Tracy Bonham
Encyclopedia
Tracy Bonham is an American alternative rock
musician best known for her 1996 single "Mother Mother
".
Raised in Eugene, Oregon
, Bonham is a classically-trained violin
ist and pianist
. She received two Grammy
nominations in 1997 for Best Alternative Album
and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance
.
, Bonham began singing at age five and playing the violin
at nine. As a teen she received a full scholarship to the University of Southern California
for violin
, but she eventually transferred (and moved) to Boston, Massachusetts in 1994, where she attended the Berklee College of Music
to study voice instead. While there she started writing songs and in early 1995 she released her first EP
, The Liverpool Sessions, and the single "The One
" won best single in the Boston Phoenix reader's poll.
Also that year, based on a performance in a local club in Cambridge, Massachusetts
called Toad
, a representative from Island Records
immediately signed her to a record deal. She immediately began work on her first album.
. Magazines such as Rolling Stone and People
noted her bold approach to rock music. The album went gold
within six months and later that year she was nominated for the Grammy Award
s for Best Alternative Music Performance
and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance
(for "Mother Mother
"). She then went on an extensive tour in support of the album.
The first single, "Mother Mother", went number one on the Billboard Rock Charts for a month in late 1996. The second single, "The One" (taken from the 1995 EP), was a minor hit and peaked at #23 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, and two different music video
versions of the song were briefly in heavy rotation
on video music channels MTV
and VH1
. The third and final single, "Sharks Can't Sleep" failed to chart in the US.
, LLC.
Although Tracy had recorded a second album for release (in possibly 1998) titled "Trails of a Dust Devil" (with promotional items having even been sent out), the new label delayed the release until mid-2000, re-titling it Down Here
. The newly-titled album - and the only single released from it, "Behind Every Good Woman" - failed to chart, despite scrambled attempts to do interviews and tour for an album that was given a half-hearted release. She then took a small break after promoting the album while quietly searching for a new label.
) after three years of marriage. At the same time, as Bonham began to record new music for her third album, Island Records cited they were going in a different direction (they were now favoring mostly male bands such as Korn
and Limp Bizkit
) and she was released from her recording contract.
She then left studio recording behind and began to tour in support of other groups such as the performance group Blue Man Group
and even rock band
Aerosmith
. In 2003 she recorded and released an independent EP
titled Bee
. It included early versions of "Shine" and "All Thumbs" and a live version of "Freed" (from the "Down Here" album), and a cover of Led Zeppelin
's "Black Dog
", where she substituted violin solos for the signature lead guitar
line in the original.
She had only pressed 1,000 hoping to sell 500, but she eventually sold over 12,000 of the EP's while on the various tours. With the money made from the EP she returned to the studio to start work on her third full-length LP in Los Angeles, California
. (The "Bee" EP was later re-issued in Europe as the "Something Beautiful
" EP with the addition of a track titled "Blink the Brightest" and a bonus DVD with live performances.)
In 2004, she signed with Rounder Records
, whose CEO, John Virant, was a longtime fan and spent over three years convincing Tracy to trust a record company again.
through the more pop-oriented Zoe
label of Rounder. It was recorded in L.A.
, where she has lived part-time since 2003. She co-produced the bulk of the album with Greg Collins (U2
, No Doubt
, Matchbox Twenty
); Joey Waronker
, who has drummed for R.E.M.
and Beck
, co-produced four tracks.
Along with Bonham, the players included drummers Waronker and Butch
(of The Eels), bassists Sebastian Steinberg
(from Soul Coughing & Neil Finn) and Davey Faragher
(having performed for Elvis Costello
, Sheryl Crow
), guitarists Joe Gore (from Tom Waits
, P.J. Harvey) and Dave Levita (Alanis Morissette
, Jewel
) and keyboard player Mitchell Froom
(Paul McCartney
, Los Lobos
).
She performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
, and her new songs were featured on XM Radio's The Loft Channel.
