Gretchen Peters
Gretchen Peters (born November 14, 1957) is an American singer and songwriter. She was born in Bronxville, New York, and she wrote her first song with her sister at the age of 5. In 1970, her parents broke up, and Peters moved with her mother to Boulder, Colorado. There, she discovered a lively music scene, and began playing at local clubs. In 1988 she moved to Nashville, where she found work as a songwriter, composing hits for Martina McBride, Etta James, Trisha Yearwood, Patty Loveless, George Strait, Anne Murray, Shania Twain, Neil Diamond and co-writing songs with Bryan Adams.[1][2] Some of Peters' notable compositions include "The Secret of Life", "On a Bus to St. Cloud", "You Don't Even Know Who I Am" and "Independence Day", for which she received the Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year. In addition, Peters has released fourteen studio albums of her own, beginning with 1996's The Secret of Life.
Gretchen Peters | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | November 14, 1957 Bronxville, New York, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1996–present |
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| Website | www |
As a writer, Peters' style is defined by melancholy lyrics and dark themes, such as murder, loneliness, PTSD, sexual abuse, domestic violence. She was inducted to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame on October 5, 2014.[3] On August 12, 2022, Peters announced her intention to retire from touring, playing her final shows in June 2023, though she will continue to write and record.[4]
Discography
Albums
| Title | Album details | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK [5] | ||
| The Secret of Life |
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| Gretchen Peters |
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| Halcyon |
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| Trio: Recorded Live |
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| Burnt Toast & Offerings |
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| Northern Lights |
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| One to the Heart, One to the Head (with Tom Russell) |
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| Circus Girl: The Best Of (single CD and 2-CD versions) |
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| Hello Cruel World |
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70 |
| Woman on the Wheel: Live from the Hello Cruel World Tour 2012 (Limited Edition Book/CD/DVD) |
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| Blackbirds |
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39 |
| Dancing with the Beast |
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87 |
| The Night You Wrote That Song |
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| The Show: Live from the UK |
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| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | |||
| 1996 | "When You Are Old" | 68 | The Secret of Life |
| "I Ain't Never Satisfied"[6] | — | ||
| 2012 | "Hello Cruel World" | — | Hello Cruel World |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||
Guest singles
| Year | Single | Artist | Peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | ||||
| 1999 | "New Year's Eve 1999" | Alabama | 55 | — |
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "When You Are Old"[7] | Bud Schaetzle |
| 2012 | "The Matador" | Bud Schaetzle |
| 2015 | "Blackbirds" | Eric Power |
| 2018 | "Arguing With Ghosts" | Joshua Britt & Neilson Hubbard/Neighborhoods Apart |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Nominated Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Country Music Association | Song of the Year | "Independence Day" | Won |
| 1995 | Grammy Awards | Best Country Song | Nominated | |
| 1996 | Grammy Awards | "You Don't Even Know Who I Am" | Nominated | |
| 1996 | Academy of Country Music | Song of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2002 | Golden Globes | Best Original Song | "Here I Am" | Nominated |
| 2016 | UK Americana Association | International Album of the Year | Blackbirds | Won |
| 2016 | UK Americana Association | International Artist of the Year | Gretchen Peters | Nominated |
| 2016 | UK Americana Association | International Song of the Year (shared with Ben Glover) | "Blackbirds" | Won |
| 2021 | Academy of Country Music | Poet's Award | Gretchen Peters | Won |
References
- Biography at Allmusic.com, Retrieved May 10, 2023.
- Video on YouTube
- Archived October 24, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- "An announcement". 12 August 2022.
- "Gretchen Peters | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. June 15, 1996.
- "CMT : Videos : Gretchen Peters : When You Are Old". Country Music Television. Retrieved October 14, 2011.