Pieta Brown
Encyclopedia
Pieta Brown is an American musician and singer-songwriter
who has released four critically acclaimed albums and three EPs
in the last decade. She has performed with artists such as Mark Knopfler
, John Prine
, Amos Lee
and Calexico.
in 1973, the daughter of two preachers' kids. Her early upbringing in Iowa was in a rural outpost with no furnace or running water. There, Brown was exposed to traditional and rural folk music through her father, singer songwriter Greg Brown. Brown spent her childhood living in 17 different residences between Iowa and Alabama. While living with her mother in Alabama, Brown began writing poetry and composing instrumental songs on piano.
article. After the release of her next album, One and All, Brown joined Mark Knopfler
’s North American tour, had a string of performance dates with John Prine
, participated in a full orchestral show with Brandi Carlile
, and embarked on her own performance tour in Australia.
Brown's 2009 EP, Shimmer was produced by Don Was
after hearing her on his car radio in a live solo performance.
In addition to Mark Knopfler
, John Prine
and Brandi Carlile
, Brown has shared stages with JJ Cale, Emmylou Harris
, Richard Thompson
, Ani DiFranco
, Calexico
, Neko Case
, Mason Jennings
, Shawn Mullins
, Carrie Rodriguez
and Jim Lauderdale
. She has performed at festivals throughout North America including Bonnaroo, Mountain Jam (festival)
, Edmonton Folk Music Festival
and more. Her national radio credits include performances on eTown (radio program) and Mountain Stage
.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
who has released four critically acclaimed albums and three EPs
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
in the last decade. She has performed with artists such as Mark Knopfler
Mark Knopfler
Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE is a Scottish-born British guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the British rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded in 1977...
, John Prine
John Prine
John Prine is an American country/folk singer-songwriter. He has been active as a recording artist and live performer since the early 1970s.-Biography:...
, Amos Lee
Amos Lee
Amos Lee is an American singer-songwriter whose musical style encompasses folk, rock and soul. Lee has four albums on Blue Note Records and has toured as an opening act for Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Norah Jones, Paul Simon, Merle Haggard, Van Morrison, John Prine, Dave Matthews Band and Adele. In...
and Calexico.
Early life
Brown was born in Iowa City, IowaIowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa...
in 1973, the daughter of two preachers' kids. Her early upbringing in Iowa was in a rural outpost with no furnace or running water. There, Brown was exposed to traditional and rural folk music through her father, singer songwriter Greg Brown. Brown spent her childhood living in 17 different residences between Iowa and Alabama. While living with her mother in Alabama, Brown began writing poetry and composing instrumental songs on piano.
Career
Collaborator Bo Ramsey produced her 2002 debut record, Pieta Brown and co-produced her 2005 album In the Cool which was named one of the year's best by Amazon. Her next album Remember The Sun was released in 2007 and was cited as one of the year's best in a The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
article. After the release of her next album, One and All, Brown joined Mark Knopfler
Mark Knopfler
Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE is a Scottish-born British guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the British rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded in 1977...
’s North American tour, had a string of performance dates with John Prine
John Prine
John Prine is an American country/folk singer-songwriter. He has been active as a recording artist and live performer since the early 1970s.-Biography:...
, participated in a full orchestral show with Brandi Carlile
Brandi Carlile
Brandi Carlile is an American singer and songwriter.-Early life:At age eight, Carlile performed a rendition of the country music song "Tennessee Flat Top Box" with her mother. She began to play the guitar and write songs at fifteen. At sixteen, she began to perform as a backup singer for an Elvis...
, and embarked on her own performance tour in Australia.
Brown's 2009 EP, Shimmer was produced by Don Was
Don Was
Don Was is an American musician, bassist and record producer.-Life and career:Was was born in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from Oak Park High School in the Detroit suburb of Oak Park, then attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor but dropped out after the first year...
after hearing her on his car radio in a live solo performance.
In addition to Mark Knopfler
Mark Knopfler
Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE is a Scottish-born British guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the British rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded in 1977...
, John Prine
John Prine
John Prine is an American country/folk singer-songwriter. He has been active as a recording artist and live performer since the early 1970s.-Biography:...
and Brandi Carlile
Brandi Carlile
Brandi Carlile is an American singer and songwriter.-Early life:At age eight, Carlile performed a rendition of the country music song "Tennessee Flat Top Box" with her mother. She began to play the guitar and write songs at fifteen. At sixteen, she began to perform as a backup singer for an Elvis...
, Brown has shared stages with JJ Cale, Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
, Richard Thompson
Richard Thompson
Richard John Thompson OBE is a British songwriter, guitarist and recording and performing musician. Highly regarded for his guitar techniques, Thompson was awarded the Orville H. Gibson award for best acoustic guitar player in 1991...
, Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, guitarist, poet, and songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums, and is widely considered a feminist icon.-Biography:...
, Calexico
Calexico
Calexico is a Tucson, Arizona-based Americana / Alternative country band. The band's two main members, Joey Burns and John Convertino, first played together in Los Angeles as part of the group Giant Sand. They have recorded a number of albums on Quarterstick Records, while their 2005 EP In the...
