror genre, most notably as Laurie Strode in the 2007 remake of Halloween and its 2009 sequel. Outside of horror, she portrayed musician Lita Ford in the biographical drama film The Runaways (2010).

<i>Halloween</i> (2007 film) Slasher film by Rob Zombie

Halloween is a 2007 American slasher film written, directed, and produced by Rob Zombie. It is a remake of John Carpenter's 1978 horror film of the same name and the ninth installment in the Halloween franchise. The film stars Malcolm McDowell, Sheri Moon Zombie, Tyler Mane, Scout Taylor-Compton, Brad Dourif, Danielle Harris, and William Forsythe. The "reimagining" follows Michael Myers who murdered his family as a child and becomes institutionalized at an asylum, before breaking out and stalking Laurie Strode and her friends on Halloween night.

Halloween is an American slasher media franchise that consists of thirteen films, as well as novels, comic books, a video game and other merchandise. The films primarily focus on Michael Myers, who was committed to a sanitarium as a child for the murder of his sister, Judith Myers. Fifteen years later, he escapes to stalk and kill the people of the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois. Michael's killings occur on the holiday of Halloween, on which all of the films primarily take place. Throughout the series various protagonists try to stop Myers including, most notably, babysitter Laurie Strode and psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Loomis. The original Halloween, released in 1978, was written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill—the film's director and producer respectively. The film, itself inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and Bob Clark's Black Christmas, is known to have inspired a long line of slasher films.

The Juno Awards from 1992, were awarded on 29th of March in Toronto at a ceremony in the O'Keefe Centre. Rick Moranis was the host for the ceremonies, which were broadcast on CBC Television from 9 pm Eastern.

<i>The Haunted World of El Superbeasto</i> 2009 film by Rob Zombie

The Haunted World of El Superbeasto is a 2009 American adult animated superhero comedy film directed, co-written and co-produced by Rob Zombie. The film was written by Zombie and Tom Papa from Zombie's comic book series of the same name. The film was also produced by Starz Media and Film Roman, with animation provided by Carbunkle Cartoons and Big Star Productions.

<i>Halloween II</i> (2009 film) American film by Rob Zombie

Halloween II is a 2009 American slasher film written, directed, and produced by Rob Zombie. The film is a sequel to Zombie's 2007 remake of 1978's Halloween and the tenth installment in the Halloween franchise. The story follows Laurie Strode as she deals with the aftermath of the previous film's events, Dr. Loomis who is trying to capitalize on those events with a new book, and Michael Myers as he seeks to reunite with his sister. The film sees the return of lead cast members from the 2007 film Malcolm McDowell as Loomis, Scout Taylor-Compton as Strode, and Tyler Mane as Myers, respectively. Sheri Moon Zombie, Brad Douriff, and Danielle Harris also return from its predecessor.

<i>Never Enough</i> (Patty Smyth album) 1987 studio album by Patty Smyth

Never Enough is the debut album by former Scandal singer Patty Smyth. It was released in 1987 on Columbia Records three years after the band's breakup in 1984.

<i>The Lords of Salem</i> (film) 2012 film

The Lords of Salem is a 2012 supernatural horror film written, produced, and directed by Rob Zombie. It stars Sheri Moon Zombie, Bruce Davison, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Ken Foree, Patricia Quinn, Dee Wallace, María Conchita Alonso, Judy Geeson, and Meg Foster. The plot focuses on a troubled female disc jockey in Salem, Massachusetts, whose life becomes entangled with a coven of ancient Satan-worshipping women.

<i>31</i> (film) 2016 American film

31 is a 2016 American horror film written, directed, and produced by Rob Zombie, and starring an ensemble cast featuring Sheri Moon Zombie, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Meg Foster, Richard Brake, Jane Carr, Judy Geeson, E.G. Daily, and Malcolm McDowell.

<i>Hubie Halloween</i> 2020 American science fiction comedy-horror film

Hubie Halloween is a 2020 American mystery/horror-comedy film directed by Steve Brill, co-written by Tim Herlihy and Adam Sandler, and starring an ensemble supporting cast consisting of Sandler, Kevin James, Julie Bowen, Ray Liotta, Rob Schneider, June Squibb, Kenan Thompson, Shaquille O'Neal, Steve Buscemi, and Maya Rudolph. The film follows a Halloween-loving delicatessen worker who must save the town of Salem, Massachusetts from a kidnapper as various hijinks occur.

<i>Manta Ray</i> (album) 1994 studio album by Nan Vernon

Manta Ray is the debut album by Canadian singer-songwriter Nan Vernon, released in 1994. It is her only full-length album released by Anxious Records.

<i>The Munsters</i> (2022 film) 2022 comedy film by Rob Zombie

The Munsters is a 2022 American horror comedy film produced, written, and directed by Rob Zombie and starring Sheri Moon Zombie, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Daniel Roebuck, Richard Brake, Jorge Garcia, Sylvester McCoy, Catherine Schell, and Cassandra Peterson. Based on the 1960s family sitcom of the same title, the story takes place prior to the events of the series, serving as an origin story for the characters.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Tom Demalon, "Nan Vernon – Manta Ray", Newstalk CFRB Toronto (2008).
  2. Britt, Bruce. "Women Nurture Folk's Rebirth: The singer-songwriter trend", The San Francisco Chronicle (April 2, 1995): PK – 27.
  3. Bernstein, Adam (February 4, 2005). "Actor John Vernon, 72; Animal House Dean". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved February 15, 2016. [John Vernon's] marriage to Nancy West Vernon ended in divorce. Survivors include three children, Kate Vernon, Nan Vernon and Chris Vernon, all of Los Angeles...
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Koenig, John (1995). "Nan Vernon: A Spirit in the Ethereal World". Muse Magazine. Archived from the original on May 5, 2013. Raised in Toronto, Canada to the age of eight, young Nancy Vernon was transplanted to Los Angeles where her father worked as an actor.
  5. Chris Gonda, "ROB ZOMBIE’s 'HALLOWEEN II' Soundtrack Features New Recordings", Archived August 1, 2009, at the Wayback Machine PureGrainAudio.com (July 30, 2009).
  6. Matt Marcheschi, "Rob Zombie's Halloween soundtrack to include vintage recordings from KISS, Alice Cooper, Rush, Peter Frampton, Nazareth, Blue Oyster Cult, BTO, and More", SoundtrackNet (August 17, 2007).