Leigh Nash
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Leigh Anne Bingham Nash ( ; born June 27, 1976) is an American singer and songwriter who is the lead vocalist for the Christian alternative rock band
Sixpence None the Richer Sixpence None the Richer is an American Christian alternative rock band that formed in New Braunfels, Texas, and eventually settled in Nashville, Tennessee. They are best known for their songs " Kiss Me" and " Breathe Your Name" and their cover ...
and was also a member of Fauxliage. Her debut solo album, '' Blue on Blue'', was released in August 2006. Nash has released two other solo albums in 2011 and 2015. Nash has two Grammy nominations: "Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal" in 1999 and "Best Rock Gospel Album" in 1998.


Early life

Nash was born Leigh Anne Bingham in
New Braunfels, Texas New Braunfels ( ) is a city in Comal County, Texas, Comal and Guadalupe County, Texas, Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Comal County. The city covers and had a population of 90,403 as of the 2020 United Sta ...
. She started singing country music and learning old country songs on the guitar at the age of 12. She had several years experience singing in local cafes with a band and performed regularly at a Texan country & western dance hall. She met guitarist and songwriter Matt Slocum at a church retreat in the early 1990s.


Career

Leigh Nash and Matt Slocum formed Sixpence None the Richer (named for a line from the book ''
Mere Christianity ''Mere Christianity'' is a Christian apologetical book by the British author C. S. Lewis. It was adapted from a series of BBC radio talks made between 1941 and 1944, originally published as three separate volumes: ''Broadcast Talks'' (1942), ' ...
'' by the author
C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer, literary scholar and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Magdalen College, Oxford (1925–1954), and Magdalen ...
) soon after and went on to record four full-length albums with the band. Their first album, released when she was age 17, was '' The Fatherless & the Widow''. The album garnered critical acclaim and Slocum and Nash searched for new band members. Joined by Tess Wiley, Dale Baker, and J.J. Plascencio, the new band recorded '' This Beautiful Mess'', which won a
Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards ceremonies presented annually and have been held in Nashville, Tennessee exce ...
for Best Album. Wiley quit the band after their US tour and the band released the '' Tickets for a Prayer Wheel'' EP and then signed to the Squint Records label following the demise of R.E.X. The band's eponymous album was released in 1997 and the single " Kiss Me" in 1999. In 1999 they received numerous Dove Awards, including Best Artist of the Year. The band was also nominated for a
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
. A second single, a cover of the La's " There She Goes", also hit the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, followed by a third single, "I Can't Catch You". In 2000, Nash sang the song " Need to Be Next to You" for the movie '' Bounce''. Written by
Diane Warren Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has won an Academy Honorary Award, Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and three consecutive ''Billboard'' Music Awards for Songwriter of the Year from 19 ...
, it became Nash's first solo single. After the departure of drummer Dale Baker and bass player J.J. Plascencio, Sixpence None the Richer released ''Divine Discontent'' in 2001. Two singles from that album, "Breathe Your Name" and a cover of
Crowded House Crowded House are an Australian-New Zealand rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Paul Hester (drums), who were both for ...
's 1986 hit single "
Don't Dream It's Over "Don't Dream It's Over" is a song by rock band Crowded House, recorded for their 1986 self-titled debut studio album. The song was composed and written by New Zealand frontman Neil Finn and released in October 1986 as the fourth single from ...
", charted on the US Adult Top 40 at No. 18 and No. 9, respectively. In 2003, the band appeared on an episode of the final season of the ABC sitcom ''
Sabrina, The Teenage Witch ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' is a comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a fictional American teenager named Sabrina Spellman. Sabrina was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo, and first appea ...
''. In 2004, Sixpence None the Richer announced their breakup by letter from Matt Slocum to ''
CCM Magazine ''CCM Magazine'' is an online magazine focusing on contemporary Christian music and media, published by Logan and Amanda Sekulow. History ''CCM'' was first published in July 1978, as a printed magazine. It has been owned by Salem since 1999. O ...
''. After that, the band released '' The Best of Sixpence None the Richer''. Nash and her husband left their Nashville home of 10 years and moved to Los Angeles. Nash released her first solo record, '' Blue on Blue'', in August 2006 on One Son Records, Nash's own imprint label through
