Country singer Tift Merritt will perform at the 17th annual Beaufort
By-The-Sea Arts Festival this weekend.
Country singer performs at Beaufort festival this weekend
Leonor Eggers
Freedom ENC
Tift Merritt has arrived. If no one had heard of her before February,
a lot of them certainly noticed when the singer-songwriter was
nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Album two months ago.
Competing with the likes of Loretta Lynn, Tim McGraw, Keith Urban and
new country queen Gretchen Wilson, Merritt's surprise nomination
proved she has what it takes to succeed in the music biz.
"It was a huge surprise," says the 30-year-old Merritt. "But, most of
all, it was a thrill to share the experience with my band and family."
The Grammy ultimately went to Loretta Lynn for "Van Lear Rose." But,
just to be put in the caliber of these artists was an incredible
accomplishment for the Houston native and coastal North Carolina
resident.
Merritt will perform as part of the 17th annual Beaufort By-The-Sea
Arts Festival this weekend. She will perform on the Main Stage Friday
at 8 p.m.
Released in August 2004, Merritt's latest album, "Tambourine," is a
unique compilation of songs that blend several genres of music. It's
hard to pin down exactly what style of music Merritt sings or
composes. Many brand her music as alternative country, but there are
also distinct elements of folk, blues, rock, R&B, roots and even
gospel. In fact, "Tambourine" is more of a rock-soul throw down that
hints of country.
What's great about Merritt's music is that it has such wide appeal.
And, her Grammy nomination in the country category may fool some
people who otherwise don't like country music. They may well enjoy
her unique soulful style.
"I think it's dangerous to classify yourself," says Merritt. "My
favorite musicians - Carole King, Van Morrison, Ray Charles - were
not afraid to use different genres in their music."
Merritt's career seemed to skyrocket after she won the popular and
competitive Chris Austin Songwriting Contest during the Merle Watson
Festival in 2000. Along with a helpful push to record execs from
fellow singer and Jacksonville, N.C. native Ryan Adams, a record deal
with Lost Highway soon followed her Merlefest win.
In June 2002, Merritt released her debut album, "Bramble Rose." It
received solid reviews, but Merritt stepped things up with the
release of her second album.
With the release of "Tambourine," Merritt's success has continued to
grow. A video for her rocking, soulful song, "Good Hearted Man," was
recently released on CMT. It was her second video release. She has
also appeared on "The Late Night Show with David Letterman."
Merritt just finished a brief tour in which she opened for Elvis
Costello and The Imposters. In fact, she has been touring for the
past nine months and that amount of time away from home, she said,
can be trying for anyone.
"I want to go home," admits Merritt. "I want to go home and write
when the mood strikes me."
Merritt didn't always want to be a writer of songs. She originally
attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with plans
to pursue writing books and novels. But playing the clubs and hanging
around the music scene of Raleigh, first with her band, the Carbines,
and then as a member of Two Dollar Pistols, showed Merritt which
direction her writing skills should go.
On "Tambourine," Merritt wrote 11 of the 12 songs on "Tambourine." "I
love the challenge of expressing how you feel," says Merritt of her
songwriting.
Merritt looks back on her college years of club playing as an
important period in her career. That period gave her the time she
needed to hone her skills in both songwriting and singing, and
reinforced her love for music.
"It was important to have the time to hang out and just play music,"
she says.
When asked what artists she listens to, Merritt says she doesn't keep
up much with what is current in today's music. She names the
Jayhawks, whose popularity peaked in the mid '90s, and says she likes
to listen to '70s music.
When asked who she would like to do a duet with if given the
opportunity, Merritt names Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris and the
late Ray Charles. "I obviously can't do it now, but I would have
loved to have just been in the same room with (Charles)," she says.
When it comes to penning songs, Merritt says she likes to mold her
compositions with the influences of artists like Carole King, Van
Morrison, Ray Charles, Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris and Dusty
Springfield.
But don't ask her to select a favorite song from her new CD. That
would be like asking her to choose her favorite style of music out of
the many she enjoys.
Says Merritt, emphatically: "That's like asking someone who their
favorite child is."
For more information about Tift Merritt, go to
www.tiftmerritt.com.
just kidding, a little anyway 
