Nanci Griffith FAQ

The NanciNet User's Guide and FAQ File

Welcome to the NanciNet User's Guide. Here you'll find everything you need to make your NN membership a pleasant and rewarding experience.

A collection of Nanci Griffith FAQs is attached below. Enjoy!

NanciNet is an open Internet discussion group where Nanci Griffith fans may meet and talk about her music and career. There are about 1000 subscribers from all over the world. It's run as a fan-based mailing list service -- no charges or fees are imposed. If you'd like to try it out, see the subscription info below or you may view the digest archives here.

If you subscribe, your address will not be made available to anyone but the list manager. The subscriber roster is private; no spammers will ever see it! (Of course, any messages you post may end up in the archives along with your address.)

You may subscribe to either format, or both (if you really want to). If you want to subscribe, unsubscribe or change your format, please follow these instructions:

Got that? Confusing perhaps, but if you have any questions, please drop the list manager a line at bpage3@yahoo.com. Thanks!

If you choose to post a message to nanci@world.std.com, please observe the following guidelines:

1. The purpose of this forum is to provide a place for discussion of the music and career of Nanci Griffith. Try to stick with appropriate topics which somehow relate to our focus. Remarks which are irrelevant, repetitive, commercial, vulgar, frivolous, or personally derogatory are not welcome. Gossip and rumors are best kept to yourself. Chatty one-liners get old real fast -- this isn't a "chat room" (try IRC for that).

Please use this resource wisely. Remember that each of your postings is forwarded to hundreds of accounts worldwide; try to make them interesting and concise.

If you see messages which you feel are inappropriate, please ignore them and try to introduce your own on-topic discussion. Send any comments concerning list content to the list manager.

Sometimes we talk about other artists whose music appeals to Nanci fans (a list of such artists appears at the end of this file). This is OK -- we like to hear about your other favorite musicians as long as the discussion doesn't drown out more relevant topics. Any Nanci fan is bound to have reasonably good taste, right? ;-)

2. Please use private e-mail when your messages are directed to a particular person, rather than posting to the whole list. Check the "To:" and "Cc:" addresses to verify that your private messages won't be read by everyone.

3. When responding to a posting, please try to avoid the extensive quoting of previous posts. Use just enough to provide context for your response. Simply echoing someone else's words and adding "I agree" or "Hear hear" is silly.

4. If you want to ask a survey-type question of everyone, such as "What's your favorite Nanci song?," you can help reduce list-clutter by requesting that people send their responses to YOU directly, not to the list. You can then collect and report the answers with a single posting to the list.

5. Please respect copyright and other intellectual property rights of Nanci and others. Posting complete song lyrics or published articles is not a good idea.

6. If you have any problems with your subscription, please contact the list manager directly rather than posting to the list.

7. Please do not send attachments such as pictures, sound clips, word processing documents, or other non-text files to the list. Send plain text messages only. Any fancy fonts or formatting will come through looking messy or may cause the message to be rejected.

8. In rare cases, people who, in the list manager's judgment, misuse their posting privileges will, without warning, have their posts screened. Subsequent postings from said individual(s) will be subject to approval; if any are found to be worth sharing, they will be forwarded to the list. Note that being able to post is a privilege, not a right -- NanciNet isn't a publicly-owned forum.

We suggest sending an initial message introducing yourself to the group. Your stories and opinions are welcome. Thank you for helping to keep the list enjoyable for everyone.

As an unmoderated forum, the regular Nanci list is occasionally invaded by spam. This is junk mail that typically has nothing to do with Nanci; it's advertisements or political tirades that some inconsiderate folks enjoy inflicting upon us. Needless to say, this kind of thing is quite unwelcome. But if you see spam here, please just ignore it -- responding to spam in any fashion is the best way to attract more of it!

In the same general category are virus warnings, get-rich-quick schemes, petitions or chain letters of any kind, fundraising letters, cookie recipes, and other Internet-junk. Please resist the temptation to forward these to the list.

There are some things you can do to help avoid problems with the list, minimize unnecessary traffic, and make the manager's life easier:

1. If you are away from your e-mail account for an extended period of time, please make sure your mailbox will not become full. You may be better off unsubscribing from the list until you return.

2. If your e-mail account will be deactivated (such as when a school term ends), please unsubscribe from the list before you leave.

