Pierce Pettis
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Pierce Pettis (born April 14, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter from Fort Payne,
Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
.


Biography

A former staff writer for PolyGram Publishing in
Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
, Pettis' musical career was started in 1979 when
Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (, ; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing mo ...
covered one of his songs, "Song at the End of the Movie", on her album ''Honest Lullaby''. Following that release, Pettis became heavily involved in the "
Fast Folk ''Fast Folk Musical Magazine'' (originally known as ''The CooP'') was a combination magazine and record album published from February 1982 to 1997. The magazine acted as a songwriter/performer cooperative, and was an outlet for singer-songwrit ...
movement" in New York in the 1980s alongside artists such as
Shawn Colvin Shawn Colvin (born Shawna Lee Colvin, January 10, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for her 1997 Grammy Award-winning song "Sunny Came Home". Early life Colvin was born Shawna Lee Colvin in Vermillion, South Dakota, and ...
and
Suzanne Vega Suzanne Nadine Vega ( Peck; born July 11, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter of Folk music, folk-inspired music. Vega's music career spans 40 years. In the mid-1980s and 1990s she released four singles that entered the Top 40 charts in the ...
. In 1984, Pettis released his first independent solo album, ''Moments''. Signing with
High Street Records High Street Records was a subsidiary label of Windham Hill Records from about 1990 to 1997. Notable acts who recorded for the label include John Gorka, Pierce Pettis, Patty Larkin, The Subdudes, Downy Mildew, and Dots Will Echo. Several sing ...
in 1989, he made three albums with them: ''While the Serpent Lies Sleeping'' in 1989; ''Tinseltown'', produced by
Mark Heard John Mark Heard III (December 16, 1951 – August 16, 1992) was an American record producer, folk rock singer and songwriter from Macon, Georgia. Heard released sixteen albums, and produced or performed with many artists, including: Sam Phil ...
in 1991; and ''Chase the Buffalo'', produced by David Miner in 1993. None of these releases made Pettis a household name, but his music became extremely popular with other artists. The production on ''While the Serpent Lies Sleeping'' is erratic, apparently trying to balance a folk-rock sound with Pierce's mostly introspective and introverted lyrics. Pettis and producer Doug Jansen Smith argued often over the production, and did not work with each other subsequently.
Mark Heard John Mark Heard III (December 16, 1951 – August 16, 1992) was an American record producer, folk rock singer and songwriter from Macon, Georgia. Heard released sixteen albums, and produced or performed with many artists, including: Sam Phil ...
, Pettis' own choice as producer for ''Tinseltown'' gave that album a more straightforward folk sound, with the occasional touch of bluegrass or rock. The lyrics are also more provocative, and the album includes a few tracks that are basically protest songs. Heard and Pettis became close friends, and after Heard's untimely death in 1992, Pettis made a decision to include a Mark Heard song on every subsequent album of his own until Heard's songwriting abilities gained greater attention, a practice Pettis continues to this day. ''Chase the Buffalo'', undoubtedly the most lyrically rich album of the High Street years, established Pettis firmly as a "songwriter's songwriter" and further developed the solid folk atmosphere of the previous album, adding more prominent bass and percussion instruments and starting to move away from keyboard sounds. Lyrically the album struck a fine balance between songs looking inward and looking outward. When Pettis' contract with High Street ended, he signed with Compass Records, where he has remained since. 1996 saw his first release with them, ''Making Light of It'', a low-key collection of songs, the majority returning to an introspective demeanor and tone, produced by David Miner (
T-Bone Burnett Joseph Henry "T Bone" Burnett III (born January 14, 1948) is an American record producer, guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band during the 1970s. Burnett has won several Grammy Awards for his work on film sou ...
,
Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...
), and featuring
Derri Daugherty Derri Daugherty (born Derald Daugherty; October 13, 1958) is an American record producer, songwriter, guitarist and singer, best known as the lead singer and guitarist for band the Choir. Daugherty is also one of the founding members of the R ...
and Steve Hindalong of The Choir. Musically, "roots folk" would not be a bad description, though the tone is not old-timey in any way. ''Everything Matters'' followed in 1998, with an increased tempo overall and a few regionally oriented songs that explored and celebrated Southern cities and personalities. The music of this record was a delicate and successful blend of a more sparse "roots folk" sound backed by solid bass and percussion and produced by Grammy award-winning artist Gordon Kennedy (best known for co-writing
Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...
's "Change the World"). 2001 saw Pettis' most regionally oriented album, ''State of Grace'' released, with a fuller, more straightforwardly folk tone and atmosphere. 2004's ''Great Big World'' record saw Pettis collaborating with a number of other songwriters for the majority of the tracks, with a still-present regional tendency, and similar sound musically to the previous album. The album's cover art was painted by the southern folk artist Terry Cannon. ''Great Big World'' featured musicians like
Kenny Malone Kenny Malone (August 4, 1938 – August 26, 2021) was an American drummer and percussionist. Life and career Malone was born in Denver, Colorado. From the 1970s onwards, he was a prominent session musician in folk, country and many other acousti ...
on percussion and bassist
Danny Thompson Daniel Henry Edward Thompson (born 4 April 1939) is an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist. He has had a long musical career playing with a large variety of other musicians, particularly Richard Thompson and John Ma ...
of Pentangle fame. In 2009 ''That Kind of Love'' included less of a regional focus with a collection of mostly mid-tempo, personal and contemplative songs, although the three cover tracks on the album, from
Mark Heard John Mark Heard III (December 16, 1951 – August 16, 1992) was an American record producer, folk rock singer and songwriter from Macon, Georgia. Heard released sixteen albums, and produced or performed with many artists, including: Sam Phil ...
,
Jesse Winchester James Ridout "Jesse" Winchester Jr. (May 17, 1944 – April 11, 2014) was an American-Canadian musician and songwriter. He was born and raised in the southern United States. Opposed to the Vietnam War, he moved to Canada in 1967 to avoid ...
, and
Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer, songwriter, and composer widely considered to be one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American Left, A ...
, are uptempo blues or bluegrass. 2013 saw Pettis, along with Tom Kimmel and Kate Campbell, form the New Agrarians and release a debut album on the independent Due South label. Pettis tours frequently, alternating between solo shows, concerts with the New Agrarians, and a double bill with his daughter Grace Pettis. Pettis' songs have been covered by artists like
Dar Williams Dorothy Snowden "Dar" Williams (born April 19, 1967) is an American pop folk singer-songwriter from Mount Kisco, New York. Hendrik Hertzberg of ''The New Yorker'' has described Williams as "one of America's very best singer-songwriters." She ...
("Family" on ''Mortal City''),
Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American Country music, country singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him his immense popularity, particularly in the United States, ...
("You Move Me" on ''Sevens''),
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,
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, Randy Stonehill,
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, and others. Pettis himself has covered one of
Mark Heard John Mark Heard III (December 16, 1951 – August 16, 1992) was an American record producer, folk rock singer and songwriter from Macon, Georgia. Heard released sixteen albums, and produced or performed with many artists, including: Sam Phil ...
's songs on every album since 1993. These are: "Nod Over Coffee" on ''Chase the Buffalo''; "Satellite Sky" on ''Making Light of It''; "Tip of My Tongue" on ''Everything Matters'', "Rise from the Ruins" on ''State of Grace'', "Another Day in Limbo" on ''Great Big World''; and "Nothing but the Wind" on ''That Kind of Love''. Pettis' cover of "Nod Over Coffee" also appeared on a 1994 tribute album to Heard entitled ''Strong Hand of Love''. On November 15, 2018, Pettis announced a January 2019 release of ''Father's Son'', his first new album in nearly 10 years, on Compass Records.


