The Civil Wars (band)
Encyclopedia
The Civil Wars are a duo composed of singer-songwriters Joy Williams and John Paul White
. The two bandmembers met during a Nashville, Tennessee
songwriting session. Their debut album, Barton Hollow
, was released in the US in 2011, selling 25,000 copies in its first week. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard
Digital Albums chart and No. 12 on the Billboard Top 200 chart.
began recording the duo at his Art House studio soon after hearing them perform at The French Quarter Cafe in Nashville in March 2009, which was the band's first show. The band's second live performance was at Eddie's Attic
in Decatur, Georgia on April 8, 2009, which was recorded and released as a free Internet download called Live at Eddie's Attic
, which has been downloaded over 300,000 times to date.
In November 2009, The Civil Wars' song "Poison & Wine" was featured in full during the ending of an episode of ABC
's Grey's Anatomy
.
In December 2010 the duo was selected as Paste Magazine's "Best of What's Next".
On January 14, 2011, the band made their US television debut by performing their first single "Barton Hollow" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
.
Later in January 2011 the duo made their debut at the Sundance Film Festival
, performing twice at ASCAP's Music Cafe.
On February 1, 2011, The Civil Wars' debut studio album Barton Hollow
was released in the United States, and sold 25,000 copies in its first week, partially due to iTunes
selecting "Barton Hollow" as its "Free Single of the Week". The album remained at No. 1 on the iTunes chart for approximately 9 days.
In February 2011, The Civil Wars appeared on NPR
's Weekend All Things Considered
, and were also featured in The Los Angeles Times, where writer Ann Powers stated, "through bands such as The Civil Wars, a new music industry is born".
In March 2011, The Civil Wars appeared on American Public Media's (formerly American Public Radio) "A Prairie Home Companion
" and VH1
began playing the "Barton Hollow" video and added The Civil Wars to their list of "You Oughta Know" artists on the rise.
In April 2011 the duo received airplay on both VH1
and CMT
and was reported to be the first emerging act to receive simultaneous support from both networks.
Later in the month they were nominated for a CMT Award in the Duo Video of the Year category, for their "Barton Hollow" music video, and were featured on the cover of Pollstar
Magazine.
In May 2011, The Civil Wars performed for a second time on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
, opened for singer Adele
for her North American album release tour, were nominated for Americana Music Awards in the Duo/Group of the Year and Emerging Artist of the Year categories, and headlined a benefit concert for victims of the 2011 Alabama tornado.
After opening the first two shows for Adele
in Washington DC and Philadelphia in May 2011, the singer blogged on her website about the band, praising them for their music and live show.
On June 3, 2011, UK newspaper The Guardian
featured The Civil Wars as their 'New Band of the Day'.
In the summer of 2011 the band performed on Los Angeles
radio station KCRW
's acclaimed show Morning Becomes Eclectic, opened several shows for Emmylou Harris
, and also performed at the Newport Folk Festival
in Newport, Rhode Island.
In September 2011, The Civil Wars joined Adele
once again as the opening act for her UK Fall Tour, and were nominated for a Country Music Association
Award in the Vocal Duo of the Year category.
On October 5 the band performed their song "Barton Hollow" live on the national UK television show, BBC2's Later... Live. An extended version of the live show, called Later... with Jools Holland, was broadcast on October 7 on the same channel, where the band also performed their song "I've Got This Friend" and a cover of Michael Jackson
's classic song "Billie Jean".
Following the band's Later... with Jools Holland performances, Barton Hollow
debuted at No. 22 on the UK Download Chart and No. 54 on the UK Albums Chart
, all without an official physical album release date in the UK, relying solely on import CD and digital album sales.
On October 25, 2011, the duo were featured for the first time in The New York Times
on the front page of the Arts section as well as online, and also made their debut on The Late Show with David Letterman that evening.
Interview Magazine featured the band on October 27, 2011.
On November 6, 2011, ASCAP awarded The Civil Wars with the Vanguard Award at the 49th Annual ASCAP Country Music Awards. The award recognizes the impact of musical genres that help shape the future of American music. Previous artists who have received the award are Bjork
, Band of Horses
, Arcade Fire, Beck
, Nine Inch Nails
and The Killers.
Nashville Scene
featured The Civil Wars on the cover and as the feature story for their November 10th, 2011 issue.
To date in the US, The Civil Wars have sold over 210,000 copies of their debut album, Barton Hollow
, along with over 280,000 digital tracks from the album, according to Nielsen Soundscan
.
John Paul White
John Paul White is an American singer-songwriter and a member of the folk duo The Civil Wars.-With The Civil Wars:*Live at Eddie's Attic *Poison & Wine *Barton Hollow -External links:*...