3. If your Nanci mail suddenly stops, you may have been dropped from the list due to technical difficulties. This typically happens when your account starts "bouncing" incoming e-mail; Majordomo (and the list manager) will act to cut delivery of messages to you in this case. When you find that your account is working normally again, feel free to resubscribe.

4. Majordomo tends to reject messages with certain words in the first few lines, such as "subscribe" or "help." This is a "feature" of our list software that prevents subscription requests from being forwarded to the whole list.

5. Filters are in place which screen very long postings or those which show signs of being trolls or spam. The list manager will review these and forward anything that seems important.

If you'd like to see back issues of the Digest, please use a Web browser to access Shelly Brisbin's "Blue Moon Page." The URL is:

Please write to the list manager with suggestions, comments, and questions about the list or your subscription.

NanciNet was announced on October 23, 1994. It was created using the Majordomo listserver on the World, a commercial Internet service provider run by Software Tool & Die in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Mark Ferguson founded NanciNet and managed it until October 1998, when the torch was passed to Bill Page.

This file should answer most of your questions about Nanci and her music. To the best of our knowledge, this information is correct and current. If you have additions, corrections, comments, etc., please contact Mark Ferguson. Thanks!

A. Nanci Caroline Griffith was born July 6, 1953 in Seguin, Texas (near San Antonio) and grew up in Austin. Her parents are Marlin "Griff" Griffith and the late Ruelene Strawser. He was a book publisher and singer in barbershop quartets. She was a real estate agent and active supporter of the Austin arts scene. They had two older children, Kathye Marlene ("Mikki") and Robert Michael. They divorced when Nanci was very young.

Nanci learned to play the guitar from an early PBS television show hosted by Laura Weber. She began writing her own songs because she found that easier than learning how to play other people's songs correctly. Her first professional gig was at the Red Lion club in Austin on a Thanksgiving holiday evening when she was fourteen. She earned eleven dollars.

Nanci graduated from the University of Texas with an Education degree and taught kindergarten and first grade in the Austin school system during the 1970s. She also had a five-year gig at Austin's Hole in the Wall bar during this time, where she played regularly on Sunday nights. Her first three recorded songs were on a sampler LP released in 1977 on the now-defunct B.F. Deal label (see album reviews for more info on this LP).

Nanci was married to singer-songwriter Eric Taylor from 1979 to 1980. He appears on her first two albums as well as on her live album One Fair Summer Evening, and she appears on his 1981 album Shameless Love. Nanci was later engaged to singer-songwriter Tom Kimmel, but they parted before marrying. She is currently single.

Nanci moved from Austin to Nashville in 1985, where she now lives with several pets.

A. Here is a list describing all Nanci's albums, plus all known recordings on which she sings one of her otherwise unrecorded songs. This does not include the many albums on which she makes guest appearances singing a live number or a cover tune. See David Grant's comprehensive discography for the full list.

Note that you may disagree with some of the opinions presented here; use your own judgment!

If you can find it (try this site for info), you'll hear Nanci's first recorded songs on this record: "Texas Boy," "If I Were a Child," and "Double-Standard Blues." The first two are mellow folk tunes that presage the sound of her first full album. The third is a rowdier honky-tonk number of the kind that Nanci has rarely done since.

There's a Light Beyond These Woods (Philo/Rounder '86, orig. release on B.F. Deal in '78)

This is a pure folk album, with a set of quiet yet powerful and evocative songs in the West Texas tradition. Nanci's voice sounds strong, mature, and confident -- but a bit generic; the tender vocal quality that sets her apart had yet to surface. Still, this is a strong debut that really grows on you, featuring "West Texas Sun," "Song for Remembered Heroes," and "Alabama Soft Spoken Blues" -- there really aren't any unworthy songs. The title track has become something of a signature song of Nanci's.

A gorgeous record; Nanci finds her unique vocal style and delivers a batch of smooth, sweet ballads. There's more of a country feel here, with tasteful pedal steel and drums on a few tracks. Her recurring theme of a solitary life on the road is exemplified in "Workin' in Corners." "You Can't Go Home Again" is one of the most beautiful songs she's ever written. The melodic bass playing by Eric Taylor gives the songs added appeal. If you're looking for truly beautiful music, this is it.

