Catie Curtis (born May 22, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter working primarily in the

folk rock Folk rock is a fusion genre of rock music with heavy influences from pop, English and American folk music. It arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music re ...

idiom. Her most recent album recording, ''The Raft,'' was released in 2020.

Career

Curtis was raised in Saco,

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

. By the age of fifteen she was playing drums for a local theater company and in her late teens she sat in with Foreigner on a performance of " I Want to Know What Love Is". She graduated from

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

in Providence,

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

with a degree in history and moved to

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, where she began working the

circuit. Curtis self-released the cassette-only ''Dandelion'' in 1989;Catie Curtis
AllMusic. Retrieved 28 March 2013. her first CD, ''From Years to Hours'', in 1991; and her second CD, ''Truth from Lies'', in 1995. She did not gain wide recognition, however, until a successful appearance at The Bottom Line in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

led to a contract with EMI/Guardian Records and the re-release of ''Truth from Lies'' in 1996. Her 1997 follow-up, ''Catie Curtis'', was named Album of the Year at that year's Gay and Lesbian American Music Awards. Her discography now runs to thirteen albums, including the highly regarded '' A Crash Course in Roses'' (1999). Her songs have featured in '' Alias'', ''

Dawson's Creek ''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college. It aired from January 20, 19 ...

'', ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...

'', '' Felicity'' and '' Chicago Hope'', as well as in several independent films. In 2005, she and Mark Erelli won the Grand Prize in the International Songwriting Competition for "People Look Around", a song written in response to Hurricane Katrina. Curtis has toured internationally as both headliner and support act. In 2009, she performed at the HRC Equality Ball in celebration of President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

’s inauguration. She performed at the White House the following year and again in 2011. Her tenth studio album ''Hello Stranger'' (2009) was produced by Garry West, and supported by Alison Brown and Stuart Duncan, along with Gary Marinelli (acoustic guitars, mandolin and resophonic guitar), Kenny Malone (drums and percussion) and Todd Phillips (acoustic bass).

Personal life

Catie Curtis who is a lesbian, was married to Liz Marshall for 17 years, but separated in 2014. Together they have two adoptive daughters, Lucy and MJ Marshall. Curtis is a supporter of

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

, and is qualified to officiate weddings as of 2010.

Awards

* 1996 Out Song at the Gay and Lesbian American Music Awards for "Radical" from ''Truth From Lies''. * 1996 Out Recording at the Gay and Lesbian American Music Awards for "Radical" from ''Truth From Lies''. * 1997 Album of the Year at the Gay and Lesbian American Music Awards for ''Catie Curtis''. * 1999 Out Song at the Gay and Lesbian American Music Awards for "What's The Matter" from ''A Crash Course in Roses''. * 2002 Song of the Year on an Indie Label at the Boston Music Awards for "Kiss that Counted". * 2005 Grand Prize in the International Songwriting Competition for "People Look Around" (with Mark Erelli).

Discography

* ''Dandelion'' (1989) * ''From Years to Hours'' (Hear Music, Mongoose Music, 1991) * ''Truth from Lies'' (Guardian Records, 1995) * ''Catie Curtis'' (Rykodisc, 1997) * '' A Crash Course in Roses'' (Rykodisc, 1999) * ''Catie Curtis Live'' (Rykodisc, 2000) * '' My Shirt Looks Good on You'' (Rykodisc, 2001) * ''Acoustic Valentine'' (Sam the Pug Records, 2003) * ''Dreaming in Romance Languages'' (Vanguard, 2004) * ''Long Night Moon'' (Compass Records, 2006) * ''Sweet Life'' (Compass Records, 2008) * ''Hello, Stranger'' (Compass Records, 2009) * ''Stretch Limousine on Fire'' (Compass Records, 2011) * ''A Catie Curtis Christmas'' (Catie Curtis Records, 2012) * ''Flying Dream'' (Catie Curtis Records, 2014) * ''While We're Here'' (Catie Curtis Records, 2017) * ''The Raft'' (Catie Curtis Records, 2020) A 2003 compilation, ''From Years to Hours: The Early Recordings'', combines eight of the eleven tracks from the 1991 album with four other early songs.

References

External links

Official Website

Allmusic profile of C. Curtis

Discogs profile of C. Curtis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, Catie 1965 births Living people American women singer-songwriters American folk singers Singers from Maine Brown University alumni Fast Folk artists American lesbian musicians LGBTQ people from Maine American LGBTQ singers American LGBTQ songwriters Rykodisc artists Capitol Records artists Vanguard Records artists People from Saco, Maine Songwriters from Maine Guitarists from Maine Lesbian singer-songwriters 20th-century American women guitarists 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American women writers American lesbian writers