All The Babes
Tift Merritt
Biography
About Tift Merritt
Tift Merritt, a blonde-haired, green-eyed musician with a natural, average build, has spent her career weaving through folk, country, and Americana. Standing 5'6", she was born on January 8, 1975, in Houston, Texas, and grew up in North Carolina, where she began performing in local clubs in the 1990s. Her debut album, Bramble Rose (2002), landed on top ten lists for Time and The New Yorker and was called the best debut of the year by the Associated Press. She won the MerleFest Chris Austin Songwriting Contest in 2000, and her follow-up, Tambourine (2004), earned a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album.
Merritt has released seven studio albums, including Another Country (2008), written in Paris while she navigated a language barrier, and See You on the Moon (2010). Her 2012 release, Traveling Alone, was reissued in a 10th Anniversary Edition in 2022. She has also collaborated on Night (2013) with pianist Simone Dinnerstein, blending traditional American songs with classical pieces like "Dido's Lament." Her live recordings include Buckingham Solo (2009), captured in a former church, and a sold-out concert at the North Carolina Museum of Art, released as Home Is Loud.
Despite industry setbacks, including being dropped by Lost Highway Records after Tambourine, Merritt has continued to release music, with albums like Stitch of the World (2017) and Traveling Companion (2013). She has opened for Ryan Adams and earned multiple Americana Music Association nominations. Her work has been celebrated for its songwriting depth, with tracks like "Broken" nominated for Song of the Year.
Record
Profile details
Personal
- Birthplace
- Houston, Texas, United States
- Ethnicity
- Caucasian
- Sexuality
- Straight
Body
- Hair Color
- Blonde
- Eye Color
- Green
- Boobs
- Real/Natural
Extra
- Instagram Followers
- 14k (as of March 2026)
Frequently asked
What awards has Tift Merritt won or been nominated for?
She won the MerleFest Chris Austin Songwriting Contest in 2000. Her album Tambourine (2004) was nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Album. She also received Americana Music Association nominations for Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Song of the Year in 2005, and her song "Broken" was nominated for Song of the Year.
How did Tift Merritt begin her music career?
In the 1990s, she joined the band the Carbines in North Carolina and played small clubs in Chapel Hill and Raleigh. The band released a 7-inch single, "Jukejoint Girl," in 1998 and the album The Two Dollar Pistols with Tift Merritt in 1999 on Yep Roc Records.
What is unique about the recording of Buckingham Solo?
The live album was recorded at the University of Buckingham's Radcliffe Centre, a former church. Merritt found the acoustics and ambiance ideal for an acoustic-solo record, and the performance took place on November 29, 2008.
Why did Tift Merritt write Another Country in Paris?
After being dropped by Lost Highway Records, Merritt felt clueless and tapped of energy. She wrote the album in a Paris apartment, a city where she knew only two people and did not speak the language. Paste magazine gave the album a four-star review.
How did Tift Merritt collaborate with Simone Dinnerstein?
In 2013, Merritt and pianist Simone Dinnerstein created the album Night, which merged their musical interests. The album features traditional American songs like "The Wayfaring Stranger," a Johnny Nash cover, and classical pieces such as "Dido's Lament" from Henry Purcell's opera Dido and Aeneas.
Did you know
- Tift Merritt opened for Ryan Adams, who helped her secure her first management and record contracts.
- A sold-out concert at the North Carolina Museum of Art was released as the live album Home Is Loud.
- Her album Tambourine was produced by George Drakoulias and featured backing from Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell of Tom Petty's Heartbreakers.
- The EP Please Break the Silence of the Middle of the Night was released as an iTunes exclusive on January 1, 2008.
- Traveling Alone was re-released in a 10th Anniversary Edition on November 4, 2022.
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