Taking a big step forward in production quality, this Jim Rooney-produced album captures Nanci's voice beautifully. Some of her finest singing is here, accompanied by a large cast of seasoned supporting musicians (Pat Alger, Lloyd Green, Phillip Donnelly, Mark O'Connor, Lyle Lovett, et al). The songs cover a variety of styles and tempos and include Bill Staines' "Roseville Fair," Lyle Lovett's "If I Were the Woman You Wanted," and the title track from Pat Alger. Among her own numbers are "Time Alone," "Friend Out in the Madness," and "Daddy Said," each of which combines lovely melodies and lyrics. "Spin on a Red Brick Floor" is her tribute to the Anderson Fair music club in Houston. An album this good comes out once in a VERY blue moon. Note to collectors: European versions of this CD may be missing the Lovett tune. The US Philo/Rounder copies have it.

A big breakthrough here. Nanci's songwriting is at its peak on this Grammy-nominated record -- it includes "Love at the Five and Dime," "Lookin' for the Time (Workin' Girl)," "Banks of the Pontchartrain," "The Wing and the Wheel," and many other gems. Her rendition of "Goin' Gone" is gorgeous. Stylewise, the album has that trad-country feel with lots of fiddle, banjo, and pedal steel. Many fans consider this to be Nanci's very best record -- it's truly excellent from start to finish, despite the beginnings of a tendency to get a bit too, um, precious (there I said it). Something magical seems to happen when Nanci and Jim Rooney get together.

With the move to the major label, Nanci gets a top Nashville producer (Tony Brown) with all the trimmings. The result is a more "mainstream" sound, but it's still rooted in traditional folk and country. This album has the now-standard Julie Gold tune "From a Distance," which may or may not be your cup of tea, but there's also a bunch of strong originals including "Ford Econoline," "Beacon Street," and "Trouble in the Fields;" plus excellent covers of "Nickel Dreams," "Let it Shine On Me," and the title tune.

Nanci called this her "concept" album -- the songs focus on the ups and downs of romance. Her style moves further into the mainstream towards a slick Nashville-pop sound, but most of the album still retains the country flavor -- though she treads dangerously close to schmaltz at times, she doesn't quite go over the edge. Nanci's songs here are among her best, including "I Wish it Would Rain," "So Long Ago," "Outbound Plane," and "Gulf Coast Highway." The title tune is an Irish-style ballad co-written with James Hooker, Nanci's longtime keyboardist.

A live acoustic recording of a performance at Anderson Fair, this album captures the essence of Nanci's charm. She delivers some of her best stuff with grace and conviction, and her powerful rendition of Eric Taylor's "Deadwood, South Dakota" is stunning. The naivete/sentimentality factor may be off-putting to the jaded listener, but this is still a perfect introduction to a unique talent. Better yet, try the video version -- seeing Nanci perform is an utter delight. Thank yew!

Here Nanci moves to MCA's pop division and hires Glyn Johns to produce this collection of mostly pop-style tunes. The familiar folky sound is nearly absent, and there are synths galore. But the songs are good, mostly about "stormy" relationships. This isn't a record that grabs you immediately, but with repeated listenings one can get past the slick, commercial-sounding production and find the pleasures buried in tunes like "I Don't Wanna Talk About Love," which at first sounds like generic pop, but soon reveals a meaningful lyric and an affecting melody sung with an oh-so-smooth delivery. "Listen to the Radio" is a lot of fun, and Nanci considers "It's a Hard Life Wherever You Go" to be her most important song.

This album generated more controversy than any of Nanci's others -- the production is very different from what fans may be accustomed to. It features a full orchestra, loud drums, tons of backup musicians, and Nanci's voice buried in reverb amidst all the clutter. There are some decent songs here (the title track and "Down 'N' Outer" are outstanding), but they're marred by overwrought arrangements. A most frustrating album, made worse by the inclusion of "Heaven," a particularly sappy Julie Gold number. Some folks may enjoy this kind of thing, but not likely those who appreciate the simpler productions.

For completists, these two discs each contain a song by Nanci. The soundtrack to the John Mellencamp film contains Nanci's "Cradle of the Interstate," a very nice number indeed. Giving hope to those who despaired after the excesses of her recent studio work, it's a spare rendition of a deeply personal song about (what else?) a solitary life on the road. Her singing sounds much as it did on the early Philo records. As a bonus, the rest of the album is enjoyable, including works from Mellencamp, John Prine, Janis Ian, Dwight Yoakam, and others.

