Signature Sounds Recordings | |
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Founded | 1995 |
Founder | Jim Olsen, Mark Thayer |
Distributor(s) | Redeye Distribution (World) |
Genre | Americana, folk |
Country of origin | U.S. |
Location | Northampton, Massachusetts |
Official website | www |
Signature Sounds Recordings is an independent record label specializing in Americana and modern folk music. Jim Olsen and Mark Thayer founded the label in 1995 to promote acoustic musicians who were playing in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Signature recorded Josh Ritter, Erin McKeown, Mary Gauthier, and Lori McKenna. The label's albums are distributed worldwide by Redeye Distribution.
Thayer established the Signature Sounds Recording Studio in 1982 and created the label with Olsen in 1995. The studio in Pomfret, Connecticut has recorded folk and jazz musicians, including many Signature Sounds recordings. [1] The label's main office moved in 2012 from its original location in Whately, Massachusetts to a more prominent site in downtown Northampton. The new offices include an intimate music venue, called The Parlor Room, in which concerts are held regularly.
Dave Carter was an American folk music singer-songwriter who described his style as "post-modern mythic American folk music". He was one half of the duo Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer, who were heralded as the new "voice of modern folk music" in the months before Carter's unexpected death in July 2002. They were ranked as number one on the year-end list for "Top Artists" on the Folk Music Radio Airplay Chart for 2001 and 2002, and their popularity has endured in the years following Carter's death. Joan Baez, who went on tour with the duo in 2002, spoke of Carter's songs in the same terms that she once used to promote a young Bob Dylan:
"There is a special gift for writing songs that are available to other people, and Dave's songs are very available to me. It's a kind of genius, you know, and Dylan has the biggest case of it. But I hear it in Dave's songs, too.
Joshua B. Ritter is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and author who performs and records with the Royal City Band. Ritter is known for his distinctive Americana style and narrative lyrics. In 2006, he was named one of the "100 Greatest Living Songwriters" by Paste magazine.
Tracy Grammer is an American folk singer known for her work as half of the folk duo Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer and for the solo career that she has continued since Carter's death. She released three albums with Dave Carter during his lifetime, at first doing instrumental work and providing backing vocals, and then, by their last album together, singing lead vocals on half of the tracks. Four albums by the duo have been released since Carter's death. She has also released four solo recordings, some of which have included previously unreleased songs by Carter, as well as four songbooks.
Erin McKeown is an American multi-instrumentalist and folk-rock singer-songwriter. McKeown's music encompasses pop, swing, rock, folk, and electronic music, as well as several other genres.
Kris Delmhorst is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Originally from Brooklyn, New York City, United States, she now lives in Western Massachusetts, is an active member of the Boston folk scene, and tours internationally. She has released eight full-length solo albums and two EPs on Signature Sounds Recordings.
Mark Erelli is an American singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and touring folk musician from Reading, Massachusetts who earned a master's degree in evolutionary biology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst before pursuing a career in music. Erelli has released nine solo albums and three collaborative albums. His self-titled debut album was released in 1999, the same year that he won the Kerrville Folk Festival's New Folk Award. His first recording for the Signature Sounds label, Compass & Companion, spent ten weeks in the Top Ten on the Americana Chart. Erelli has worked as a side musician for singer songwriters Lori McKenna and Josh Ritter. He has performed at various music festivals and shared the stage with John Hiatt, Dave Alvin, and Gillian Welch. Erelli's song “People Look Around”, which he co-wrote with Catie Curtis, was the Grand Prize winner at the 2005 International Songwriting Competition. His songs have been recorded by Ellis Paul, Vance Gilbert, Antje Duvekot, and Red Molly.
