Natalie Anne Merchant (born October 26, 1963) is an American

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...

singer-songwriter. She joined the band 10,000 Maniacs in 1981 and was lead vocalist and primary lyricist for the group. She remained with the group for their first seven albums and left it to begin her solo career in 1993. She has since released seven studio albums as a solo artist.

Early life

Natalie Merchant was born October 26, 1963, in Jamestown, New York, the third of four children of Anthony and Anne Merchant. Her paternal grandfather, who played the accordion, mandolin and guitar, immigrated to the United States from

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; his surname was "Mercante" before it was Anglicized. When Merchant was a child, her mother listened to music (primarily Petula Clark but also

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in '' Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Wit ...

) and encouraged her children to study music, but would not allow television after Natalie was 12. "I was taken to the symphony a lot because my mother loved classical music. But I was dragged to see Styx when I was 12. We had to drive 100 miles to

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

. Someone threw up next to me and people were smoking pot. It was terrifying. I remember Styx had a white piano which rose out of the stage. It was awe-inspiring and inspirational." "She er motherhad show tunes, she had the soundtrack from ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play '' Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid ...

'' and ''

South Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

''. And then eventually... she'd always liked classical music and then she married a jazz musician, so that's the kind of music I was into. I never really had friends who sat around and listened to the stereo and said 'hey, listen to this one', so I'd never even heard of who

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

was until I was 18." Merchant says she did not have a television set between 1988 and 1989: "I grew up in a house where no one watched the news on television and no one read the paper. I've been discovering these things as I get older, and the news has affected me more than it ever has before." Merchant started working in a health food store at 16. She considered a career in special education after taking part in a summer program for disabled children, but in 1981 she started singing for a band, Still Life, which became 10,000 Maniacs.

Career

10,000 Maniacs

Merchant was lead singer and primary lyricist for 10,000 Maniacs, joining in its infancy in 1981 while she was a student at Jamestown Community College. The group recorded their first album ''Human Conflict Number Five'', and recorded a corresponding

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

at the Hotel Franklin and at Group W Westinghouse studios in Jamestown, New York, in 1982. Merchant sang lead vocals, and later played the piano as well on seven studio albums with 10,000 Maniacs. In 1993 she announced that she was leaving the group, citing a lack of creative control over the music she wrote with the band. Her last recording with the band, a cover of Bruce Springsteen's and Patti Smith's " Because the Night" at the 10,000 Maniacs ''MTV Unplugged'' performance, reached #11 on the Hot 100 chart on February 18, 1994; becoming the band's highest-charting song in the U.S.

''Tigerlily'' (1995)

After her split with 10,000 Maniacs, Merchant was so eager to begin writing her own material that she went home that very day and composed the song "I May Know the Word", which was originally meant to appear on the soundtrack to the

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

movie ''

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

''. The song was eventually cut from the soundtrack, but it would go on to appear on Merchant's debut solo album, ''

Tigerlily ''Tigerlily'' is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant, released on June 20, 1995, following her departure from the alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs. ''Tigerlily'' peaked at No. 13 on the ''Billboard'' 200 a ...

'', which was released on the Elektra label in 1995. The third song on the album, "Beloved Wife", was featured as the first song in the trailer for the film '' Message in a Bottle''. ''Tigerlily'' was a critical and commercial success, spawning her first top-ten hit in the single " Carnival", and achieving top-40 success with subsequent singles " Wonder" and "Jealousy". The album would go on to sell over five million copies, and continues to be Merchant's most successful album to date. She did extensive touring for it and made numerous television appearances, including performances on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...

'', at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and on late-night talk shows. The media's immediate and critical effect on culture and cultural icons was of particular interest to Merchant. In "River", a song from ''Tigerlily'', Merchant defends River Phoenix as she castigates the media for systematically dissecting the child actor after his death.

