Gillian Welch

gillian welch is my great goddess of "folk" music of the modern era. please do not label her country or you will be disembowled by my ferocious dogs fluffy and butterscotch.

here is my lame attempt to get out more info on her; she is way underrated on the web

a short statistical overview of gillian

name: Gillian Welch

birthday: October 2, 1967 (i think)

birthplace: New York City...grew up in west los angeles.

education:

  • University of California - Santa Cruz, degree in photography
  • Berklee College of Music in Boston

instrumental phases:

  • At one time or another Gillian tried the ukelele, drums, piano, finally guitar.
  • She did once sang in an "amateur, campy, costumed, 70s retro band under the stage name Oprah Van Sofa."
  • Gillian began writing on the banjo for Hell Among the Yearlings.
  • punk rock...?

influences: I have read about an intersting variety here:

  • general bluegrass, old-time, and country
  • the Pixies
  • Butthole Surfers
  • the Stanley Brothers (Ralph Stanley)
  • Bob Dylan
  • Camper Van Beethoven
  • REM
  • Velvet Underground
  • The Delmore Brothers
  • The Carter Family
  • Norman and Nancy Blake
  • the Delmore Brothers
  • Nashville Bluegrass Band
  • Peter Rowan and Hot Rize
  • Bill Monroe
  • Emmylou Harris
  • the Blue Sky Boys
  • the Breeders
  • Throwing Muses
  • Townes Van Zandt

musical milestones:

  • Met David Rawlings at Berklee
  • Moved to Nashville in 1992 to begin a career with David
  • Gillian won the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at the Merle Watson Memorial Festival (aka "merlefest") in 1993 in Wilkeboro NC for the song Tear My Stillhouse Down (editor's note: i love merlefest, i've been almost every year. i don't know if i was there in 1993 seeing how i was 12 i do not remember. ok enough of this...)
  • Revival nominated for a grammy (Best Contemporary Folk Album) in 1997
  • 1996 Nashville Music Award for Best Folk Recording (Revival)
  • 1996 Nashville Music Award nomination for Best Songwriter/Artist
  • Appears on: Country Beat (1996), Prime Time Country (1996), Sessions at West 54th (1997), Austin City Limits (1997), BBC's Country Night - Live From Nashville (1997)

albums:

  • Revival in April 1996
  • Hell Among the Yearlings in July 1998 (ps - other names considered for HATY included Sturbance Amongst The Bovine, Ox In The Mud, and Rats In The Fence Corner.
  • "Paper Wings" included on the "Hope Floats" soundtrack
  • "Leaving Train" included on the soundtrack the "The Horse Whisperer"

lyric sheets

pictures

quotes

IT'S HERE!!
gillian's official homepage

"Whisky Girl", a Gillian email discussion group
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i am in germany for the year and don't have much time to keep up with this page, but feel free to email me with questions, suggestions, etc. at silbermeer@hotmail.com

vielen dank.

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