Nanci Griffith - R.I.P.

[Deej 76755]

Texas-born Grammy-winning folk singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith has died, with literary songs like “Love at the Five and Dime” celebrating the South. She was 68 years old.

A statement from her management company on Friday confirmed her death, but no cause was provided.

“We hoped that there would be no formal statement or press release for a week after Nancy’s death,” Gold Mountain Entertainment said in a statement.

Griffith worked closely with other folk singers to support the early careers of artists such as Lyle Lovett and Emmylou Harris.

Griffith was also known for recording “From a Distance,” which later became the famous Bette Midler song. The cover appeared on her first major label release, “Lone Star State of Mind,” in 1987.

https://texasnewstoday.com/grammy-award-winning-folk-singer-songwriter-nanci-griffith-dies/413053/

Edited August 13, 2021 by Deej

[tigol 2395]

Texas-born Grammy-winning folk singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith has died, with literary songs like “Love at the Five and Dime” celebrating the South. She was 68 years old.

A statement from her management company on Friday confirmed her death, but no cause was provided.

“We hoped that there would be no formal statement or press release for a week after Nancy’s death,” Gold Mountain Entertainment said in a statement.

Griffith worked closely with other folk singers to support the early careers of artists such as Lyle Lovett and Emmylou Harris.

Griffith was also known for recording “From a Distance,” which later became the famous Bette Midler song. The cover appeared on her first major label release, “Lone Star State of Mind,” in 1987.

https://texasnewstoday.com/grammy-award-winning-folk-singer-songwriter-nanci-griffith-dies/413053/

Damn. RIP.

[TexasBeta 1261]

Her celebration of Townes puts her up high in my book. I don’t know what Texas did to make her leave but I hope she comes home.

[Anastasis 23463]

Damn. 

[troph 24781]

Mother fucker, shit. Now I’m sad. 

[Seasick Sailor 3747]

My second favorite version of this song, and I don't hold it against those who think it's better than the original:

 

Edited August 13, 2021 by Seasick Sailor

[Vito Andolini 9124]

1 hour ago, Seasick Sailor said:

My second favorite version of this song, and I don't hold it against those who think it's better than the original:

 

I’m sorry to have to admit I wasn’t familiar with her work, but I saw the notice of her death on the NYT, and came here because I knew there would be some informed remembrances. The moment in Seasick’s link at 4:05, when she looks skyward and is almost tearing up, shows me she felt deeply about the music and her craft. I need to learn more. RIP.

[tigol 2395]

 

[Gatorubet 30185]

[tigol 2395]

Man, this hurts.  Saw the OP when I was at work and couldn't add more.  Busy.

My elementary school friend's Dad wasn't from Texas, but he loved the music and loved to strum his guitar.  He's the Dad that sat around in his boxers and a T-shirt until it was time for him to put on his Dolphin shorts to go for a run before dinner.  He'd play golf now and again, but his passion was music.  He took me and my friend sailing once on his tiny little rig on the lake.  I don't have the heart to text him this news.

[Asithappens 974]

Damn.

Thanks for posting this. 

[Brisketexan 105075]

 

My favorite Nanci song. One of my favorite songs, period. It’s a story of….just….life. Its beautiful simplicity, its complications, love, loss, regret, and in the end….with all of that road behind you, facing what little road remains in front of you with someone you love at your side. Walking….dancing…down that road together, however much is left.

My wife texted me to tell me of Nanci’s death earlier today. She knew how I felt.

On the way home, I played this song in the car. I didn’t make it halfway through the first verse before the tears came, and they didn’t stop.

After I was home for a bit, I wanted to play it again, and just listen. My wife and I ended up together in the kitchen. She held me as we swayed to the music, and I just cried.

It’s been a hard damned year for me. Really hard. Pretty brutal patch of road behind me. I’m really lucky to have her walk….and dance…all the way beside me.

God bless you, Nanci. Going up.

[tigol 2395]

1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:

My favorite Nanci song. One of my favorite songs, period. It’s a story of….just….life. Its beautiful simplicity, its complications, love, loss, regret, and in the end….with all of that road behind you, facing what little road remains in front of you with someone you love at your side. Walking….dancing…down that road together, however much is left.

My wife texted me to tell me of Nanci’s death earlier today. She knew how I felt.

On the way home, I played this song in the car. I didn’t make it halfway through the first verse before the tears came, and they didn’t stop.

After I was home for a bit, I wanted to play it again, and just listen. My wife and I ended up together in the kitchen. She held me as we swayed to the music, and I just cried.

