Lori McKenna
| Lori McKenna | |
|---|---|
 Performing solo on the Custom House Stage of New Bedford Summerfest 2006. Photograph by Thom C. | |
| Background information | |
| Born | December 22, 1968 |
| Origin | Stoughton, Massachusetts |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments |
Vocals Acoustic Guitar |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels |
Warner Bros. Records Signature Sounds Universal Music Publishing Group |
| Associated acts | |
| Website |
www |
Lori McKenna (née Giroux) (born December 22, 1968) is an American folk singer/songwriter. She lives in Stoughton, Massachusetts with her husband and five children.
In 2016 she was nominated for the prestigious Grammy Award for Song of the Year and won Best Country Song for co-writing the hit Girl Crush performed by Little Big Town.
Early work
McKenna started writing songs as a teenager, and became a professional songwriter at the age of 27, when she was already married and had three children; she began singing at open mike nights in Boston, notably at the Blackthorn Tavern in nearby Easton, and eventually at her own shows. Working with her then manager Gabriel Unger, McKenna released four critically acclaimed independent CDs: Paper Wings and Halo (produced by Seth Connelly), Pieces of Me (produced by Crit Harmon), The Kitchen Tapes (self-produced demos), and Bittertown (produced by Lorne Entress). During this period she recorded for Signature Sounds, won awards from ASCAP and the Boston Music Awards, performed at the Sundance Film Festival, the Newport Folk Festival and played many sold-out venues in the Northeast.
Songwriting and music career
In 2004 McKenna signed a publishing deal with Nashville's Harlan Howard Music after fellow singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier shared McKenna's Bittertown with Melanie Howard. McKenna gained more attention in 2005, when Faith Hill recorded covers of four of McKenna's songs – three of which (including the title track) appeared on Hill's 2005 release Fireflies, the fourth as an exclusive to the iTunes Store.
McKenna parlayed her contribution to Hill's Fireflies into both an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show along with Hill, and a record deal with Warner Brothers Nashville. WB soon re-released McKenna's Bittertown on its label. In 2007, McKenna toured with Hill and Tim McGraw on the Soul2Soul Tour, accompanied by singer-songwriter/instrumentalist Mark Erelli and guitarist Russell Chudnofsky.
In addition to her own albums, McKenna has contributed a cover of Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" to the 2005 "High School Reunion" compilation. In 2007, McKenna recorded a cover of Neil Young's "The Needle and the Damage Done" for the American Laundromat Records benefit CD Cinnamon Girl - Women Artists Cover Neil Young For Charity. Also, McKenna helped write "Most of Me", "Latest Mistake" and "Can't You Just Adore Her?" on Mandy Moore's album Wild Hope (2007), and "Everblue" on Amanda Leigh (2009). Also of note, Lori McKenna's song "Bible Song" from Bittertown was recorded by country artist Sara Evans on her 'Real Fine Place' album released in 2005. Lori also contributed a song titled "I'm Workin'", recorded by Tim McGraw on his Let It Go album, released in 2007, as well as a song entitled "True Believer", recorded by Jimmy Wayne on his 2008 album, Do You Believe Me Now.
Unglamorous, was released on August 14, 2007, on Warner Bros. Nashville and McGraw and noted Nashville producer Byron Gallimore’s label, Stylesonic Records. The album yielded two non-charting singles. McKenna parted ways with Warner Bros. in 2008.[1]
UMPG Nashville signed McKenna to an exclusive publishing agreement.[2] Her ensuing album Lorraine was released on January 25, 2011 on Signature Sounds.[3]
Her latest album is called Massachusetts, released on April 23, 2013 [4] on the label 1-2-3-4-GO!.
In 2013, three songs co-written by McKenna entered the charts: "I Want Crazy" by Hunter Hayes, "Your Side of the Bed" by Little Big Town, and "Sober", also by Little Big Town.