's "Crazy In Love" and an original titled "In My Other Life". The rest of the songs are live tracks, which include some older favorites - "One Hit Wonder" and a new version of "Navy Bean" - covers ("Blue Jay Way
" & "Kissing The Lipless"), and previously unreleased material ("Your World Turns Upside Down", "The Idiot In Me").
, was produced by Bonham and mixed by Tchad Blake, and was released under the New York City indie label Engine Room Recordings
in the United States and on Lojinx
Records in the UK.
, and Brooklyn, New York. She is married to Rolling Stone
executive editor Jason Fine and in 2010 was planning for an adoption.
Bonham has said of her music, "I think I stopped trying to prove so much to people. I went inward and realized that being honest and not being so veiled and cryptic can actually touch more people. In the past, I wanted to be deep, but then I went too far and was over-thinking everything. Now I just write from the heart."
She is also a self-taught guitarist. She once said, "Guitar-wise, I have a certain style that I can't seem to get any guitar player to mimic, and it's because they're good and I'm bad," she has said. "And I don't mind. There's a way I want to hear it, so I just do it myself."
EPs
Singles
Digital releases
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
musician best known for her 1996 single "Mother Mother
Mother Mother (song)
"Mother Mother" is a song by Tracy Bonham from her debut album The Burdens of Being Upright. It reached the top of Billboard magazine's Modern Rock Tracks chart in mid-1996.-Lyrics:...
".
Raised in Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
, Bonham is a classically-trained violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist and pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
. She received two Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominations in 1997 for Best Alternative Album
Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album
The Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums in the alternative rock genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for works containing quality vocal performances in the rock music genre...
.
Life and early music career
Raised in Eugene, OregonOregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, Bonham began singing at age five and playing the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
at nine. As a teen she received a full scholarship to the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
for violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, but she eventually transferred (and moved) to Boston, Massachusetts in 1994, where she attended the Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
to study voice instead. While there she started writing songs and in early 1995 she released her first EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, The Liverpool Sessions, and the single "The One
The One
-Philosophy:The concept of "Τὸ Ἕν" in Hellenistic philosophy:*God*the Monad *the Absolute *The Good*The All*See also Henosis -Books, magazines and comics:...
" won best single in the Boston Phoenix reader's poll.
Also that year, based on a performance in a local club in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
called Toad
Toad
A toad is any of a number of species of amphibians in the order Anura characterized by dry, leathery skin , short legs, and snoat-like parotoid glands...
, a representative from Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
immediately signed her to a record deal. She immediately began work on her first album.
The Burdens of Being Upright
After recording at Fort Apache Studio in Cambridge for several months, in 1996 Bonham released her debut full-length album The Burdens of Being UprightThe Burdens of Being Upright
The Burdens of Being Upright is the first album by American singer/songwriter Tracy Bonham. It was released on March 19, 1996 by Island Records, with distribution by Polygram and it was her major label debut...
. Magazines such as Rolling Stone and People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
noted her bold approach to rock music. The album went gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
within six months and later that year she was nominated for the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s for Best Alternative Music Performance
Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album
The Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums in the alternative rock genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for works containing quality vocal performances in the rock music genre...
(for "Mother Mother
Mother Mother (song)
"Mother Mother" is a song by Tracy Bonham from her debut album The Burdens of Being Upright. It reached the top of Billboard magazine's Modern Rock Tracks chart in mid-1996.-Lyrics:...
"). She then went on an extensive tour in support of the album.
The first single, "Mother Mother", went number one on the Billboard Rock Charts for a month in late 1996. The second single, "The One" (taken from the 1995 EP), was a minor hit and peaked at #23 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, and two different music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
versions of the song were briefly in heavy rotation
Heavy rotation
In broadcasting, rotation is the repeated airing of a limited playlist of songs on a radio station or satellite radio channel, or music videos on a TV network. They are usually in a different order each time, however they are not completely shuffled, so as to avoid playing the same song again too...
on video music channels MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
and VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
. The third and final single, "Sharks Can't Sleep" failed to chart in the US.
Down Here
After the mild success of her first album, problems emerged during the recording of her next album from her own label. In 1998, all of the Island Records as well as Polygram Records and other associated labels were purchased by Seagrams, as the various labels now were under the umbrella imprint of UMG, or Universal Music GroupUniversal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
, LLC.