It’s been a hard damned year for me. Really hard. Pretty brutal patch of road behind me. I’m really lucky to have her walk….and dance…all the way beside me.

God bless you, Nanci. Going up.

Dancing a little closer tonight.  

Edited August 14, 2021 by tigol

[YChang 3443]

This breaks my heart. Love, love Nanci.

[YChang 3443]

My favorite is this one

[Gut Wagon 8065]

She was utterly brilliant. For a long time and in so many ways. To us Texans, much of what she wrote and sang still brings brilliant personal images to mind. One of my all-time favorite artists, and not because I still recall the hours I spent in that same Austin Woolworth's store. RIP, dear lady. 

[Brisketexan 105075]

Man….spent some of this morning listening to more Nanci. More tears. Just some beautiful stuff. Melancholy. Joyful. Angry. Human.

And it also led me down the singer songwriter rabbit hole I hadn’t gone down in a while: Iris Dement, Emmylou, Townes….shit, when the weather gets just a bit cooler, I need to have some friends over, sit on the back porch sipping whiskey, everyone gets to play some of their favorites on the speaker. Not much talking, lots of sipping and listening. That’s the good stuff in life.

[hullabelew 3723]

She did a great job of this Pat Alger song, "Long Star State of Mind"

And another Pat Alger song.  "Once In A Very Blue Moon". What a band....Mark O'Connor, Roy Husky, Jr., 

 

[hullabelew 3723]

On 8/13/2021 at 5:06 PM, TexasBeta said:

Her celebration of Townes puts her up high in my book. I don’t know what Texas did to make her leave but I hope she comes home.

Some people aren't as sweet, nice and innocent as they appear. 

Edited August 16, 2021 by hullabelew

[smwhorn 482]

I'm 58 years old.  We moved to Houston when I was four when my dad went to work at NASA.  My parents met in Austin as UT undergrads in the late 1950s. They took us to Austin several times a year until I graduated high school when I then moved to Austin to go to UT.  During those four years at Texas, I cannot count the number of concerts I saw at the nine million venues, small to large, to see every type of live music.  Two to three per week, no exaggeration.  Moved back to Houston and continued to travel back to Austin many times a year for football, music, parties, weddings, etc.  Our son then moved to Austin to go to Texas from 2009-2013, another reason we regularly visited.

I had never heard of Nanci Griffith until her death this week.  I have spent the last two hours watching Youtube and listening to her perform.  I really can't put into words how sad it makes me feel to never have heard her sing or perform.  In fact, after watching and listening to her, I don't think I've ever been so sad to hear of the death of someone that did I not know, but had never heard of.  I wish I had been introduced to her music before her death.  With all of my/our ties to Austin, I am beyond disbelief.  Please don't dump on me.  I just don't understand how I could have missed out on her.

RIP Nanci Griffith.  RIP.

[Longhornstampede 3181]

The night we found out about her death my wife and I just listened to her music and cried together sitting on the living room couch. She wasn't as familiar with her music as I am. That night she let me play as much of her music as I wanted and we both had a good cry and then she thanked me. Turns out her favorite was Nanci singing Tecumseh Valley with Townes. Wife is also not as familiar with Townes' music.

 

[Hagbard Celine 10852]

GODDAMMNIT WE"RE GETTING FUCKING OLLLLLLLLLDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

fuck.

was at les amis when she came in for coffee in a yellow dress which i found out 20 years later was the day she did her acl debut at rtf.

back in the day everyone was cool and you didn't pay attention to shit like that.  i knew who she was and had seen here a couple of times around town but back then every artist was accessible and cool, laid back, and it was no big deal.

didn't talk to her, but total geek wheelhouse even though a generation older.  wood.

fuck.  fuck this shit.

i'm just here holding out for the eclipse in '24 and the world cup in '26, and hopefully elon gets us to mars while we're around.

no way most of us are making it to '41 and the next Great Alignment when time resets.

nanci, you were one hot dish.

[Gatorubet 30185]

Damn, they look like babies.

[elguapo 4586]

I was introduced to Nanci’s music growing up  by my Dad, he’d always tell me about seeing her perform at the Hole in the Wall.

I’ve been listening to her live album One Fair Summer Evening a lot recently, it is a beautiful album.

 

[ROFL BOX 6647]

Currently playing a "best of" on KLRU / 18.1.  Her wiki page still doesn't list a cause of death.

 

Listening to her voice makes me teary eyed for what we have lost with her passing.

[honolulu horn 6158]

she was a treasure

[Wiler77 1566]

I caught a replay of one of her ACL performances a couple of days ago.  Simply stunning voice.  I couldn't change the channel.