Iris DeMent
From Wikinfo
| Iris DeMent | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 5 1961 Paragould, Arkansas, United States |
| Genre(s) | Country, folk, alternative country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, piano |
| Years active | 1991- |
| Label(s) | Warner Bros., Flariella |
| Associated acts | Greg Brown |
| Website | http://www.irisdement.com/ |
Iris DeMent (born January 5, 1961) is an American singer and songwriter. DeMent's musical style encompasses the genres Country and Folk music.
Contents |
Early life
DeMent was the youngest child of Pat DeMent and his second wife, Flora Mae. (As the baby of the family, she was Pat DeMent's fourteenth child, and Flora Mae's eighth.)
She was born near the town of Paragould, Arkansas but grew up in Long Beach, California, where she was exposed to and influenced by country and gospel music.
Career
DeMent writes "storyteller" songs about everyday experiences in simple language.
Her first album, Infamous Angel, was released in 1992 and explored themes like religious skepticism, living in a small town, "where nothing good ever lasts", and forgiving human frailty. In her second album, My Life, released in 1994, she continues the personal and introspective approach. My Life was nominated for a Grammy in the "Best Contemporary Folk Album" category. DeMent's third album, The Way I Should, was released in 1996. It is DeMent's most political work, and covers topics like sexual abuse, religion, government policy, and Vietnam. After a hiatus during the late 1990s and early 2000s, she released her fourth album, Lifeline, in 2004.
She gained some notice singing the Merle Haggard song "Big City" on Tulare Dust: Tribute to Merle Haggard, a 1994 various artists tribute album. In 1995, her song "Our Town" was played in the closing moments of the last episode for the popular CBS TV series Northern Exposure, gaining DeMent more fans. (The song has also been recorded by Kate Rusby and by Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin.)
DeMent has sung duets with John Prine (on In Spite of Ourselves - YouTube video), Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris ("My Town" YouTube video) and is featured on the albums of many other performers. She has made frequent appearances on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion, and appeared in the 2000 film Songcatcher, playing the character Rose Gentry and singing on the soundtrack as well.
Personal life
DeMent married Elmer McCall in 1991, but the marriage subsequently ended in divorce. She married singer-songwriter Greg Brown on November 21 2002.
Charts
| Year | Album | Chart | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | My Life | Billboard Heatseekers | 16 |
| 1996 | The Way I Should | Billboard Heatseekers | 22 |
| Jan 2004 | Lifeline | FolkDJ-L Folk Radio Airplay | 15 |
Discography
Further reading
- In The Country of Country: A Journey to the Roots of American Music, Nicholas Dawidoff, Vintage Books, 1998, ISBN 0-375-70082-X
- Don't Get Above Your Raisin': Country Music and the Southern Working Class, Bill C. Malone, University of Illinois Press, 2001, ISBN 0-252-02678-0
External links
- Iris DeMent Homepage
- Iris DeMent at All Music Guide
- Iris DeMent at Folklib.net
| This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Iris DeMent. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. The text of this Wikinfo article is available under the GNU Free Documentation License and the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 license. |