. The two bandmembers met during a Nashville, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
songwriting session. Their debut album, Barton Hollow
Barton Hollow
-Album:-Singles:...
, was released in the US in 2011, selling 25,000 copies in its first week. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Digital Albums chart and No. 12 on the Billboard Top 200 chart.
History
Williams and White met during a song writing session at a music studio in Nashville, Tennessee in 2008. Producer Charlie PeacockCharlie Peacock
Charlie Peacock is an American singer-songwriter, pianist, record producer, session musician and author. While growing up in California Peacock was inspired by John Coltrane and began playing the piano. After completing his education, Peacock formed a band and began a career as a professional...
began recording the duo at his Art House studio soon after hearing them perform at The French Quarter Cafe in Nashville in March 2009, which was the band's first show. The band's second live performance was at Eddie's Attic
Eddie's Attic
Eddie's Attic is a music club in Decatur, Georgia. Founded in 1992 by Eddie Owen, it is a venue for both local musical talent and musicians of some acclaim who often got their start in the Atlanta area. Artists who developed their fanbase at Eddie's Attic include Shawn Mullins, Sugarland, Indigo...
in Decatur, Georgia on April 8, 2009, which was recorded and released as a free Internet download called Live at Eddie's Attic
Live at Eddie's Attic
Live at Eddie's Attic is the first release, a live album from The Civil Wars, featuring Joy Williams and John Paul White. It was released on their website as a free download on June 30, 2009...
, which has been downloaded over 300,000 times to date.
In November 2009, The Civil Wars' song "Poison & Wine" was featured in full during the ending of an episode of ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
.
In December 2010 the duo was selected as Paste Magazine's "Best of What's Next".
On January 14, 2011, the band made their US television debut by performing their first single "Barton Hollow" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny...
.
Later in January 2011 the duo made their debut at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
, performing twice at ASCAP's Music Cafe.
On February 1, 2011, The Civil Wars' debut studio album Barton Hollow
Barton Hollow
-Album:-Singles:...
was released in the United States, and sold 25,000 copies in its first week, partially due to iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
selecting "Barton Hollow" as its "Free Single of the Week". The album remained at No. 1 on the iTunes chart for approximately 9 days.
In February 2011, The Civil Wars appeared on NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
's Weekend All Things Considered
All Things Considered
All Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
, and were also featured in The Los Angeles Times, where writer Ann Powers stated, "through bands such as The Civil Wars, a new music industry is born".
In March 2011, The Civil Wars appeared on American Public Media's (formerly American Public Radio) "A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion is a live radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor. The show runs on Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Central Time, and usually originates from the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota, although it is frequently taken on the road...
" and VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
began playing the "Barton Hollow" video and added The Civil Wars to their list of "You Oughta Know" artists on the rise.
In April 2011 the duo received airplay on both VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
and CMT
CMT
- Medicine :* California mastitis test* Certified Massage Therapist* Cervical motion tenderness, a sign of pelvic inflammatory disease* Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease* Chemically modified tetracyclines* Circus Movement Tachycardia...
and was reported to be the first emerging act to receive simultaneous support from both networks.
Later in the month they were nominated for a CMT Award in the Duo Video of the Year category, for their "Barton Hollow" music video, and were featured on the cover of Pollstar
Pollstar
Pollstar is a concert tour industry's leading trade publication that gets its information primarily from the agents, managers and promoters who are producing concerts. Founded in 1981, it is based in Fresno, California and has an office in London with correspondents in six countries. Pollstar is...
Magazine.
In May 2011, The Civil Wars performed for a second time on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny...
, opened for singer Adele
Adele (singer)
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins , known professionally as Adele, is an English singer-songwriter. She was the first recipient of the Brit Awards Critics' Choice and was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2008 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2008...
for her North American album release tour, were nominated for Americana Music Awards in the Duo/Group of the Year and Emerging Artist of the Year categories, and headlined a benefit concert for victims of the 2011 Alabama tornado.
After opening the first two shows for Adele
Adele
Adele is a female given name of European origin used in English, French, German and Italian with a meaning of noble, kind, and tender...
in Washington DC and Philadelphia in May 2011, the singer blogged on her website about the band, praising them for their music and live show.
On June 3, 2011, UK newspaper The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
featured The Civil Wars as their 'New Band of the Day'.
In the summer of 2011 the band performed on Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
radio station KCRW
KCRW
KCRW is a public radio station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, carrying a mix of National Public Radio news, talk radio and freeform music format. The general manager of KCRW is Jennifer Ferro...