Discography

* ''Moments'' (Small World, 1984) * ''While the Serpent Lies Sleeping'' (Small World, 1988, original release) * ''While the Serpent Lies Sleeping'' (High Street, September 25, 1989, full release) * ''Tinseltown'' (High Street, June 18, 1991) * ''Chase the Buffalo'' (High Street, July 13, 1993) * ''Making Light of It'' (Compass, October 8, 1996) * ''Everything Matters'' (Compass, June 16, 1998) * ''State of Grace'' (Compass, July 10, 2001) * ''Great Big World'' (Compass, August 3, 2004) * ''That Kind of Love'' (Compass, January 27, 2009) * ''New Agrarians'' (independent, 2014) as a part of the trio The New Agrarians * ''Father's Son'' (Compass, January 18, 2019)


Compilations

* '' Legacy: A Collection of New Folk Music'' (Windham Hill, 1989) * ''A Winter's Solstice, Vol. III'' (Windham Hill, 1990) ** featuring "In the Bleak Midwinter" *'' Strong Hand of Love'', tribute to
Mark Heard John Mark Heard III (December 16, 1951 – August 16, 1992) was an American record producer, folk rock singer and songwriter from Macon, Georgia. Heard released sixteen albums, and produced or performed with many artists, including: Sam Phil ...
, 1994 ** featuring "Nod Over Coffee" *'' Orphans of God'', tribute to
Mark Heard John Mark Heard III (December 16, 1951 – August 16, 1992) was an American record producer, folk rock singer and songwriter from Macon, Georgia. Heard released sixteen albums, and produced or performed with many artists, including: Sam Phil ...
, 1996 ** featuring "Nod Over Coffee" * ''Aliens and Strangers'' (Silent Planet, 2000) ** featuring "Kingdom Come" * ''Beat'' (Silent Planet, 2001 ** featuring "Absalom, Absalom"


References


External links

*
Record Label Bio

"Pierce Pettis: When Words Alone Fail"
by Jason Killingsworth, '' Paste'', Issue 11. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pettis, Pierce American male singer-songwriters Fast Folk artists Living people 1954 births People from Fort Payne, Alabama Singer-songwriters from Alabama