BRANDI M. CARLILE was born on this date; Carlile is a multiple Grammy Award-winning American folk rock and Americana singer-songwriter. Throughout her career, she has received eleven Grammy Awards and two Emmy Awards, in addition to being nominated for an Academy Award for her writing and vocal contribution on “Never Too Late” with Elton John. She was born in Ravensdale, Washington, and dropped out of high school to pursue a career in music, teaching herself piano and guitar.
Her debut commercial album, Brandi Carlile, was released to critical acclaim but to limited commercial success. She garnered wider recognition and commercial success with her 2007 single “The Story”, from the album of the same name, The Story turned gold in 2017, having sold 500,000 copies to date.
Carlile’s most successful album to date, The Firewatcher’s Daughter earned her a Grammy Nomination for Best Americana Album and peaked at number 9 on the Billboard 200.
The album received critical acclaim from critics, leading Carlile to receive 6 nominations at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, the most nominations for a female in 2019, including the all-genre Album and Song of the Year categories. She won in three categories: Americana album and both best American roots song and best American roots performance (for “The Joke”).
Carlile has released six albums including The Story, Give Up the Ghost, and Live at the Benaroya Hall with the Seattle Symphony, the last reaching number 14 on the Top Rock Album chart. In May 2017, Carlile released Cover Stories, Brandi Carlile Celebrates 10 Years of The Story, An Album to Benefit War Child. Featuring fourteen artists covering tracks from the original The Story album, including Adele, Pearl Jam and Dolly Parton, it debuted at number 30 on the Billboard Chart. She released her seventh album, By the Way I Forgive You, in February 2018.
She said of her style, “I’ve gone through all sorts of vocal phases, from pop to blues to R&B, but no matter what I do, I just can’t get the country and western out of my voice.” Carlile has been a part of several activism campaigns and advocates for causes ranging from spreading awareness for health issues to women empowerment.
In a November 2002 interview, Carlile identified herself as a Lesbian. She later told the Los Angeles Times, “I don’t have to have a lot of formality around it … there were people before me who paved the way.” In June 2012 she announced she was engaged to Catherine Shepherd. The two were married in Boston, Massachusetts in September 2012. They welcomed their first child in June 2014, a daughter named Evangeline Ruth Carlile. In February of 2018, she announced via Instagram that her wife, Catherine Shepherd, was expecting their second child. Carlile has recently released a memoir, Broken Horses. The book debuted at position #1 in non-fiction on the New York Times Best Seller list
In 2022, Joni Mitchell performed with Carlile and her associates as the closing act of the Newport Folk Festival. Mitchell’s presence was an unannounced surprise, the performance was billed as “Brandi Carlile and Friends.” This was the 78 year old Mitchell’s first full-length performance since the early 2000s and her first appearance at the festival since 1969.
Elton John and Brandi Carlile released a collaborative album. Who Believes in Angels? in April 2025.
Her website: http://bytheway.brandicarlile.com/