 Singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith was born in July 1954 in Seguin, Texas and began playing guitar before age 12, learning chords from a television series on PBS. Though she played her first paying gig at age14, Griffith did not pursue music full-time until she was in her late 20s; in the meantime she graduated from the University of Texas-Austin and taught kindergarten in the Austin public school system. After dabbling with singing in her spare time and marrying singer-songwriter Eric Taylor in 1976, Griffith took the big leap in 1977, quitting her day job to perform in local clubs. The now-defunct label B.F. Deal took interest in Griffith, issuing three songs on a compilation of label bands and releasing her first album, the folky There's a Light Beyond These Woods, in 1978.Griffith returned in 1982 with Poet in My Window, a collection of country-tinged ballads recorded with her husband on bass. Later that year the couple divorced, but Griffith rebounded and signed to the renown Philo/Rounder folk label, releasing Once in a Very Blue Moon in 1984 with Lyle Lovett on backing vocals. Her 1986 breakthrough, Last of the True Believers, emphasized her growing country & western influences, and led to a Grammy nomination and a major label deal with MCA. Griffith's relocation to Nashville in late 1986 is symbolic of her growing ties to the country establishment. Her 1987 MCA debut, Lone Star State of Mind, and 1988 follow-up, Little Love Affairs, are slick, almost pop-country albums. This trend continued when Griffith recorded 1989's Storms in Los Angeles with '70s rock producer Glyn Johns, resulting in a synth-laden pop album with few folk or country elements. 1991's Late Night Grande Hotel maintained this sound. Griffith's jump from MCA to Elektra in 1992 marked a radical shift from her new pop sound to a very traditional folk style. Her next album, 1993's Other Voice, Other Rooms, featured many guest appearances by country/folk peers and won her a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Recording. Her 1994 follow-up, Flyers, retained the stripped-down sound of her previous album, yet covered several different genres, including folk and country. Recently Griffith has devoted less time to touring so she can work on her other passion, writing -- she has penned two Western novels. After the release of her album, Blue Roses from the Moons, Griffith joined the ultra-successful Lilith Fair tour in the summer of 1997.
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