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The vivid songwriting of Catie Curtis combines insightful lyrics with soulful strumming and energy. Much of her music entails emotional narratives that the audience can relate to. She has written about domestic violence, corporate greed, religion, homelessness, peace, and gay issues. Unlike artists whose careers are generated by one hit song, Curtis has garnered a fan base through word of mouth, without music industry hype.
Catie's studio work, engaging live shows and impressive touring career in the US and Europe earn rave reviews and wide recognition. Her songs have been featured on Dawson's Creek, Felicity, Alias, Chicago Hope, and Grey's Anatomy, as well as in several independent films. She's toured with Dar Williams, Mary Chapin Carpenter and as part of Lilith Fair. This commitment to touring has resulted in a devoted, grassroots fan base. These days, Curtis is on the road playing 100 shows a year, both solo and with her band.
In March of 2006, Catie was named grand prize winner of the International Songwriting Competition, for her song "People Look Around", co-written with Mark Erelli. The judges, (including Tom Waits, Loretta Lynn, Macy Gray, and Sonny Rollins) chose the winner from a field of 15,000 entries from 82 countries. The song appeared on Long Night Moon (©2006, Compass Records) an intricate work of stripped down modern folk.
In the fall of 2008 Catie Curtis released the critically acclaimed Sweet Life (her ninth recording), an album dedicated to Lynne Ramsdell, the neighbor who gifted a 15-year old Curtis with her first guitar and traced out the first steps of Curtis’ life path. Throughout the fall of 2008 and the beginning of 2009 Curtis toured Sweet Life, began a youth music endowment (“Aspire to Inspire”) and gave away guitars to underprivileged youth, and in January 2009 performed at the Human Rights Campaign’s official Obama inaugural ball beside LGBT icons Melissa Etheridge and Rufus Wainwright. The Washington Post, The Advocate, TimeOut Chicago, and Curve Magazine all lined up to praise Sweet Life and Blurt went so far as to hail 2008 “The Year of Catie Curtis”. After a year of amazing, life-changing experiences, it’s no wonder Curtis was itching to jump back into the studio to try something she’d never done before: make a string band album.
Over the years, Curtis’ many fans have requested stripped down versions of her classic songs, capturing the spirit and intimacy of her live shows. With Hello Stranger, Curtis achieves that career goal. The album, features Curtis in the company of a select group
of Nashville all-star pickers including Stuart Duncan (fiddle, mandolin), Alison Brown (banjo), Todd Phillips (bass), George Marinelli (guitar/mandolin/dobro), and Kenny Malone (percussion).
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