, Neko Case
Neko Case
Neko Case is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her solo career and her contributions as a member of the Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers....
, Mason Jennings
Mason Jennings
Mason Jennings is an American pop-folk singer-songwriter. He is well known for his simple yet catchy melodies, intimate lyrics, literary and historical themes, and distinctive voice...
, Shawn Mullins
Shawn Mullins
Shawn Mullins is an American singer-songwriter who specializes in folk rock, instrumental rock, adult alternative, and Americana music. He is best known for the 1998 single, "Lullaby", which hit number one on the Adult Top 40 and was nominated for a Grammy Award.-Career:Mullins was born in...
, Carrie Rodriguez
Carrie Rodriguez
Carrie Luz Rodriguez is a Mexican-American singer-songwriter and the daughter of Texan singer-songwriter David Rodriguez and well-known Texas painter Katy Nail, and is the granddaughter of prolific Texas essayist Frances Nail. She sings and plays the fiddle, mandobird and tenor guitar...
and Jim Lauderdale
Jim Lauderdale
Jim Lauderdale is a musician & singer-songwriter who performs bluegrass and country music. He has recorded since 1986 and has released nineteen studio albums. Artists who have recorded his material include George Strait and Patty Loveless.-Biography:...
. She has performed at festivals throughout North America including Bonnaroo, Mountain Jam (festival)
Mountain Jam (festival)
Mountain Jam is a three-day music festival in upstate New York, held at the world class Hunter Mountain ski resort the weekend after Memorial Day. In its short history, Mountain Jam has become one of the top music festivals in the U.S. and the premier festival in the Northeast. Rolling Stone...
, Edmonton Folk Music Festival
Edmonton Folk Music Festival
The Edmonton Folk Music Festival is an annual four-day outdoor music event held the second weekend of August in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, established in 1980 by Don Whalen. The festival continues to draw many people from around the world as both spectators and performers. The current producer of...
and more. Her national radio credits include performances on eTown (radio program) and Mountain Stage
Mountain Stage
Mountain Stage is a two-hour music radio show, first aired in 1983, produced by WV Public Broadcasting and distributed worldwide by National Public Radio and the Voice of America's satellite radio service. Hosted by Larry Groce, the program showcases diverse music, from the traditional to modern...
.
Albums
- Mercury - (Red House RecordsRed House RecordsRed House Records is an American independent record label specializing in folk music and is based in St. Paul, Minnesota.The label was originally created in 1981 by Greg Brown as a method to distribute his own music, and is named for a farmhouse in Iowa where he was living...
, 2011) - One and All - (Red House RecordsRed House RecordsRed House Records is an American independent record label specializing in folk music and is based in St. Paul, Minnesota.The label was originally created in 1981 by Greg Brown as a method to distribute his own music, and is named for a farmhouse in Iowa where he was living...
, 2010) - Remember the Sun – (One Little Indian, 2007)
- In the Cool – (Valley EntertainmentValley EntertainmentValley Entertainment is a United States music distributor and independent record label based in New York City. The company was founded in 1996 by Barney Cohen, president and CEO. In 2001, they acquired the prestigious back catalogue of space, ambient, and New Age music from Hearts of Space Records...
, 2005) - Pieta Brown – (Trailer Records, 2002)
EPs
- Shimmer EP - (Red House Records, 2009)
- Flight Time EP - (T Records, 2008)
- I Never Told EP – (T Records, 2003)
Singles/Compilations
- Dirt Road Blues - appears on A Nod to Bob 2 (Red House Records, 2011)
- King Of My Heart - appears on Think Out LoudThink Out Loud-Think Out Loud: Music Serving the Homeless:Think Out Loud: Music Serving the Twin Cities is a compilation album where 100% of the album profits go directly to serving the homeless in the Twin Cities, through charitable giving to agencies like Sharing and Caring Hands and St. Stephens.The project...
. (Ezekiel Records, 2010) - Birds - appears on Before The Goldrush: A Project to Benefit Teach For America (2008)
- This Land Is Your Land featuring Calexico (2007)
- Spell of Wheels - appears on A Case For Case: A Tribute to the Songs of Peter Case (2006)
Special Guest Appearances
- Mission BellMission Bell (Amos Lee album)Mission Bell is a fourth studio album by American musician Amos Lee, released on January 25, 2011. The album features Willie Nelson, Lucinda Williams, Sam Beam, Priscilla Ahn, Pieta Brown, James Gadson, and Calexico as guests on the album. Joey Burns, of Calexico produced the album...
, Amos LeeAmos LeeAmos Lee is an American singer-songwriter whose musical style encompasses folk, rock and soul. Lee has four albums on Blue Note Records and has toured as an opening act for Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Norah Jones, Paul Simon, Merle Haggard, Van Morrison, John Prine, Dave Matthews Band and Adele. In...
- (Blue Note, 2011) - Carried to DustCarried to DustCarried to Dust is the sixth studio album from Tucson, Arizona indie rock band Calexico, released September 9, 2008. It features a number of guest musicians like Iron & Wine, Tortoise's Doug McCombs, and Pieta Brown....
, Calexico - (Quarterstick Records, 2008)