Other Voices, Other Rooms, Nanci Griffith's tenth album, released in 1993. It is unusual in the singer-songwriter's catalog in that none of its songs was written by Griffith. Here she pays homage to other songwriters who have influenced her own career by covering their songs. Guest artists who appear in their own compositions include Frank Christian playing guitar on "Three Flights Up," Bob Dylan playing harmonica on "Boots of Spanish Leather," Arlo Guthrie in a duet on "Tecumseh Valley" and John Prine lending harmony vocals on "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness."

The album rose into the #54 position on the Billboard Pop Albums chart in 1993, although it had no charting singles.

Awards and recognition

Griffith won the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album for Other Voices, Other Rooms.

Personnel

*Nanci Griffith – vocals, guitar harmony vocals

*Chet Atkins – guitar

*Fran Breen – drums, percussion

*John Catchings – cello

*Frank Christian – guitar

*Guy Clark – guitar, vocals

*Pete Cummins – harmony vocals, guitar

*Iris DeMent – vocals, harmony vocals, guitar

*Philip Donnelly – guitar

*Stuart Duncan – mandolin, violin

*Bob Dylan – harmonica

*Béla Fleck – banjo

*Pat Flynn – guitar

*Arlo Guthrie – harmony vocals, guitar

*Emmylou Harris – harmony vocals, guitar

*John Hartford – banjo, vocals

*Carolyn Hester – harmony vocals, guitar

*James Hooker – harmony vocal, organ, piano, keyboards

*Roy M. "Junior" Husky – bass

*Lee Satterfield – guitar, harmony vocals

*Mary Ann Kennedy – percussion, vocals

*Pete Kennedy – guitar

*Leo Kottke – guitar

*Alison Krauss – violin

*Pat McInerney – percussion

*Edgar Meyer – bass

*David Mallett – vocals

*Odetta – vocals

*John Gorka – vocals

*Don Edwards – yodeling

*Marlin Griffith – vocals

*John Prine – vocals, harmony vocals

*Amy Ray – vocals

*Jim Rooney – vocals

*Pamela Rose – vocals

*Emily Saliers – vocals

*Holly Tashian – vocals

*Barry Tashian – vocals

*Andrea Zonn – viola

Category:1993 albums

Category:Covers albums

Category:Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album

Category:Nanci Griffith albums

Category:Elektra Records albums

Artist/Band Information

Nanci Griffith, (born Nanci Caroline Griffith, July 6, 1953, Seguin, Texas) is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter from Austin, Texas.

Biography

Griffith's career has spanned a variety of musical genres, predominantly country, folk, and what she terms "folkabilly." Griffith won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album in 1994 for her recording, Other Voices, Other Rooms. This album features Griffith covering the songs of artists who are her major influences. One of her better-known songs is "From a Distance" by Julie Gold, although Bette Midler's version achieved greater commercial success. Similarly, other artists have occasionally achieved greater success with Griffith's songs than Griffith herself. For example, Kathy Mattea had a country music top five hit with a 1986 cover of Griffith's "Love at the Five and Dime," and Suzy Bogguss had one of her largest hits with Griffith's and Tom Russell's "Outbound Plane."

Griffith's high school boyfriend, John, died in a motorcycle accident after taking her to the senior prom, and subsequently inspired many of her songs.http Griffith was married to singer-songwriter Eric Taylor from 1976 to 1982. In the early 1990s, she was engaged to singer-songwriter Tom Kimmel, but the couple parted before marrying. In 1994, Griffith teamed up with Jimmy Webb to contribute the song "If These Old Walls Could Speak" to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Country produced by the Red Hot Organization. Griffith is a survivor of breast cancer which was diagnosed in 1996, and thyroid cancer in 1998. at nancigriffith.com

Griffith has in recent years toured with various other artists including Buddy Holly's band, The Crickets, John Prine, Iris DeMent, Suzy Bogguss and Judy Collins. Griffith has recorded duets with many artists, among them Emmylou Harris, Mary Black, John Prine, Don McLean, Jimmy Buffett, Dolores Keane, Willie Nelson, Adam Duritz (singer of Counting Crows), The Chieftains, and Darius Rucker (singer of Hootie & the Blowfish). She has also contributed background vocals on many other recordings.

Griffith suffered from severe 'writers block' for a number of years after 2004, lasting until 2009 and the release of 'The Loving Kind' album which contained nine self-penned or co-written songs.

As well as her own songs Griffith is well-known for her outstanding versions of other people's material, usually by contemporary singer-songwriters.

Band (The Blue Moon Orchestra)

Current members

* Nanci Griffith — lead vocals, guitar

* Pat McInerney — percussion, vocals

* Thomm Jutz — guitar, vocals

* Jumbo John - Vocals

Previous band members

* James Hooker — keyboards, vocals

* Clive Gregson — guitar, vocals

* Ron De La Vega — bass, cello

* Pete Kennedy — guitar

* Maura Kennedy — vocals

* Iris DeMent — vocals

* Fran Breen — drums

* Philip Donnelly — guitar

* Le Ann Etheridge — bass guitar, vocals, mandolin

* Lee Satterfield — vocals, guitar, mandolin

* Lyle Lovett — backing vocals

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Awards

Griffith won the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album for Other Voices, Other Rooms.

Videography

* Bob Dylan: The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration Sony VHS (1993)

* Other Voices, Other Rooms Elektra Video VHS (1993)

* Winter Marquee Rounder/Universal DVD, Widescreen, (2002)

* One Fair Summer Evening...Plus! Universal Music & VI DVD, Fullscreen, (2005)

See also

*Music of Austin

References