Tift Merritt

North Carolina's Tift Merritt began her career with the band the Two Dollar Pistols, singing duets with lead singer John Howie and playing rhythm guitar. She eventually appeared on a seven-song EP of classic country covers the group released in the fall of 1999.

Looking for a vehicle for her own songwriting, she formed a band in 1998 called the Carbines, which soon became a fixture on the North Carolina club scene. When Merritt won the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at the annual 2000 Merlefest Music Festival, it sparked a new round of interest in her work. Ryan Adams brought Merritt to the attention of his manager, Frank Callari, and he began shopping a record deal for her. When he was hired as an A&R executive for the Universal-distributed roots music label Lost Highway, she became one of his first signings.

Her debut album Bramble Rose was released to enthusiastic reviews in June 2002. (While Merritt was signed as a solo act, she's continued to use the Carbines as her backing band, both for live shows and for the recording of Bramble Rose). Tambourine, a more soulful effort produced by George Drakoulias, appeared two years later and was Grammy-nominated. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide

More information about Tift Merritt can be found at: www.tiftmerritt.com

Tift Merritt

Another Country Tift Merritt £10.99 Live From Austin TX [DVD] Tift Merritt £10.99 Tambourine Tift Merritt £9.99