Tracy Bonham
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Tracy Bonham (born 16 March 1969 in Boston, Massachusetts) is a Grammy nominated American musician best known for her single "Mother Mother."
Raised in Eugene, Oregon, Bonham is a classically trained violinist and pianist. She received two Grammy nominations in 1997 for Best Alternative Performance and Best Female Vocal. Today, Bonham splits her time between the U.S. West Coast and Brooklyn, New York.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Life and Early Music Career
A native of Eugene, Oregon, Bonham began singing at age 5 and playing the violin at 9. She started writing songs in 1994 after moving to Boston and proved to be a quick study: her 1996 major label debut, The Burdens of Being Upright, went gold, spawning the hit single “Mother Mother,” and leading to a pair of Grammy nominations. The follow-up, Down Here, was released in 2000 and since that time she’s continued her career, playing her music around the country—as well as growing as an artist and person.
When asked about the maturation of her songwriting, so dramatically in evidence throughout blink the brightest, Bonham replies, “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.”
[edit] The Burdens of Being Upright Era: 1995 to 1999
Tracy Bonham became a critically acclaimed artist after her debut, full-length album The Burdens of Being Upright. Magazines such as Rolling Stone and People raved of her bold approach to rock music. Her single Mother, Mother was number one on the rock charts for a month. Later that year Bonham was nominated for two Grammy Awards for Best Alternative Performance and Best Female Vocal. She then went on extensive touring.
[edit] Down Here Era: 2000 to 2002
After the mild success of her first album Tracy bit back with Down Here her second full-length album. Her record company did not want to promote female artists at the time though, so she was under-supported and the album did not sell well. She tried for success with Behind Every Good Woman, but did not succeed. She took a break after this album while searching for a new label.
[edit] The Bee EP Era: 2003 to 2005
Having failed to achieve success with Down Here, Tracy parted ways with her record label. Whilst touring in support of Blue Man Group, she recorded and released an independent disc, The Bee EP. The EP included early versions of "Shine", "All Thumbs" and "Naked", which later appeared on her next full length album. It also included a live version of "Freed" from the Down Here album, and a cover of "Black Dog", originally performed by Led Zeppelin. With the money made from selling this EP she returned to the studio to start work on her third full-length EP. The Bee EP was later re-issued in Europe as the "Something Beautiful" EP, with the addition of the title track (lifted from Blink the Brightest), and a DVD with bonus live performances.
[edit] Blink the Brightest Era: 2005 to 2006
With her new Blink the Brightest (Zoë/Rounder, June 21 2005) album, Tracy Bonham cements her status in the first rank of contemporary singer-songwriters. Recorded in L.A., where she’s lived part-time since 2003 (she splits time between the West Coast and Brooklyn), Bonham’s third album is musically sophisticated and bold.
Its centerpiece is her remarkable voice, which ranges from a sonorous alto to a soaring soprano. Bonham is a classically-trained violinist and pianist and a self-taught guitarist. “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.”
Bonham 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 include drummers Waronker and Butch (eels), bassists Sebastian Steinberg (Soul Coughing, Neil Finn) and Davey Farragher (Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow), guitarists Joe Gore (Tom Waits, P.J. Harvey) and Dave Levita (Alanis Morissette, Jewel) and keyboard player Mitchell Froom (Paul McCartney, Los Lobos).
Unlike Bonham’s first two albums, which were underwritten by Island, her former label, Bonham paid the recording costs of Blink the Brightest herself with money she’d made from selling copies of her EPs while touring with the Blue Man Group in 2003 (she previously appeared on the group’s album, The Complex).
[edit] Trivia
- Tracy is well recognized in the fan base that follows the Blue Man Group. She sang on their album The Complex and performed with them on the accompanying tour. Currently she is accompanying the band on their second national tour, "How to be a Megastar Tour 2.0". Tracy also made an appearance on America's Got Talent where she sang and played violin for their performance of Baba O'Riley.
- She sang and played violin on the album "Honkin' on Bobo" by Aerosmith. Two of Bonham's songs have been used in Showtime's drama series The L Word: "Naked" and "Whether you Fall", both belonging to her album "Blink the Brightest".
[edit] Discography
Albums
- The Burdens of Being Upright - 1996
- Down Here - 2000
- Blink the Brightest - 2005
EPs
- Liverpool Sessions - 1995 (EP)
- The Bee - 2003 (EP)
- Something Beautiful - 2005 (EP/DVD)
Singles
- Mother, Mother - 1996 (Single)
- Sharks Can't Sleep - 1996 (Single)
- The One - 1996 (Single)
- Behind Every Good Woman - 2000 (Single)
- Shine - 2005 (promo-only single)
[edit] Awards & nominations
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 1996 | MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best New Artist in a Video ("Mother Mother") |
| 1996 | MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Female Video of the Year ("Mother Mother") |
| 1996 | Grammy Award nomination for Best Alternative Music Performance (The Burdens of Being Upright) |
| 1996 | Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance ("Mother Mother") |
