Spotlight: Tift Merritt

The New Yorker has called Tift Merritt “the bearer of a proud tradition of distaff country soul that reaches back to artists like Dusty Springfield and Bobbie Gentry,” a standard upholding that got underway in earnest with Bramble Rose, the 2002 solo debut that put her on the Americana map forever. As her sophomore album, Tambourine, was GRAMMY nominated for Best Country Album in 2004 and was followed by Another Country and See You on the Moon, Merritt found acclaim coming not just from critics and awards orgs but her own heroes, like Emmylou Harris, who marveled that Merritt “stood out like a diamond in a coal patch.” Now a leading lady in her own right, Merritt is hardly one to hog the spotlight. She engages in dialogue with fellow artists of all disciplines on her public radio broadcast and podcast “The Spark With Tift Merritt,” bringing in fellow sojourners ranging from Patty Griffin and Rosanne Cash to Rick Moody and Nick Hornby. Please join us in the Clive Davis Theater as we welcome Tift for the latest installment of our Spotlight series. In discussion with Vice President of the GRAMMY Foundation, Scott Goldman, Tift will talk about her Southern roots as a musician, her approach to songwriting and her most recent album, Traveling Alone. After the discussion, Tift will take audience questions and will perform.