Singer
Natalie Merchant

After rising to fame at the helm of the popular folk-rock band 10,000 Maniacs, Natalie Merchant enjoyed even greater success as a solo artist during the mid-'90s. Her literate, socially conscious songs established her among the preeminent women in pop music, while her solo debut -- 1995's Tigerlily -- helped pave the way for a number of female performers in a pre-Lilith Fair market. She continued releasing albums well into the 2000s, often examin ... ing specific genres or subjects, although Tigerlily remained her biggest-selling record. Born October 26, 1963, in Jamestown, NY, Merchant joined 10,000 Maniacs at the age of 17 and became the band's driving artistic force. After a pair of successful independent releases, they signed to Elektra in 1985 and briefly became one of the most popular acts in alternative rock, shooting into the Top 40 with 1987's In My Tribe and charting even higher with their follow-up effort, Blind Man's Zoo. Merchant's desire to launch a solo career increased alongside the band's growing reputation, however, and by the time the group sat down to record 1992's Our Time in Eden, she gave her bandmates two years' notice. Following the release of MTV Unplugged in 1994, she publicly announced she was leaving the group's ranks. Merchant made her solo debut with 1995's Tigerlily, a self-produced album that debuted at number 13 and scored a Top Ten single with "Carnival." Two additional singles, "Wonder" and "Jealousy," also cracked the Top 40, prompting Tigerlily to sell over five million copies in the U.S. alone. It was followed in 1998 by Ophelia, another platinum-selling effort that was supported by Merchant's inclusion in the second Lilith Fair tour. Live in Concert, recorded at New York's Neil Simon Theatre, appeared a year later. A prominent social activist, Merchant also drew notice by campaigning in the name of such hot-button issues as animal rights, domestic violence, and homelessness. Merchant launched a folk tour in 2000, with members of progressive folk band the Horse Flies joining her on the road. She then returned to her solo career with Motherland. Two years later, Merchant left Elektra's roster and formed her own independent label, Myth America, in order to issue House Carpenter's Daughter, a collection of traditional and contemporary folk music inspired by the 2000 tour. A long period of silence followed, during which a pair of greatest-hits releases -- the 10,000 Maniacs collection Campfire Songs and Merchant's own Retrospective: 1995-2005 -- kept fans relatively sated. As the decade drew to a close, though, Merchant signed with Nonesuch Records and began making plans for a new album, which eventually arrived in the form of 2010's Leave Your Sleep. See more [+]

Beloved Wife |||||

You were the love For certain of my life You were simply my ...

Break Your Heart |||||

people downcast, is despair see the disillusion everywhere h...

Gulf Of Araby |||||

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2...

Jealousy |||||

O, jealousy O, jealousy is she fine so well bred the perfect...

Kind and Generous |||||

you've been so kind and generous I don't know how you keep o...

King Of May |||||

farewell today travel on now be on your way go safely there ...

Motherland |||||

Where in hell can you go Far from the things you know Far fr...

My Skin |||||

take a look at my body look at my hands there's so much here...

Ophelia |||||

Ophelia was a bride of god a novice Carmelite in sister cell...

San Andreas Fault |||||

Paradise is there You'll have all that you can eat Of milk a...

Wonder |||||

Doctors have come from distant cities just to see me stand o...

When They Ring The Golden Bells |||||

There's a land beyond the river That they call the sweet for...

Space Oddity |||||

Ground Control to Major Tom Ground Control to Major Tom Take...

Tell Yourself |||||

I know what you tell yourself, tell yourself. I know what yo...

The Lowlands Of Holland |||||

Now when that I was married And in my marriage bed There cam...

Where I Go |||||

tab after relistening to the song. song on her solo effort "...

Wonders |||||

Doctors have come from distant cities Just to see me. Stand ...

Bury Me Under The Weeping Willow Tree |||||

Well, my heart is sad And I am lonesome For the only one I l...

Carnival |||||

` ` Well I've walked these streets a virtual stage it seemed...

If No One Ever Marries Me |||||

Well if no one ever marries me And I don't see why they shou...

Seven Years |||||

How did I love you? There was no measuring Far above this di...

Saint Judas |||||

Saddle up the horses and wear your Sunday best. Sing your Sa...

Giving Up Everything |||||

Giving up everything, my hungry ghost of hopefulness Giving ...

Thick As Thieves |||||

Remember how it all began, the apple and the fall of man The...

Texas |||||

Gonna get what's mine and wild horses couldn't keep it from ...

Black Sheep |||||

Oh, it's no secret, you know my every weakness Oh, haven't t...

Ladybird |||||

Hey, Ladybird, ain't it just the way, the way that love grow...

The Letter |||||

` ` If I ever write this letter Oh, the pages I could write ...

Cowboy Romance |||||

It's a Saturday afternoon romance between a cowboy and a foo...

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