Lorraine McKenna is an American folk, Americana, and country music singer-songwriter. In 2016, she was nominated for the Grammy Award for Song of the Year and won Best Country Song for co-writing the hit single "Girl Crush" performed by Little Big Town. In 2017, she again won Best Country Song at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards for writing "Humble and Kind" performed by Tim McGraw. McKenna along with Lady Gaga, Natalie Hemby and Hillary Lindsey wrote the second single off the soundtrack to the 2018 film A Star Is Born called "Always Remember Us This Way.” McKenna performed backing vocals along with Lindsey and Hemby, and the song received a nomination for Song of the Year at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
Winterpills are an American indie rock band from Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. Its members are Philip Price, Flora Reed, Dave Hower, Dennis Crommett and Max Germer, sometimes joined on tour and in studio by Brian Akey, José Ayerve and Henning Ohlenbusch. They released their debut eponymous album in November 2005 on Signature Sounds, and their second album on the same label was released February 27, 2007, titled "The Light Divides". Their third album, "Central Chambers", was released on October 14, 2008, also on Signature Sounds, and a vinyl 7" single of Broken Arm/A Folded Cloth was released in the UK on February 4, 2009 on Riot Act Records. "Central Chambers" was also released on vinyl on January 13, 2009. A 6-song EP, "Tuxedo of Ashes", was released on October 5, 2010. Their fifth release is "All My Lovely Goners", released on February 14, 2012, and the double-LP vinyl version was released on April 21, 2012. Their sixth release is "Love Songs," released March 18, 2016.
Lorne Entress is an American drummer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer, currently living in Glastonbury, Connecticut, United States.
Unglamorous is the first major label debut album from country/folk singer Lori McKenna. After three songs written by McKenna appeared on Faith Hill's 2005 album, Fireflies, Warner Bros. Records re-released McKenna's 2004 album Bittertown. Unglamorous, however, is the first album of McKenna's recorded specifically for a major label. The album was released August 14, 2007 on StyleSonic Records through Warner Bros. Records.
Bittertown is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Lori McKenna. The album was first released in 2004 on Signature Sounds. It was produced by Lorne Entress and features prominently the guitar work of Kevin Barry. After country singer Faith Hill covered three of McKenna's songs for her album, Fireflies, Warner Bros. Records signed McKenna to their label and re-released it under their name in 2005. All songs were written by McKenna. "Bible Song" was covered by country singer Sara Evans for her album Real Fine Place. In July 2019, McKenna released an album named Return to Bittertown, consisting of “Stealing Kisses” and “Bible Song” which she had re-recorded to commemorate the 15th Anniversary of the release of Bittertown. McKenna also embarked on a tour to promote this album. McKenna defines Bittertown as the “game changer” for her, the album which brought her to the attention of Faith Hill.
The Appel Farm Arts and Music Festival was an annual one-day festival held the first Saturday in June at Appel Farm Arts and Music Center located near Elmer, in Salem County, New Jersey, United States. Appel Farm's signature concert event featured a juried crafts fair, a Children's Village with games and activities, and beer and wine tents. The festival's draw extended beyond New Jersey, attracting audiences of up to 10,000 from the entire mid-Atlantic region and beyond.
Sony Music Nashville is the country music branch of the Sony Music Group.
The Beast in Its Tracks is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Josh Ritter. It was released on March 5, 2013.
Thesongadayproject is an undertaking that was created by the American singer-songwriter Zachary Scot Johnson in September 2012. The first day, featured a cover version of Donovan's "Catch The Wind". Johnson set out with a goal to record a song a day, every day, for as long as he could. As of December, 2023, Johnson has uploaded over 4, 000 songs, spanning over eleven full years, and has accumulated over 42 million views.
Heather Maloney is an American singer-songwriter. In 2009, she self-released her debut album, Cozy Razor's Edge, followed by Time & Pocket Change in 2011. In 2012, Maloney signed with Northampton-based label Signature Sounds Recordings where she released Heather Maloney (2013), Woodstock (2014), Making Me Break (2015) and Just Enough Sun (2018). The full length album Soil in the Sky was released in 2019.
Parsonsfield is a multi-genre band founded in 2011 in Mansfield, Connecticut. The band consists of Chris Freeman, Antonio Alcorn, Max Shakun, and Erik Hischmann. The original members met while attending the University of Connecticut. The name comes from the town of Parsonsfield, Maine, where they recorded their debut album. The band tours in the USA and Canada from their base in Somerville, Massachusetts.
The following list shows the recipients for the Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year. This Award goes to the songwriter(s) and is for artistic achievement in songwriting. Any Country Music song with original words and music is eligible based upon the song's Country singles chart activity during the eligibility period. It is the sister category to the Country Music Association Award for Single of the Year, which recognizes the artist, producer and engineer.
"Until They Don't Love You" is a song recorded by American country artist Reba. It was composed by Shane McAnally, Lori McKenna and Josh Osborne. The song was released as a single via Nash Icon Records in 2015 and was the second single spawned from Reba's 2015 album Love Somebody. "Until They Don't Love You" was generally met with favorable reviews and charted on the American country songs survey in 2015.