''Ophelia'' (1998–1999)

Three years passed before Merchant released her second solo effort, '' Ophelia''. While ''Tigerlily'' contained sparse instrumentation, the music on ''Ophelia'' had lusher arrangements. The reprise at the close of the album featured a symphonic arrangement composed and conducted by British composer Gavin Bryars with whom she would collaborate nine years later to put Shakespeare's sonnets to music. Merchant treated the recording of ''Ophelia'' as a series of workshops, where she would invite various musicians she had met over the years into her home studio to collaborate and record. While ''Ophelia'' is not a concept record in the traditional sense, the name of the album and the title track are a literary reference to

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's Ophelia. The first single off the album was a happy and uncharacteristically simple song called " Kind and Generous", which received massive airplay on VH1 and which solidified Merchant's role as a bona fide solo artist. That summer, Sarah McLachlan invited Merchant to co-headline the year's biggest music festival with her, Lilith Fair. The exposure from the tour helped the album reach Platinum status in just under a year, with subsequent singles " Break Your Heart" and "Life Is Sweet" receiving moderate airplay on adult contemporary stations. No video was filmed for the latter, however, with a clip from Merchant's appearance on '' VH1 Storytellers'' being used instead. She would also go on to appear on PBS' '' Sessions at West 54th'' and VH1's '' Hard Rock Live'' before the year's end. In 1998, Merchant also recorded

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

's "But Not for Me" for the Red Hot Organization's compilation album '' Red Hot + Rhapsody'', a tribute to

, which raised money for various charities devoted to increasing

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ma ...

awareness and fighting the disease. The ''Ophelia'' tour ended in 1999 with the final few shows being performed and recorded on Broadway. The performance would be released as the album '' Natalie Merchant: Live in Concert'' with a companion video of the same name. The performance was notable in that it featured numerous covers including songs by

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fu ...

, and

Katell Keineg Katell Keineg (born February 1965), is a Breton- Welsh singer-songwriter, based in Wales. Early life Born in Brittany and raised first there and later in the Rhymney Valley, Katell Keineg is the second child and only daughter of Breton poet and ...

. In 1998, Merchant collaborated on the making of the album '' Mermaid Avenue'' with

Billy Bragg Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) is an English singer-songwriter and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic themes. His music i ...

and Wilco, which set previously unreleased Guthrie lyrics to music by Bragg. She provided lead vocals for the song "Birds and Ships" and backing vocals for "Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key", and returned for the second volume of the album, 2000s '' Mermaid Avenue Vol. II'', providing vocals on the song "I Was Born".

American folk music tour (2000) and ''Motherland'' (2001)

In 2000, Merchant embarked on a folk tour in the United States with many shows being supported by alt-country band Wilco. Merchant's next studio album on the Elektra label was '' Motherland'', released in 2001. ''Motherland'' saw Merchant at her most experimental musically. ''Motherland'' achieved Gold on the Billboard charts after debuting at No. 30 on the Billboard 200 and No. 13 on the Top Internet Albums of 2001, respectively. ''Rolling Stone'' favored this album with 3½ stars, and also noticed a difference in Merchant's voice, which was more deep and gritty like that of Sade than her previous albums. Singles that were released from ''Motherland'' were " Just Can't Last", " Build a Levee" and "Tell Yourself". Merchant embarked on a year-and-a-half-long world tour to promote ''Motherland''. The first leg of the tour started in Minneapolis, Minnesota on October 17, 2001, with performances across the United States, and heading to Europe with some special acoustic shows in Europe. Merchant also participated in the Rock am Ring Festival and Rock im Park in 2002. In the summer of 2002, she was paired with Chris Isaak and played at stadiums and arenas.

''The House Carpenter's Daughter'' (2003)

After her contract with Elektra expired in August 2002, Merchant decided not to sign with them again, or any other major label. Her next studio album, '' The House Carpenter's Daughter'', was released in September 2003 on her own label, Myth America Records. To date this has been the only release on Myth America.

