Claire Sproule
Encyclopedia
Claire Sproule is a singer-songwriter
from County Donegal
, Ireland
.
She was born in Derry
, Northern Ireland
, into a musical family; her uncle is Dáithí Sproule
of Altan. After playing the clarinet for some time, she showed an interest in guitar, having been brought up listening to Tom Waits
, Joni Mitchell
and Elvis Costello
in Derry and Donegal. At the age of 14 she started writing her own songs.
After leaving school, she began by performing Eva Cassidy
songs in local pubs in Donegal, before starting to sing her own songs. She made a rough demo tape which was sent to both the Parlophone
and Blue Note
record labels, who jointly offered her a recording deal within a week — Parlophone publishing in Europe
and Blue Note in the United States
. Her self-titled debut album, Claire Sproule
was released on Parlophone on 10 October 2005. The album was produced by Stewart Levine
, and included top musicians such as Pino Palladino
. The album consist of tracks which Sproule wrote between the ages of 17 and 19, and attracted widespread attention.
After the release of her first album, Sproule played numerous Irish television and radio shows, including the BBC Northern Ireland's An Stuif Ceart, and RTÉ's Other Voices
and The Late Late Show
.
Her second album, entitled Shades of Night, was released in May 2009.
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...
from County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
.
She was born in Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, into a musical family; her uncle is Dáithí Sproule
Dáithí Sproule
Dáithí Sproule is a guitarist and singer of traditional Irish music from Derry, Northern Ireland. His niece is the singer songwriter Claire Sproule.-Biography:...
of Altan. After playing the clarinet for some time, she showed an interest in guitar, having been brought up listening to Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
, 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...
and Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
in Derry and Donegal. At the age of 14 she started writing her own songs.
After leaving school, she began by performing Eva Cassidy
Eva Cassidy
Eva Marie Cassidy was an American vocalist known for her interpretations of jazz, blues, folk, gospel, country and pop classics. In 1992 she released her first album, The Other Side, a set of duets with go-go musician Chuck Brown, followed by a live solo album, Live at Blues Alley in 1996...
songs in local pubs in Donegal, before starting to sing her own songs. She made a rough demo tape which was sent to both the Parlophone
Parlophone
Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
and Blue Note
Blue note
In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note sung or played at a slightly lower pitch than that of the major scale for expressive purposes. Typically the alteration is a semitone or less, but this varies among performers and genres. Country blues, in particular, features wide variations from the...
record labels, who jointly offered her a recording deal within a week — Parlophone publishing in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Blue Note in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Her self-titled debut album, Claire Sproule
Claire Sproule (album)
Claire Sproule is the debut album by Irish singer-songwriter Claire Sproule. It was released on 10 October 2005 in the United Kingdom .-Track listing:#"Wondering"#"Deal"#"Angel"#"Strange World"#"Doin' It My Way"...
was released on Parlophone on 10 October 2005. The album was produced by Stewart Levine
Stewart Levine
Stewart Levine is an American record producer. He has worked with such artists as The Crusaders, Minnie Riperton, Lionel Richie, Simply Red, Boy George, Peter Blakeley, Joe Cocker, Oleta Adams, Curiosity Killed the Cat, Jamie Cullum, Aaron Neville, Sly Stone, Hugh Masekela and Killing Joke.Stewart...
, and included top musicians such as Pino Palladino
Pino Palladino
Pino Palladino is a Welsh bass guitarist who gained fame playing primarily rock and roll, blues rock, and rhythm and blues music, although he has been lauded for his ability to play most genres of popular music, including jazz, neo soul, and funk...
. The album consist of tracks which Sproule wrote between the ages of 17 and 19, and attracted widespread attention.
After the release of her first album, Sproule played numerous Irish television and radio shows, including the BBC Northern Ireland's An Stuif Ceart, and RTÉ's Other Voices
Other Voices (television)
Other Voices is a music television show broadcast on RTÉ Two in Ireland, usually on a Wednesday night. It features live performances & interviews from many Irish and international musicians. Filming of the live performances is usually in the intimate setting of the 200 year-old Church of St James...
and The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show, sometimes referred to as The Late Late, or in some cases by the acronym LLS, is the world's longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster and the official flagship television programme of Irish broadcasting company RTÉ...
.
Her second album, entitled Shades of Night, was released in May 2009.