Although Tracy had recorded a second album for release (in possibly 1998) titled "Trails of a Dust Devil" (with promotional items having even been sent out), the new label delayed the release until mid-2000, re-titling it Down Here
Down Here
Down Here is the second album by American singer/songwriter Tracy Bonham. It was released on April 18, 2000 .-Track listing:All songs by Tracy Bonham#"Freed" – 4:25#"Behind Every Good Woman" – 3:44#"You Don't Know Me" – 3:24...
. The newly-titled album - and the only single released from it, "Behind Every Good Woman" - failed to chart, despite scrambled attempts to do interviews and tour for an album that was given a half-hearted release. She then took a small break after promoting the album while quietly searching for a new label.
Bee EP
In late 2001 she divorced Steve Slingeneyer (of the band SoulwaxSoulwax
Soulwax, headed by David and Stephen Dewaele, are an alternative rock/electronic band from Ghent, Belgium. Next to the Dewaele brothers, Soulwax consists of bassist Stefaan Van Leuven and drummer Steve Slingeneyer. They were first noticed after the release of their album Much Against Everyone's...
) after three years of marriage. At the same time, as Bonham began to record new music for her third album, Island Records cited they were going in a different direction (they were now favoring mostly male bands such as Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
and Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1995, the group's lineup consists of Fred Durst , Wes Borland , Sam Rivers , John Otto and DJ Lethal . The band achieved mainstream success with their second studio album Significant Other, released in 1999...
) and she was released from her recording contract.
She then left studio recording behind and began to tour in support of other groups such as the performance group Blue Man Group
Blue Man Group
Blue Man Group is an organization founded by Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton. The organization produces theatrical shows and concerts featuring popular music, comedy and multimedia; recorded music and scores for film and television; television appearances for shows such as The Tonight...
and even rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
. In 2003 she recorded and released an independent EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
titled Bee
Bee (EP)
Bee is an EP released by Tracy Bonham. The EP was recorded after performing on Blue Man Group's album The Complex and was only available to her fans while on tour...
. It included early versions of "Shine" and "All Thumbs" and a live version of "Freed" (from the "Down Here" album), and a cover of Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
's "Black Dog
Black dog
Black dog may refer to:* Black dog , a ghostly dog in the folklores of the British Isles* Black dog , a coin in the Caribbean, starting under the reign of Queen Anne* Black Dog , a 1998 film...
", where she substituted violin solos for the signature lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
line in the original.
She had only pressed 1,000 hoping to sell 500, but she eventually sold over 12,000 of the EP's while on the various tours. With the money made from the EP she returned to the studio to start work on her third full-length LP in Los Angeles, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. (The "Bee" EP was later re-issued in Europe as the "Something Beautiful
Something Beautiful
"Something Beautiful" is a song by British pop singer Robbie Williams, it was released as the third single from his album Escapology in the summer of 2003.-Music video:...
" EP with the addition of a track titled "Blink the Brightest" and a bonus DVD with live performances.)
In 2004, she signed with Rounder Records
Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
, whose CEO, John Virant, was a longtime fan and spent over three years convincing Tracy to trust a record company again.
Blink the Brightest
In 2005 she released her third album Blink the BrightestBlink the Brightest
Blink the Brightest is the third album by American singer/songwriter Tracy Bonham. It was released on June 21, 2005.-Track listing:#"Something Beautiful" – 4:17#"I Was Born Without You" – 3:45...
through the more pop-oriented Zoe
Zoe
Zoe or Zoey may refer to:-People:* Zoe , an indigenous tribe of the Brazilian Amazon* Zoe Zaoutzaina, Byzantine empress* Zoe Karbonopsina, Byzantine empress* Zoe , Empress of the Byzantine Empire with co-rulers 1028–1050.-Music:...
label of Rounder. It was recorded in L.A.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, where she has lived part-time since 2003. She co-produced the bulk of the album with Greg Collins (U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
, Matchbox Twenty
Matchbox Twenty
Matchbox Twenty is an American rock band, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1995...