Warm Front features "Moon of the Misbegotten," which Nanci co-wrote with Walker. He's an accomplished acoustic guitarist, and most of the numbers are jazzy instrumentals. Nanci provides a lovely vocal on her track, which is much more slick than "Cradle" -- purists may not be pleased -- but her singing makes the song a must for true fans. If "Cradle" sounds like an outtake from Poet or Blue Moon, then this number sounds like it could have come from Little Love Affairs. The lyrics are unusual for Nanci -- it's a pure love song.

Coming full circle, Nanci brings back producer Jim Rooney from the Philo days and covers a range of classic folk songs. Some are well-known, others are somewhat obscure, but all are songs that Nanci felt needed to be heard. The resulting production is arguably her best yet -- it won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album. She and the all-star supporting cast are in top form, and her voice has rarely sounded better. The recording quality is clear and intimate, capturing the music perfectly. Together, the production, performances, and arrangements add up to serve each number very well. For example, it's hard to imagine how Kate Wolf's "Across the Great Divide" could be improved upon, and "Morning Song for Sally" is one of the most sublime recordings she's ever done. These and the many other superb cuts make this an essential album.

But that's not all. The OV|OR video is a must for any fan of great music. It's a concert film of her show at Austin's Paramount Theater and features Nanci at her very best. She's definitely matured since the last live video -- not that she looks older (in fact, she looks better than ever), but her speaking voice has become less girlish, she projects supreme confidence, and she's in firm command of the stage. Her guests are in fine form -- Emmylou Harris, Tom Paxton, Jerry Jeff Walker, Jimmie Dale Gilmore -- and Don Edwards' yodel during "Night Rider's Lament" is thrilling. The technical qualities of the film are first-rate -- the photography, the sound, the editing -- the entire production is nearly flawless. Like the album, this video is essential.

This compilation includes most of the best tracks from the five MCA recordings. It's a good overview, but the more serious collector will want to accumulate the albums separately. However, the European version of this release (entitled The Best of Nanci Griffith) has a different track list and includes the LNGH outtake "Tumble and Fall" plus the a cappella number "The Road to Aberdeen," neither of which has been released in the US. MCA has also released several other compilations, including Country Gold in 1996 and From a Distance: The Very Best of Nanci Griffith in 2002. Each of these contains an assortment of album tracks from the MCA era.

This album proved that Nanci hadn't yet lost her touch when it came to writing and performing her own songs. It's all over the map with regard to style, but the lyrics are among the most personal and heartfelt ever to come from Nanci's pen. From the pure folk of "Fragile," which brilliantly recalls her earliest work, to the funked-up rockabilly of "This Heart," Nanci covers all the musical bases. Peter Collins' radio-ready production is very good, but the arrangements get pretty busy -- each member of the huge cast of big-name players had to have a turn! Though the album as a whole may lack a sense of musical cohesiveness and sound overproduced, as a collection of memorable heartfelt songs it's a success.

Nanci's out to have some fun with this record -- a Don Gehman production with a lush pop-rock-country sound -- so we've got enjoyable covers of Nick Lowe's "Battlefield," Sonny Curtis' "I Fought the Law," and the Commandos' "Morning Train" (not to be confused with the icky Sheena Easton tune). The latter is the rockingest thing Nanci's ever done, and she's sporting a twangpunk vocal style there that hasn't been heard before -- actually, her vocals are wildly uneven throughout the album, ranging from the classic Nanci sound on Guy Clark's "She Ain't Goin' Nowhere" and the originals "Not My Way Home" and "Is This All There Is?" to intensely emotional on "St. Teresa of Avila" to weak and off-key on "Wouldn't That Be Fine" and the remake of "Gulf Coast Highway" (with Darius Rucker on the duet -- he's OK though). Still, Blue Roses is one of the more enjoyable of Nanci's non-folky efforts.

The sequel to OV|OR is more of a big hootenanny than a Nanci Griffith album, with dozens of guests joining in for a 19-song festival. Nanci is relegated to backup-singer status on several tracks -- all the other players tend to crowd her out. The most enjoyable numbers are those where she is most prominent, such as "Yarrington Town" and "Dress of Laces," and the duet with Lucinda Williams, "Wings of a Dove." The feel is not nearly as intimate or well-crafted as that of OV|OR, but taken on its own merits, OVToo is a remarkable achievement, a fitting tribute to the music that Nanci loves. Oh, and there's a nice video version that came out in '99, a live concert film of a show in Glasgow featuring many of the same songs and guests.