Nettwerk Nettwerk Music Group is an independent record label founded in 1984. The Vancouver-based company was created by principals Terry McBride and Mark Jowett as a record label to distribute recordings by the band Moev, but the label expanded in Ca ...
Productions. The first single, " My Idea of Heaven", was released to U.S. radio the week of July 14, 2006, and the song "Ocean Size Love" was to be the second single, but it was a promo release only. She has also recorded a song "Mirrors and Smoke" with the band
Jars of Clay Jars of Clay is a Christian alternative rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. The members met at Greenville College in Greenville, Illinois.Jars of Clay. (2005). Making the GradeiTunes Originals - Jars of Clay. AC Audio Essential Records. The ...
on their album '' Good Monsters'' the same year. She also performed the song "A Place for Us" (written by
Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born November 5, 1959) is a British and Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and photographer. He is estimated to have sold between 75 million and more than 100 million album, records and Single (music), si ...
) with
Tyler James Tyler James may refer to: * Tyler James (American musician) (born 1982), American singer-songwriter * Tyler James (English musician) Kenneth Gordon (born 5 January 1982), better known by his stage name Tyler James, is an English singer and so ...
for the 2007 Disney film '' Bridge to Terabithia''. In 2007, Nash began a new band, Fauxliage, with Canadian band
Delerium Delerium is a Canadian new-age ambient electronic musical duo that formed in 1987, originally as a side project of the influential industrial music act Front Line Assembly. Throughout the band's history, their musical style has encompassed a ...
, which released a self-titled album on August 14, 2007. Nash, Megan Thompson and Kate York also started a Christian band called Thompson, York & Nash. They worked on a few songs that have been put on MySpace. However, none of the songs posted on their MySpace page have been formally released. In January 2008 Nash traveled to New Zealand for the annual Parachute Music Festival, where she performed acoustic covers of Sixpence None the Richer hits "Kiss Me " and " There She Goes". In late 2008, Nash toured with Delerium. Nash has since rejoined Sixpence and worked on a new EP '' My Dear Machine EP'', and the Christmas album '' The Dawn of Grace''. Guitarist Tess Wiley returned to the band to support them on a European tour. Nash joined Open Wings-Broken Strings tour in late 2009, along with
Ed Kowalczyk Edward Joel Kowalczyk (; ; born July 16, 1971)"Edward Kowalczyk IMDb entry"
''Inte ...
of
Live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film * ''Live'' (2023 film), a Malayalam-language film *'' Live: Phát Trực Tiếp'', a Vietnamese-langua ...
and Art Alexakis of Everclear. In 2011 she released a worship album entitled ''Hymns and Sacred Songs'', and in August 2012, she released '' Lost in Transition'', her sixth studio album with Sixpence None the Richer. On September 18, 2015, Nash released her album: '' The State I'm In''. She writes for BMG. In 2018, Nash released a cover of
the Pretenders The Pretenders are a British rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Farndon (ba ...
' 1986 single " Don't Get Me Wrong". In an interview, Nash stated that new music will be coming soon and will be crowd-funded. On August 25, 2021, Nash announced ''The Tide'', a six-song project, would be released September 24 and would feature collaborations with
Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He played in a number of local bluegrass music, bluegrass bands in the 1970s, and from 1978 to 1982, he achieved his first mainstream attention after ta ...
,
Tanya Tucker Tanya Denise Tucker (born October 10, 1958) is an American country music singer and songwriter who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13. During her career Tucker became one of the few child performers to mature into adulthood ...
,
CeCe Winans Priscilla Marie Love, known professionally by her stage name as CeCe Winans, (born October 8, 1964) is an American gospel singer who has garnered 17 Grammy Awards, the most for any female gospel singer; 33 GMA Dove Awards, 19 Stellar Awards, ...
, Ruby Amanfu,
Raul Malo Raul Francisco Martínez-Malo Jr. (born August 7, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer. He is the lead singer of country music band the Mavericks and the co-writer of many of their singles, as well as Rick Tr ...
and Stephen Wilson Jr. In July 2023, it was announced that Nash would be joining
10,000 Maniacs 10,000 Maniacs are an American alternative rock band founded in 1981. They have released nine studio albums, six EPs, and five live albums. They achieved their most significant success between 1987 and 1993, when they released four albums that c ...
as their new lead singer. Just six months later, however, Nash left the band, with Mary Ramsey returning as lead singer.