's acclaimed show Morning Becomes Eclectic, opened several shows for Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
, and also performed at the Newport Folk Festival
Newport Folk Festival
The Newport Folk Festival is an American annual folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the previously established Newport Jazz Festival...
in Newport, Rhode Island.
In September 2011, The Civil Wars joined Adele
Adele (singer)
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins , known professionally as Adele, is an English singer-songwriter. She was the first recipient of the Brit Awards Critics' Choice and was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2008 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2008...
once again as the opening act for her UK Fall Tour, and were nominated for a Country Music Association
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
Award in the Vocal Duo of the Year category.
On October 5 the band performed their song "Barton Hollow" live on the national UK television show, BBC2's Later... Live. An extended version of the live show, called Later... with Jools Holland, was broadcast on October 7 on the same channel, where the band also performed their song "I've Got This Friend" and a cover of Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's classic song "Billie Jean".
Following the band's Later... with Jools Holland performances, Barton Hollow
Barton Hollow
-Album:-Singles:...
debuted at No. 22 on the UK Download Chart and No. 54 on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, all without an official physical album release date in the UK, relying solely on import CD and digital album sales.
On October 25, 2011, the duo were featured for the first time in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
on the front page of the Arts section as well as online, and also made their debut on The Late Show with David Letterman that evening.
Interview Magazine featured the band on October 27, 2011.
On November 6, 2011, ASCAP awarded The Civil Wars with the Vanguard Award at the 49th Annual ASCAP Country Music Awards. The award recognizes the impact of musical genres that help shape the future of American music. Previous artists who have received the award are Bjork
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
, Band of Horses
Band of Horses
Band of Horses, originally briefly known as Horses, are an American rock band formed in 2004 in Seattle by Ben Bridwell. They have released three studio albums, the most recent and most successful of which is 2010's Grammy nominated Infinite Arms...
, Arcade Fire, Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
and The Killers.
Nashville Scene
Nashville Scene
Nashville Scene is an alternative newsweekly in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1989, became a part of Village Voice Media in 1999, and later joined the ranks of sixteen other publications after a merger of Village Voice Media with New Times Media early in 2006. In 2009 the paper was...
featured The Civil Wars on the cover and as the feature story for their November 10th, 2011 issue.
To date in the US, The Civil Wars have sold over 210,000 copies of their debut album, Barton Hollow
Barton Hollow
-Album:-Singles:...
, along with over 280,000 digital tracks from the album, according to Nielsen Soundscan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
.
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US Rock |
US Indie Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels... |
US Folk Folk Albums Folk Albums is a music chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the top selling "current releases by traditional folk artists, as well as appropriate titles by acoustic-based singer-songwriters" in the United States. The chart debuted on the issue dated December 5, 2009... |
US Digital |
UK Download Chart |
UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
||
| Barton Hollow Barton Hollow -Album:-Singles:... |
|
12 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 22 | 54 |
Extended plays
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Poison & Wine Poison & Wine Poison & Wine is the first studio extended play from independent group The Civil Wars. It was released on November 15, 2009. "Poison & Wine" and "Tip of My Tongue" were both originally released on their live album Live at Eddie's Attic.-Singles:... |
|
| Tracks in the Snow |
|
Live albums
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Live at Eddie's Attic Live at Eddie's Attic Live at Eddie's Attic is the first release, a live album from The Civil Wars, featuring Joy Williams and John Paul White. It was released on their website as a free download on June 30, 2009... |
|
| iTunes Live: SXSW |
|
Singles
| Year | Single | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Barton Hollow" | Barton Hollow |
| 2011 | "Poison & Wine" | Barton Hollow |
Video
- “Poison & Wine” (2009) View
- “Barton Hollow” (2010) View
- “Barton Hollow” Live on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” (2011) View
- “Poison & Wine” Live on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” (2011)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | CMT Music Awards CMT Music Awards The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The awards ceremony is held every year in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast live on CMT. Voting takes place on CMT's website, CMT.com.-History:... |
Duo Video of the Year — "Barton Hollow" | |
| Americana Music Association Americana Music Association The Americana Music Association is a trade organization developed to provide professional support and to promote awareness of Americana music. Toward these ends the organization works with artists, radio stations, record labels, publishers, and others to create networking opportunities and to... |
New/Emerging Artist of the Year | ||
| Duo/Group of the Year | |||
| Country Music Association Awards Country Music Association Awards The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards, or the CMAs, and not to be confused with the ACM Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country Music Association. The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium in 1967... |
Vocal Duo of the Year | ||
| 2011 | Grammy | Best Folk Album | |
| 2011 | Grammy | Best Country Duo/ Group Performance |