); Joey Waronker
Joey Waronker
Joseph "Joey" Waronker is an American drummer and music producer. He is the son of record producer Lenny Waronker and singer/actress Donna Loren; his younger sister is musician Anna Waronker; and his grandfather is record executive and professional violinist Simon Waronker. He has three other...
, who has drummed for R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
and Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, co-produced four tracks.
Along with Bonham, the players included drummers Waronker and Butch
Butch
-People:* Delaney Knight , bordons butch woman* Butch Ballard , American jazz drummer* Butch Cassidy , American outlaw* Butch Davis , American football coach* Ronald DeFeo, Jr...
(of The Eels), bassists Sebastian Steinberg
Sebastian Steinberg
Sebastian Steinberg is an American bass player, best known for his work in the band Soul Coughing.- Biography :Steinberg played with Soul Coughing throughout the band's entire history, from 1992–2000. He also recorded and performed with guitarist Marc Ribot and appeared on William Shatner's 2004...
(from Soul Coughing & Neil Finn) and Davey Faragher
Davey Faragher
Davey Faragher is an American bass guitarist from Redlands, California. Faragher's career took off and received critical notice as a founding member of the nineties band, Cracker, and his following work with The Imposters, the backing band for Elvis Costello since 2001.Faragher is an accomplished...
(having performed for 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...
, Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
), guitarists Joe Gore (from 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."...
, P.J. Harvey) and Dave Levita (Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...
, Jewel
Jewel (singer)
Jewel Kilcher , professionally known as Jewel, is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, actress and poet...
) and keyboard player Mitchell Froom
Mitchell Froom
-Career:Froom began his career as a keyboard player in Sonoma County, California. The band Crossfire featured two keyboards players; Mitchell on one side of the stage and brother David on the other with Gary Pihl on guitar...
(Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, Los Lobos
Los Lobos
Los Lobos are a multiple Grammy Award–winning American Chicano rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional Spanish and Mexican music such as cumbia, boleros and norteños.-History:The...
).
She performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny...
and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is a Peabody Award-winning American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish American comedian Craig Ferguson. Ferguson, the third regular host of the Late Late Show franchise, follows Late Show with David Letterman in the CBS late-night lineup...
, and her new songs were featured on XM Radio's The Loft Channel.
In The City + In The Woods EP
While in upstate New York in the late fall of 2006 Bonham released the EP In The City + In The Woods, her second self-funded EP. The 11-track disc featured two studio tracks, a cover version of Beyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
's "Crazy In Love" and an original titled "In My Other Life". The rest of the songs are live tracks, which include some older favorites - "One Hit Wonder" and a new version of "Navy Bean" - covers ("Blue Jay Way
Blue Jay Way
"Blue Jay Way" is a song written by George Harrison; it was first recorded and released by The Beatles on their Magical Mystery Tour album and EP in 1967.-Origins:...
" & "Kissing The Lipless"), and previously unreleased material ("Your World Turns Upside Down", "The Idiot In Me").
Masts of Manhatta
From 2007–2009, Bonham recorded songs for her new album in Woodstock. The 2010 album, titled Masts of ManhattaMasts of Manhatta
Masts of Manhatta is the fourth album by American singer/songwriter Tracy Bonham. It was released on July 13, 2010 by Engine Room Recordings in the United States and Lojinx in the UK.-Track listing:All songs by Tracy Bonham#"Devil's Got Your Boyfriend"...
, was produced by Bonham and mixed by Tchad Blake, and was released under the New York City indie label Engine Room Recordings
Engine Room Recordings
Engine Room Recordings is an independent record label with a roster of Indie rock and Alternative rock musicians. Beyond marketing and distribution for its artists, the label does booking and artist management....
in the United States and on Lojinx
Lojinx
Lojinx is a British independent record label and music publishing company established in 2003 in South London, UK. It was voted as one of the top ten "Best Record Labels of 2010" .-Artists:* The Bad Machines* Ben Lee* Bleu* Butch Walker* Caroline Lost...