''Leave Your Sleep'' (2010)

In October 2009, the websites of Nonesuch Records and Natalie Merchant announced that she had signed with the label. ''

Leave Your Sleep ''Leave Your Sleep'' is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant. Produced by Merchant and Andres Levin, the double concept album is "a project about childhood" and is a collection of music adapted from 19th and 20 ...

'' was released on April 13, 2010 and is a compilation of five years of inspiration from a "conversation" with her daughter over the "first 6 years of her life". The album debuted on the Billboard Top 200 at No. 17, Billboard Folk Albums at No. 1, Amazon.com at No.1, and

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...

, No. 3. The album was co-produced by Andres Levin. Merchant contributed a cover of

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...

's "Learning the Game" to the tribute album '' Listen to Me: Buddy Holly'', released September 6, 2011.

''Natalie Merchant'' (2014)

In February 2014, Merchant announced her eponymous album. The album consists of new works. It is her first collection of original material since 2001's ''Motherland''. ''Natalie Merchant'' was released May 6, 2014, on Nonesuch Records and was named Album of the Week by ''The Daily Telegraph.'' The album debuted at #20 on ''Billboard''s Top 200 albums and #2 on ''Billboard''s Folk Albums charts for the week of May 24, 2014. She toured from July 3, 2014, kicking off in Kingston, New York, concluding at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee on July 25, 2014.

''Paradise Is There: The New Tigerlily Recordings'' (2015)

In 2015, Merchant released an album of new recordings of the songs from her multi-platinum solo album. She enhanced many of the tracks with strings and stripped others bare. She says, "The distance this music traveled once it left my hands is humbling, and I am moved by how many lives it has touched along the way." Natalie Merchant Cambridge 28 July 2018

''Butterfly'' (2017)

In 2017, Merchant released ''

Butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group compris ...

'', a collection of new songs and orchestral versions of previously recorded songs.

''Keep Your Courage'' (2023)

On November 29, 2022, Merchant announced that she will release her eighth studio album, ''Keep Your Courage'', on April 14, 2023 via Nonesuch Records. The album will be Merchant's first of new material since her 2014 eponymous album ''Natalie Merchant''.

Personal life

Merchant met Michael Stipe of the band R.E.M. in 1983. The two became close friends and eventually had a romantic relationship. They credit each other as inspirations for some of their songwriting. In an interview with ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'', Stipe said, "Natalie was really the reason my work became politicised in the late Eighties." In 2003, Merchant married Daniel de la Calle and had a daughter named Lucia. In an interview in 2012, she indicated that she was divorced. Merchant enjoys gardening and painting. Some of her paintings can be seen on her website. She has been a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetariani ...

since 1980, except for the duration of her pregnancy, when she temporarily resumed eating meat. In 1997, she said: She now teaches arts and crafts to underprivileged children in New York state.

Activism

In 2012, Merchant, along with actor and writer Mark Ruffalo, organized a concert to protest oil and gas fracking in New York state. A documentary, written and directed by Jon Bowermaster, was made of the event and titled ''Dear Governor Cuomo''. She directed a short 2013 documentary titled ''Shelter: A Concert Film to Benefit Victims of Domestic Violence'', that shone light on a group of women living in the mid-Hudson region of New York State responding to the crisis of domestic violence in their community with compassion and creativity. It was inspired by an event for One Billion Rising, a global campaign calling for an end to violence against women, held on February 14, 2013. Merchant presented a screening of the film at the Old Dutch Church in Kingston, New York, on the day of One Billion Rising for Justice. Merchant, an outspoken critic of then- President-elect

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

, participated in an anti-Trump protest organized by Mark Ruffalo and

Michael Moore Michael Francis Moore (born April 23, 1954) is an American filmmaker, author and left-wing activist. His works frequently address the topics of globalization and capitalism. Moore won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for ' ...

, held outside Trump International Hotel and Tower in New York City on January 19, 2017. Merchant performed her single "Motherland". She concluded the event with a group sing-along of Woody Guthrie's " This Land Is Your Land". The event was covered by CNN and broadcast live. Merchant is a member of the Canadian charity Artists Against Racism and has worked with them in the past on awareness campaigns.

