Patty Griffin

Steeped in rootsy Americana and rich country folk, Patty Griffin's shy, humble songs which have been covered by the likes of Solomon Burke, Emmylou Harris and The Dixie Chicks have earned her a Grammy Award and made her one of America's most admired singer-songwriters.

The youngest of seven children, Griffin grew up in rural Maine singing songs at her home before cutting her teeth in Boston coffee houses and bars in the late 1980s. Signed to A&M Records on the strength of a scratchy, lo-fi demo, the label rejected her studio recordings because of their overly shiny, polished productions and instead released the stripped down demos as debut album 'Living With Ghosts' (1996). Part of a wave of female songwriters in the idiom of Tori Amos, Sheryl Crow and Alanis Morissette, Griffin struggled to stand out from the crowd on albums 'Flaming Red' (1998), '1000 Kisses' (2002) and 'Impossible Dream' (2004), but her reputation within the industry grew and her song 'Top of the World' was the stand-out track on the Dixie Chicks' record 'Home' (2002).

Featuring vocals from Emmylou Harris, sixth album 'Children Running Through' (2007) was her most successful work to date, reaching number 34 in the Billboard charts, while her spiritual follow-up 'Downtown Church' (2010) won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Gospel Album. She went on to join Robert Plant's group Band of Joy and her song 'Up to the Mountain' was performed by Kelly Clarkson and Jeff Beck on 'American Idol', and then paid tribute to her late father on the acclaimed 'American Kid' (2013). In 2019 she released 'River' from her self-titled tenth album, with the album released later in the year.