Records in the UK.
Personal life and about her music
Bonham currently splits her time between Woodstock, New YorkWoodstock, New York
Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census, down from 6,241 at the 2000 census.The Town of Woodstock is in the northern part of the county...
, and Brooklyn, New York. She is married to Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
executive editor Jason Fine and in 2010 was planning for an adoption.
Bonham has said of her music, "I think I stopped trying to prove so much to people. I went inward and realized that being honest and not being so veiled and cryptic can actually touch more people. In the past, I wanted to be deep, but then I went too far and was over-thinking everything. Now I just write from the heart."
She is also a self-taught guitarist. She once said, "Guitar-wise, I have a certain style that I can't seem to get any guitar player to mimic, and it's because they're good and I'm bad," she has said. "And I don't mind. There's a way I want to hear it, so I just do it myself."
Discography
Albums- The Burdens of Being UprightThe Burdens of Being UprightThe Burdens of Being Upright is the first album by American singer/songwriter Tracy Bonham. It was released on March 19, 1996 by Island Records, with distribution by Polygram and it was her major label debut...
- 1996 - Down HereDown HereDown Here is the second album by American singer/songwriter Tracy Bonham. It was released on April 18, 2000 .-Track listing:All songs by Tracy Bonham#"Freed" – 4:25#"Behind Every Good Woman" – 3:44#"You Don't Know Me" – 3:24...
- 2000 - Blink the BrightestBlink the BrightestBlink the Brightest is the third album by American singer/songwriter Tracy Bonham. It was released on June 21, 2005.-Track listing:#"Something Beautiful" – 4:17#"I Was Born Without You" – 3:45...
- 2005 - Masts of ManhattaMasts of ManhattaMasts of Manhatta is the fourth album by American singer/songwriter Tracy Bonham. It was released on July 13, 2010 by Engine Room Recordings in the United States and Lojinx in the UK.-Track listing:All songs by Tracy Bonham#"Devil's Got Your Boyfriend"...
- 2010
EPs
- The Liverpool Sessions - 1995 (EP)
- Bee - 2003 (EP)
- Something Beautiful - 2005 (EP/DVD)
- In The City/In The Woods - 2006 (EP)
Singles
- "Sunshine" - 1995
- "Dandelion" - 1995
- "Mother MotherMother Mother (song)"Mother Mother" is a song by Tracy Bonham from her debut album The Burdens of Being Upright. It reached the top of Billboard magazine's Modern Rock Tracks chart in mid-1996.-Lyrics:...
" - "The One" - 1996
- "Sharks Can't Sleep" - 1996
- "Navy Bean" - 1996
- "Behind Every Good Woman" - 2000
- "Something Beautiful" - 2005
- "Shine" - 2005
- "Eyes" - 2005
- "Big Red Heart" - 2010
Digital releases
- Carry Me Home - 2008 (Website download)
- Your Night Is Wide Open - 2008 (Website download)
- The Size of My Fist - 2008 (available on iTunes)
- The Indelible Man - 2008 (available on iTunes)
- In My Heart (Bill Withers cover) - 2009 (available on iTunes and the compilation album "Before The Goldrush")
- The Hugger, The Screamer, and Me - 2009 (Website download)
- In The Pines (Leadbelly cover) - 2011 (Website download)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 1996 | MTV Video Music Awards MTV Video Music Awards An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos... nomination for Best New Artist MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist The MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist is one of the four original general categories that have been given out since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984... ("Mother Mother") |
| 1996 | MTV Video Music Awards MTV Video Music Awards An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos... nomination for Best Female Video MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video is one of the original general awards that has been handed out every year since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. In 2007, however, the award was briefly renamed Female Artist of the Year, and it awarded the artist's whole body of work... ("Mother Mother") |
| 1997 | Grammy Award Grammy Award A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry... nomination for Best Alternative Music Performance Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album The Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums in the alternative rock genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards... (The Burdens of Being Upright) |
| 1997 | Grammy Award Grammy Award A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry... nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for works containing quality vocal performances in the rock music genre... ("Mother Mother") |