Awards and nominations

{, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" , - ! scope="col" , Award ! scope="col" , Year ! scope="col" , Nominee(s) ! scope="col" , Category ! scope="col" , Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable", , - ! scope="row" rowspan=4, ASCAP Pop Music Awards , rowspan=3, 1997 , " Carnival" , rowspan=4, Most Performed Songs , , rowspan=3, , - , " Wonder" , , - , "Jealousy" , , - , 1999 , "

Kind & Generous "Kind & Generous" is a song by American singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant, released as the first single from her second studio album, ''Ophelia'' (1998). It became a radio hit in North America, peaking at number 18 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 10 ...

" , , , - ! scope="row" rowspan=4, Pollstar Concert Industry Awards , rowspan=3, 1990 , rowspan=3, 10,000 Maniacs , Small Hall Tour of the Year , , rowspan=3, , - , Surprise Hot Ticket Of The Year , , - , Next Major Arena Headliner , , - , 1996 , Herself , Small Hall Tour Of The Year , ,

Discography

With 10,000 Maniacs

* '' Human Conflict Number Five'' (EP) (1982) * ''

Secrets of the I Ching ''Secrets of the I Ching'' is the first album by American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs (following their 1982 EP, ''Human Conflict Number Five''), released in 1983 by Mark Records. While the album also contained the band's own Christian Bu ...

'' (1983) * '' The Wishing Chair'' (1985) * '' In My Tribe'' (1987) * '' Blind Man's Zoo'' (1989) * '' Hope Chest: The Fredonia Recordings 1982–1983'' (1990) * '' Our Time in Eden'' (1992) * '' MTV Unplugged'' (1993) * '' Campfire Songs: The Popular, Obscure and Unknown Recordings'' (2004)

Solo

* 1995: ''

'' * 1998: '' Ophelia'' * 2001: '' Motherland'' * 2003: '' The House Carpenter's Daughter'' * 2010: ''

'' * 2014: '' Natalie Merchant'' * 2015: '' Paradise Is There: The New Tigerlily Recordings'' * 2017: ''

'' * 2023: ''Keep Your Courage''

Filmography

Films

{, class="wikitable" , - ! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes , - , 1990 , , ''Time Capsule'' , , Herself (vocals, piano, organ) , , Video documentary , - , 1996 , , '' One Fine Day'' , , Performer "One Fine Day" , , Soundtrack , - , 1998 , , ''Ophelia'' , , Performer , , Short film , - , 1999 , , '' Bringing Out the Dead'' , , Performer/writer: "These Are Days" , , Soundtrack , - , 1999 , , ''Natalie Merchant: Live in Concert'' , , Herself (vocals, piano) , , Live concert video , - , 2002 , , '' When in Rome'' , , Performer/writer: "These Are Days" , , Soundtrack , - , 2003 , , ''

Cheaper by the Dozen ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, published in 1948. The novel recounts the authors' childhood lives growing up in a household of 12 children. The bestsel ...

'' , , Performer/writer: "These Are Days" , , Soundtrack , - , 2004 , , ''

Purgatory House ''Purgatory House'' is an independent film written by 14-year-old Celeste Davis and directed by Cindy Baer, who were paired in the Big Sisters of America program when Davis was 11 years old. It deals with the topics of teen suicide and drug addi ...

