Tift Merritt

Born in Houston, Texas, and associated with the Raleigh scene in North Carolina, Tift Merritt first drew attention in the clubs of Raleigh and Chapel Hill with the Carbines, then alongside the Two Dollar Pistols, before embarking on a solo path at the crossroads of country-folk, Americana and alternative country. Merritt's songwriting is built on classic song forms, carried by a supple voice and a marked taste for spare arrangements, between acoustic ballad, country-rock and soul-tinged hues. Her first album, Bramble Rose, was released in 2002, followed by Tambourine in 2004, an album nominated for a Grammy in the country category. She then broadened her palette with Another Country in 2008, partly written in Paris, followed by See You on the Moon in 2010 and Traveling Alone in 2012, recorded with Tucker Martine and enriched by contributions from Marc Ribot and John Convertino. In 2013 Merritt also released Night with pianist Simone Dinnerstein, a project situated between traditional American songs and the classical repertoire. Her album Stitch of the World came out in 2017. Over the years Tift Merritt has moved through folk, country and americana circuits, touring solo and with an approach that favors narrative, melody and a form of austerity.