Grammy-winning folk singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith dies at 68

[peppertree]

Nanci Griffith, the Grammy-winning folk singer-songwriter from Texas whose literary songs like “Love at the Five and Dime” celebrated the South, has died. She was 68.

Griffith worked closely with other folk singers, helping the early careers of artists like Lyle Lovett and Emmylou Harris.

She had a high-pitched voice, and her singing was effortlessly smooth with a twangy Texas accent as she sang about Dust Bowl farmers and empty Woolworth general stores.

Griffith was also known for her recording of “From a Distance,” which would later become a well-known Bette Midler tune. The song appeared on Griffith's first major label release, “Lone Star State of Mind" in 1987.

Her 1993 album “Other Voices, Other Rooms,” earned a Grammy for best contemporary folk album. Named after a Truman Capote novel, the album features Griffith singing with Harris, John Prine, Arlo Guthrie and Guy Clark on classic folk songs.

At: https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Grammy-winning-folk-singer-songwriter-Nanci-16385586.php

Nanci Griffith, 1953-2021.

[tanyev]

1. It's hard to pick, but I think Gulf Coast Highway is my favorite Nanci Griffith song.

‘And when she dies she says she’ll catch some blackbird’s wing, and she will fly away to heaven, come some sweet Blue Bonnet spring’