Susan Werner
Encyclopedia
Susan Werner is an American
singer-songwriter
. Much of Werner's work has been in the contemporary folk
genre.
, Werner became interested in music
at a young age and went on to receive a bachelor's degree
in voice
at the University of Iowa
. In 1987, she moved to Philadelphia
, and soon earned a master's degree
in voice at Temple University
. Werner initially wanted a career in opera
, but after seeing a Nanci Griffith
performance became inspired and began composing songs of her own on acoustic guitar
.
Performing around Philadelphia, [Boston, and New York City
, Susan began making a name for herself in the folk
scene of the early 1990s. She recorded five albums from 1993 to 2001, and eventually moved to Chicago. Her first five albums were all in the folk genre, but Werner's sixth album, I Can't Be New
(2004), was a substantial departure, with original material in the vein of Tin Pan Alley
, cabaret
, and early jazz
torch song
s.
Werner's seventh album, The Gospel Truth, was released in March 2007 and addresses themes of religion
, faith
, social responsibility
, as well as religion from an Agnostic's
point of view. Her eighth album, Live at Club Passim is collection of original songs (gospel, jazz & folk) recorded with her band: Colleen Sexton, Trina Hamlin & bassist Greg Holt. For her ninth album, Classics, she performs pop music
from the sixties and seventies accompanied by chamber
instruments.
In 2010 Tom Jones
recorded Susan's song "Did Trouble Me" for his album "Praise and Blame"
Her latest album, entitled "Kicking the Beehive," was released in March 2011. Produced by Rodney Crowell
, it features guest appearances from Vince Gill
, Keb' Mo and Paul Franklin
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
. Much of Werner's work has been in the contemporary folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
genre.
Career
Born and raised near Manchester, IowaManchester, Iowa
Manchester is a city in Delaware County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,257 at the 2000 census. As of the 2005 population estimates, Manchester's population was 5,052...
, Werner became interested in music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
at a young age and went on to receive a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in voice
Voice
Voice may refer to:* Human voice* Voice control or voice activation* Writer's voice* Voice acting* Voice vote* Voice message-In film:* Voice , a 2005 South Korean film* The Voice , a 2010 Turkish horror film directed by Ümit Ünal...
at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
. In 1987, she moved to Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, and soon earned a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in voice at Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
. Werner initially wanted a career in opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, but after seeing a Nanci Griffith
Nanci Griffith
Nanci Griffith, is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter from Austin, Texas.-Biography:...
performance became inspired and began composing songs of her own on acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
.
Performing around Philadelphia, [Boston, and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Susan began making a name for herself in the folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
scene of the early 1990s. She recorded five albums from 1993 to 2001, and eventually moved to Chicago. Her first five albums were all in the folk genre, but Werner's sixth album, I Can't Be New
I Can't Be New
I Can't Be New is the sixth album by American singer-songwriter Susan Werner, released in 2004 .-Track listing:all songs written by Susan Werner, except where noted#"I Can't Be New" - 2:54...
(2004), was a substantial departure, with original material in the vein of Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century...
, cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
, and early jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
torch song
Torch song
A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affected the relationship...
s.
Werner's seventh album, The Gospel Truth, was released in March 2007 and addresses themes of religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
, social responsibility
Social responsibility
Social responsibility is an ethical ideology or theory that an entity, be it an organization or individual, has an obligation to act to benefit society at large. Social responsibility is a duty every individual or organization has to perform so as to maintain a balance between the economy and the...
, as well as religion from an Agnostic's
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
point of view. Her eighth album, Live at Club Passim is collection of original songs (gospel, jazz & folk) recorded with her band: Colleen Sexton, Trina Hamlin & bassist Greg Holt. For her ninth album, Classics, she performs pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
from the sixties and seventies accompanied by chamber
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
instruments.
In 2010 Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
recorded Susan's song "Did Trouble Me" for his album "Praise and Blame"
Her latest album, entitled "Kicking the Beehive," was released in March 2011. Produced by Rodney Crowell
Rodney Crowell
Rodney Crowell is a Grammy Award-winning musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music....
, it features guest appearances from Vince Gill
Vince Gill
Vincent Grant "Vince" Gill is an American neotraditional country singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman to the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s, and as a solo artist beginning in 1983, where his talents as a...
, Keb' Mo and Paul Franklin
Paul Franklin (musician)
Paul Franklin is an American multi-instrumentalist, known mainly for his work as a steel guitarist. He began his career in the 1970s as a member of Barbara Mandrell's road band; in addition he toured with Mel Tillis and Jerry Reed. He has since become a prolific session musician in Nashville,...
Discography
- Midwestern Saturday NightMidwestern Saturday NightMidwestern Saturday Night is the self-published debut album by American singer-songwriter Susan Werner, released in 1993 .-Track listing:All songs written by Susan Werner, except where noted#"So Heavy" – 3:35...
(1993) - Live at Tin AngelLive at Tin AngelLive at Tin Angel is the second self-published album by American singer-songwriter Susan Werner, released in 1993 .-Track listing:All songs written by Susan Werner, except where noted#"So Heavy" - 3:41...
(1993) - Last of the Good Straight GirlsLast of the Good Straight GirlsLast of the Good Straight Girls is the third album by American singer-songwriter Susan Werner, released in 1995 . This was Werner's first major label album.-Track listing:All songs written by Susan Werner, except where noted...
(1995) - Time Between TrainsTime Between TrainsTime Between Trains is the 4th album by American singer-songwriter Susan Werner, released in 1998 .-Track listing:all songs written by Susan Werner, except where noted#"Time Between Trains" - 3:49#"Old Mistake" - 4:26...
(1998) - New Non-FictionNew Non-FictionNew Non-Fiction is the fifth album by American singer-songwriter Susan Werner, released in 2001 .-Track listing:All songs written by Susan Werner, except where noted#"Stationary" - 3:16#"Shade of Grey" - 3:50#"Blue Guitar" - 2:55...
(2001) - I Can't Be NewI Can't Be NewI Can't Be New is the sixth album by American singer-songwriter Susan Werner, released in 2004 .-Track listing:all songs written by Susan Werner, except where noted#"I Can't Be New" - 2:54...
(2004) - The Gospel Truth (2007)
- Live at Passim (2008)
- Classics (2009)
- Kicking The Beehive (2011)