Inspiration

Nash has two distinct poles of inspiration: her work with Sixpence in the Christian music sphere and her childhood fascination with older female country artists like
Tanya Tucker Tanya Denise Tucker (born October 10, 1958) is an American country music singer and songwriter who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13. During her career Tucker became one of the few child performers to mature into adulthood ...
,
Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "Hey Loretta", "The Pill (song), The P ...
, and
Patsy Cline Patsy Cline (born Virginia Patterson Hensley; September 8, 1932 – March 5, 1963) was an American singer. One of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century, she was known as one of the first country music artists to successfully Cross ...
. "I started singing country music and learning old country songs on the guitar when I was 12. I was really, really shy but just had this desire to get on stage and started calling clubs myself to ask if I could come down and sing," says Nash, who grew up in the
Texas Hill Country The Texas Hill Country is a geographic region of Central and South Texas, forming the southeast part of the Edwards Plateau. Given its location, climate, terrain, and vegetation, the Hill Country can be considered the border between the Ame ...
town of New Braunfels. Before long, the adolescent Nash was singing Loretta Lynn and Tanya Tucker songs like "You Ain't Woman Enough to Take My Man" and "Texas When I Die" on alcohol-free, open mic Sunday nights, backed by a middle-aged band of town locals. Later in life her interest in pop acts like
the Sundays The Sundays were an English alternative rock band, formed in Bristol. The band's lineup consisted of lead vocalist Harriet Wheeler, guitarist David Gavurin, bassist Paul Brindley, and drummer Patrick Hannan. Percussionist Lindsay Jamieson was ...
, Innocence Mission, and
the Cranberries The Cranberries were an Irish rock music, rock band formed in Limerick in 1989. The band was composed of lead singer and guitarist Dolores O'Riordan, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan (Noel's brother), and drummer Fergal Lawler. O'Riord ...
provided more formative material for her songwriting and singing.


Personal life

Nash is the younger of two sisters. In May 1996, she married PFR drummer Mark Nash, whom she met while both bands were performing at the
Cornerstone Festival Cornerstone Festival was a Christian music festival put on by Jesus People USA and held annually around July 4 near Bushnell, Illinois, drawing some 20,000 attendees each year. In a given year, many artists that played at Cornerstone also playe ...
in
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
. They have a son together, who was born in 2004. The couple divorced in 2007. Nash married musician Stephen Wilson Jr in 2011.


Discography

* '' Blue on Blue'' (2006) * '' Fauxliage'' (collaboration with
Delerium Delerium is a Canadian new-age ambient electronic musical duo that formed in 1987, originally as a side project of the influential industrial music act Front Line Assembly. Throughout the band's history, their musical style has encompassed a ...
)
(2007) * ''Hymns and Sacred Songs'' (2011) * '' The State I'm In'' (2015) * ''The Tide'' (2021)


Other appearances


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nash, Leigh Bingham 1976 births Living people 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American singer-songwriters People from New Braunfels, Texas Singers from Nashville, Tennessee American women country singers American country singer-songwriters American women pop singers American women rock singers American pop rock singers American performers of Christian music Musicians from New Braunfels, Texas Singer-songwriters from Texas Singer-songwriters from Tennessee Country musicians from Texas Country musicians from Tennessee New Braunfels High School alumni 10,000 Maniacs members