Folk Singer-Songwriter Nanci Griffith Dead At 68
Nanci Griffith, the Grammy Award-winning folk and country singer-songwriter who penned “Love At The Five And Dime” and “Outbound Plane,” has died at 68. Her management company, Gold Mountain Entertainment, confirmed her passing but did not provide a cause of death. “It was Nanci’s wish that no further formal statement or press release happen for a week following her passing,” they said in a statement.
Griffith was born in Seguin, Texas and raised in Austin, where she began playing local gigs as a teenager. She released her debut album, There’s A Light Beyond These Woods, in 1978. She later moved to Nashville, and in 1994, her album Other Voices, Other Rooms won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.
Griffith recorded the first version of “From A Distance,” which became a hit for Bette Midler in 1990. Kathy Mattea and Suzy Boguss achieved their own country hits by recording Griffith’s songs, and she duetted with artists including Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Don McLean, Willie Nelson, and Darius Rucker. She is set to be inducted into the Texas Songwriters Hall Of Fame next year.