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [5] |
US [6] |
US Heat [7] |
US Folk [8] |
US Indie [9] | ||
| Paper Wings and Halo |
|
— | — | — | — | — |
| Pieces of Me |
|
— | — | — | — | — |
| The Kitchen Tapes |
|
— | — | — | — | — |
| Bittertown |
|
— | — | — | — | — |
| Unglamorous |
|
19 | 109 | 1 | — | — |
| Lorraine |
|
— | — | 5 | 6 | 30 |
| Massachusetts |
|
— | — | 11 | 18 | — |
| Numbered Doors |
|
— | — | 25 | 13 | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "Unglamorous" | Unglamorous |
| 2008 | "I'm Not Crazy" |
Songwriting discography
| Year | Artist | Album | Song | Co-written with |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Carol Laula | To Let | "Broken Inside | |
| 2005 | Faith Hill | Fireflies | "Fireflies" | |
| "If You Ask" | ||||
| "Lone Star" | ||||
| "Stealing Kisses" | ||||
| Sara Evans | Real Fine Place | "Bible Songs" | ||
| 2007 | Tim McGraw | Let It Go | "I'm Working" | Darrell Scott |
| Mandy Moore | Wild Hope | "Most Of Me" | Mandy Moore | |
| "Can't You Just Adore Her?" | ||||
| " Latest Mistake" | ||||
| Jimmy Ryan | Fun With Music | "My Last Whiskey Song" | Jimmy Ryan | |
| 2008 | Heidi Newfield | What Am I Waiting For | "Wreck You" | Felix McTeigue |
| Jimmy Wayne | Do You Believe Me Now | "True Believer" | Liz Rose | |
| Vance Gilbert | Up On Rockfield | "House Of Prayer" | Vance Gilbert | |
| 2009 | Mandy Moore | Amanda Leigh | "Everblue" | Mandy Moore |
| Alexandra Samson | Takin' My Time | "I Don't Think I Deserve This" | Liz Rose | |
| "I See Smoke" | ||||
| 2010 | Keith Urban | Get Closer | "Luxury of Knowing" | |
| Ashley Ray | Ashley Ray | "Figured It Out" | ||
| Melissa Ferrick | Enough About Me | "How To Be Righteous" | ||
| 2011 | Alison Krauss | Paper Airplane | "My Love Follows Where You Go" | Barry Dean, Liz Rose |
| Sunny Sweeney | Concrete | "The Old Me" | Mark D. Sanders | |
| Steel Magnolia | Steel Magnolia | "Bullet Proof" | Chris Tompkins | |
| Melissa Rae Barrie | Breakaway | "Adore Her" | Mandy Moore | |
| 2012 | Ashley Monroe | Like a Rose | "The Morning After" | Ashley Monroe, Liz Rose |
| Trent Dabbs | Southerner | "Can I Cross Your Mind" | Trent Dabbs | |
| Mindy Smith | Mindy Smith | "Devils Inside" | Mindy Smith | |
| Buffy Lawson | I'm Leaving You For Me | "Lightning In A Bottle" | Ashley Monroe, Liz Rose | |
| Meghan Sheehan | About Love | "Break Me In Two" | Liz Rose, Sheely | |
| Walt Wilkins | Plenty | "Gray Hawk" | Liz Rose, Walt Wilkins | |
| 2013 | Hunter Hayes | Hunter Hayes | "I Want Crazy" | Hunter Hayes, Troy Verges |
| Little Big Town | Tornado | "Your Side Of The Bed" | Little Big Town | |
| "Sober" | Hillary Lindsey, Liz Rose | |||
| Holly Williams | The Highway | "Without You" | Holly Williams | |
| Trent Dabbs | The Way We Look At Horses | "Natural Causes" | Trent Dabbs | |
| Drew Kennedy | Wide Listener | "Rose Of Jericho" | Drew Kennedy | |
| "Sleeping Alone" | ||||
| 2014 | Little Big Town | Pain Killer | "Tumble and Fall" | Liz Rose, Hillary Lindsey, Little Big Town |
| "Save Your Sin" | Liz Rose, Hillary Lindsey | |||
| "Girl Crush" | Liz Rose, Hillary Lindsey | |||
| Angaleena Presley | American Middle Class | "Grocery Store" | Angaleena Presley | |
| Wade Bowen | Wade Bowen | "Long Enough To Be A Memory" | Wade Bowen, Ray | |
| Doc Walker | The 8th (Doc Walker album) | "That's How I Like It" | Liz Rose, Nathan Chapman | |
| Antigone Rising | Whiskey & Wine Vol. I | "That Was The Whiskey" | Nini Camps, Kristen Henderson | |
| "Call Me Crazy" | ||||
| "Jill Johnson" | Songs For Daddy | "No Other Daddy But You" | Liz Rose, Carver, Jill Johnson | |
| 2015 | RaeLynn | Me EP | "God Made Girls" | Nicolle Galyon, Liz Rose, RaeLynn |
| Amber Lawrence | I Will Love You - Single | "I Will Love You" | Felicia Barton, Kylie Sackley | |
| Reba McEntire | Love Somebody | "Until They Don't Love You" | Josh Osborne, Shane McAnally | |
| Antigone Rising | Whiskey & Wine Vol. II | "Game Changer" | Kristen Henderson, Nini Camps | |
| "My Town" | ||||
| Carrie Underwood | Storyteller | "Like I'll Never Love You Again" | Hillary Lindsey, Liz Rose |
Awards and Nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Country Music Association | Song of the Year | Girl Crush (shared with Liz Rose and Hillary Lindsey) | Won |
| 2016 | Grammy Awards | Song of the Year | Nominated | |
| Best Country Song | Won | |||
| Academy of Country Music Awards | Song of the Year | Won |
References
- ↑ Country Rosters Remain Stable Despite Sales Downturn
- ↑ Archived July 18, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Archived February 2, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "February | 2013". Lori McKenna. Retrieved 2014-05-05.
- ↑ "Lori McKenna Album & Song Chart History - Country Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- ↑ "Lori McKenna Album & Song Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- ↑ "Lori McKenna Album & Song Chart History - Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- ↑ "Lori McKenna Album & Song Chart History - Folk Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- ↑ "Lori McKenna Album & Song Chart History - Independent Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
External links
- Official Website
- McKenna on myspace
- Songfacts Interview with Lori McKenna
- Lori McKenna: An 'Unglamorous' Star Is Born : NPR Music
- Lori McKenna Live in Studio from WGBH Radio Boston
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