'' , , Performer/writer: "My Skin" , , Soundtrack , - , 2005 , , '' Earthlings'' , , Composer , , Documentary , - , 2006 , , ''Candida'' , , Performer/writer: "Motherland" , , Soundtrack

Television

{, class="wikitable" , - ! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes , - , 1985 , , ''The Tube'' , , Herself (as 10,000 Maniacs) , , (Channel 4, UK) Aired 1985; "My Mother the War" and "Can't Ignore the Train" , - , 1988 , , ''Saturday Night Live'' , , Herself (as 10,000 Maniacs) , , (NBC) Aired February 27, 1988; "Peace Train" and "Like the Weather" , - , 1989 , , ''The Arsenio Hall Show'' , , Herself (as 10,000 Maniacs) , , "Eat for Two" , - , 1990 , , ''MTV Unplugged'' , , Herself (as 10,000 Maniacs) , , MTV , - , 1992 , , ''Saturday Night Live'' , , Herself (as 10,000 Maniacs) , , (NBC) Aired October 31, 1992; "Candy Everybody Wants" and "These Are Days" , - , 1993 , , ''MTV Unplugged'' , , Herself (as 10,000 Maniacs) , , First artist to make second appearance , - , 1993 , , ''Rock & Roll Inaugural Ball'' , , Herself (as 10,000 Maniacs) , , , - , 1993 , , MTV VMAS , , Herself – presenter , , TV special , - , 1995 , , ''Concert for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame'' , , Herself – performer , , "I Know How to Do It" , - , 1995 , , ''Saturday Night Live'' , , Herself – performer , , (NBC) Host David Schwimmer , - , 1996 , , ''Late Show with David Letterman'' , , Herself – performer , , (NBC) Host David Letterman "Wonder" , - , 1997 , , ''Sessions at West 54th'' , , Herself – performer , , (PBS) "Planctus" with Philip Glass , - , 1998 , , ''Saturday Night Live'' , , Herself – performer , , (NBC) Host Matthew Broderick , - , 1998 , , Hard Rock Live , , Herself – performer , , VH1 , - , 1998 , , ''VH1 Storytellers'' , , Herself – performer , , Later released as DVD , - , 1998 , , ''Sessions at West 54th'' , , Herself – performer , , (NBC) Host David Byrne , - , 1999 , , ''Man in the Sand'' , , Herself , , Video documentary , - , 1999 , , ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' , , Musical guest , , (NBC) "Life Is Sweet" , - , 1999 , , ''Lifetime's Intimate Portrait'' , , Herself , , Biographical , - , 2000 , , ''ABC 2000: The Millennium'' , , Herself – performer , , "Kind and Generous" , - , 2001 , , ''Come Together: A Night for John Lennon's Words & Music'' , , Herself – performer , , "Nowhere Man" , - , 2001 , , ''Up Close and Personal'' , , Herself – performer , , Oxygen , - , 2002 , , ''Austin City Limits'' , , Herself – performer , , PBS , - , 2003 , , ''Go Further'' , , Herself , , Documentary , - , 2010 , , ''Good Morning America'' , , Herself – performer , , ABC News , - , 2015 , , ''The Today Show'' , , Herself – performer , , NBC News , - , 2016 , , ''The Andrew Marr Show'' , , Herself – performer , , "Where I Go" (BBC UK; aired March 20, 2016) , - , 2019 , , ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' , , Herself – performer , , "These Are the Days" {, class="wikitable" , - ! Talk show !! Year , - , ''The Arsenio Hall Show'' , , 1989 , - , ''Late Show with David Letterman'' , , 1995, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2001, 2004 , - , ''The Rosie O'Donnell Show'' , , 1996, 1996, 1998, 1998, 1999, 1999, 2001, 2002 , - , ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' , , 1992, 1993, 2001, 2002, 2010 , - , ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' , , 2019 , - , ''The Katie Show'' , , 2014 , - , ''One Hour with Jonathan Ross'' , , 12 November 1989

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Merchant, Natalie 1963 births Living people 10,000 Maniacs members American contraltos American women singer-songwriters American pop pianists American women pop singers American pop rock singers American rock songwriters American women rock singers People from Jamestown, New York Elektra Records artists Nonesuch Records artists American people of Italian descent Singer-songwriters from New York (state) American alternative rock musicians American folk singers Folk pianists American rock pianists People from Ridgefield, Connecticut American folk rock musicians Jamestown Community College alumni 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American women singers 20th-century American women pianists 21st-century American singers Singer-songwriters from Connecticut