Christine Collister
Encyclopedia
Christine Collister http://ChristineCollister.com (born 28 December 1961) is a Manx folk
, blues
and jazz
singer-songwriter
. She was born and grew up on the Isle of Man
and first came to public attention in 1986 as the singer of the theme song for the BBC
's television adaptation of Fay Weldon
's book The Life and Loves of a She-Devil
.
Prior to this, in 1985 she became a permanent member of the Richard Thompson Band, and, over a period of four years, took in several world tours with Thompson, after which came seven years working and romantic involvement with singer, songwriter and guitar player, Clive Gregson
. During this period, the couple released five albums. Gregson is currently trying to re-release these on CD, starting with their first and most successful album, Home and Away.
Collister has released several solo albums since 1994, including Live, Blue Aconite, Dark Gift of Time and the compilation cd Songbird all for Fledgling Records
, and An Equal Love and Into The Light for Topic Records
.
She has worked with the Isle of Man based Stereo Scout Records, part of the Running Media Management Group http://runningmedia.com with whom she recorded a live album entitled Home in 2004, and her 20th Anniversary DVD entitled XX in 2005. In between these highly acclaimed projects, Collister also produced a vinyl cut for award winning hi-fi manufacturer REGA, entitled Love. The project was a collection of mainly cover songs, including tracks by Jim Croce
, Kate Bush
and Joni Mitchell
, as well as her own interpretation of the classic Leonard Cohen
song, "Hallelujah".
Collister has toured and recorded with the all-female group Daphne’s Flight
, the vocal ensemble
Hell Bent Heaven Bound and Dave Kelly
with the "Travelling Gentlemen", with live recordings of all these collaborations still available.
In 2008 apart from further touring in the UK with Kelly and "the TG's", Collister also spent time writing and recording songs for her next album which was due for release in 2009.
Collister recently moved from the UK, back to the island of her birth. She continues to write her own material and in 2011 is touring with Dave Kelly and Peter Filleul (ex Climax Blues Band) on piano and 3rd harmony.
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
. She was born and grew up on the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
and first came to public attention in 1986 as the singer of the theme song for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's television adaptation of Fay Weldon
Fay Weldon
Fay Weldon CBE is an English author, essayist and playwright, whose work has been associated with feminism. In her fiction, Weldon typically portrays contemporary women who find themselves trapped in oppressive situations caused by the patriarchal structure of British society.-Biography:Weldon was...
's book The Life and Loves of a She-Devil
The Life and Loves of a She-Devil
The Life and Loves of a She-Devil is a 1983 novel by British feminist author Fay Weldon about a highly unattractive woman who goes to great lengths to take revenge on her husband and his attractive lover...
.
Prior to this, in 1985 she became a permanent member of the Richard Thompson Band, and, over a period of four years, took in several world tours with Thompson, after which came seven years working and romantic involvement with singer, songwriter and guitar player, Clive Gregson
Clive Gregson
Clive Gregson is an English singer/songwriter, musician and record producer. He has toured in bands, provided backup for well-known musicians, and written songs that have been covered by Kim Carnes, Norma Waterson and Nanci Griffith.-Solo:At the end of 1984 Gregson released his first solo record,...
. During this period, the couple released five albums. Gregson is currently trying to re-release these on CD, starting with their first and most successful album, Home and Away.
Collister has released several solo albums since 1994, including Live, Blue Aconite, Dark Gift of Time and the compilation cd Songbird all for Fledgling Records
Fledgling Records
Fledg'ling Records is a British independent record label founded in 1991. The label has re-released some albums previously issued by Hokey Pokey Records which was also run by the Fledg'ling founder - David Suff. David Suff having been half of the team running the Richard Thompson fanzine - "Hokey...
, and An Equal Love and Into The Light for Topic Records
Topic Records
Topic Records is a British folk music label, which played a major role in the second British folk revival. It began as an offshoot of the Workers' Music Association in 1939, making it the oldest independent record label in the world.-History:...
.
She has worked with the Isle of Man based Stereo Scout Records, part of the Running Media Management Group http://runningmedia.com with whom she recorded a live album entitled Home in 2004, and her 20th Anniversary DVD entitled XX in 2005. In between these highly acclaimed projects, Collister also produced a vinyl cut for award winning hi-fi manufacturer REGA, entitled Love. The project was a collection of mainly cover songs, including tracks by Jim Croce
Jim Croce
James Joseph "Jim" Croce January 10, 1943 – September 20, 1973 was an American singer-songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973, Croce released five studio albums and 11 singles...
, Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
and Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
, as well as her own interpretation of the classic Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
song, "Hallelujah".
Collister has toured and recorded with the all-female group Daphne’s Flight
Daphne’s Flight
Daphne’s Flight was an album that resulted from a collaboration between five of the most highly regarded female vocalists, instrumentalist and songwriters in the British folk and root music scene: Christine Collister, Melanie Harrold, Julie Matthews, Helen Watson and Chris While. The collaboration...
, the vocal ensemble
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
Hell Bent Heaven Bound and Dave Kelly
Dave Kelly (musician)
David 'Dave' Kelly , is a British bluessinger, guitarist and composer, who has been active on the British blues music scene since the 1960s...
with the "Travelling Gentlemen", with live recordings of all these collaborations still available.
In 2008 apart from further touring in the UK with Kelly and "the TG's", Collister also spent time writing and recording songs for her next album which was due for release in 2009.
Collister recently moved from the UK, back to the island of her birth. She continues to write her own material and in 2011 is touring with Dave Kelly and Peter Filleul (ex Climax Blues Band) on piano and 3rd harmony.