Nanci recorded this one with the London Symphony Orchestra in addition to her regular band; it's got big new versions of ten of her classic songs like "Trouble in the Fields" and "It's a Hard Life" plus one new one, the quirky "1937 Pre-War Kimball," about a favorite piano. There's also a cover of a Buddy Holly number, "Tell Me How," plus the unexpectedly torchlit "Drops From The Faucet" from the pen of Frank Christian, where Nanci shows she can do the sultry blues. The album is not for those who crave sparse arrangements, but Nanci sounds great and the orchestra is very well-recorded, never overpowering her vocals or guitar (credit Peter Collins for the nice production job). This would be the album to buy for those who don't like Nanci's folk, country, or lite-rock incarnations.

Here Nanci picks up where she left off on Flyer and pens some new tunes about loneliness, relationships, and other matters of the heart -- even a couple of love songs -- combining these with a batch of covers (including three from John Stewart). They're mostly pleasant, inoffensive midtempo numbers with lush (even syrupy) arrangements that showcase the Blue Moon Orchestra augmented by strings and processed backup vocals -- a familiar sound to those who know her last few albums. Nanci herself sounds fine, showing off her lower singing register and toning down some of her pronunciation quirks. Standout tracks include the rocker "Pearl's Eye View," about a Vietnam War photojournalist (one of several Vietnam references on the album) and the old Frank Sinatra standard "In the Wee Small Hours," which along with "Last Song for Mother" forms a tribute to her mother Ruelene. But the most interesting cut is "Shaking Out the Snow," in which Nanci seems to be exorcising some personal demons with an emotionally choked delivery. It's very different, and one of the most riveting tracks she's ever recorded.

Reviews forthcoming of these; the first is a live concert recording; the second is a studio recording featuring a batch of new songs and a stripped-down production style. The third is a collection of orchestra-backed torch songs including a few that Nanci has previously recorded.

To sum up, here is an approximate ranking of Nanci's albums according to one fan's opinion, in order of overall quality:

Note that each album has its strengths -- those near the bottom still have a lot to offer (some fans say LNGH is their favorite). All are worth owning.

Nanci was treated for breast cancer in the Summer of 1996, which played a role in her decision to leave the tour with the Chieftains. In 1998, she underwent treatment for thyroid cancer. Nanci says her prognosis is good and the disease is in remission. She continues to perform, record, and write for future albums.

A. Nanci has written two novels. The first, "Two of a Kind Heart," tells the story of several generations of a fictional Texas family. The second, "Love Wore a Halo," is based on the song of the same name. Neither novel has been published, but you can check out the first few chapters of the first one at the Gulf Coast Highway page.

A. Song books with tablature and piano parts for both Flyer and Late Night Grande Hotel were published in the 90's by CPP/Belwin in Miami. The LNGH book also included Ford Econoline, From a Distance, If Wishes Were Changes, It's a Hard Life Wherever You Go, Outbound Plane, There's a Light Beyond These Woods, and Trouble in the Fields. Note that we currently have no specifics about where these books may be purchased.

A. John was Nanci's high school sweetheart, who is mentioned in the song "There's a Light Beyond These Woods (Mary Margaret)." He is the subject of several of the songs on Flyer, including "These Days in an Open Book," "On Grafton Street," and "Always Will." He also pops up in other songs such as "Last of the True Believers" and "Daddy Said." John died in a motorcycle accident after taking Nanci to their Senior Prom. It's safe to say that John's memory has had and continues to have a profound influence on Nanci's songwriting -- the yearning, wistful and lonely feel of many of her songs is most likely the result of the loss of her first love.

A. "Wichita Falls Waltz" by Mike Williams (owner of the old B.F.Deal record label), which he sings on his LP Free Man Happy Man .

A. The song is about Phil Ochs, a singer-songwriter known for his protest songs of the 1960s. The line about "the midnight boy from Minnesota" refers to Bob Dylan.

A. Nanci has various qualities that appeal in different ways. We have arranged similar artists into groups.

Mark wishes to thank Mary Wood Littleton, David Grant, and Bill Page for their help in providing some of the knowledge contained in this file.