Claire Holley

Claire Holley was born and raised in Mississippi, where from the outset she was eagerly subject to the Deep South's rich variety of musical influence--from flattop pickers to honkytonk crooners and gospel choirs, from opera divas to her grandmother's jazz piano. In college she started performing in coffeehouses and writing songs, releasing her first record, Night Air, soon after graduating. In 1999, she made Sanctuary, an inspired recording of traditional hymns. Soon after, Holley signed with Yep Roc Records, and Performing Songwriter called her Yep Roc debut "straightforward, unabashed, and beautiful." NPR's Weekend Edition with Liane Hansen featured this release as well as Sanctuary in an interview on a national broadcast. Her most recent release, Dandelion has received radio play in the U.S. and Europe and the Winston Salem Journal called it one of the more notable releases of 2003. In 2005, Claire teamed up with fellow musician and native Mississippian, Caroline Herring, for a co-bill performance to a packed house in Jackson, Mississippi. They released a cd from that performance, Live at St. Andrews. ". . . Two of the finest song stylists in the South . . ." says Charles Reagan Wilson, Director of the Center for The Study of Southern Culture. Recently, Claire’s song ‘6 Miles to McKenney’ was picked for Moonstruck Records’ Chicken Fried Rust CD along with songs from Lucinda Williams and Little Feat. She lives in Los Angeles where she recently wrote original music for Arlene Hutton’s play “See Rock City” which premiered at The Crossley Theatre in Hollywood last September. Her songs and instrumental music for that play were nominated for Best Original Music by the 2006 LA Weekly Theatre Awards. This January, her song "Waving Goodbye" was featured in an episode of ABC's "Men in Trees." She is currently working on songs for a new release and writing music for an independent film. “Her sense of place is marvelous, and her turn of phrase often striking.” --The Patriot Ledger (Boston, MA) "…stunning… Holley sings gracefully with a raspy, hushed voice, over smart and surprising guitar parts, making for some unequivocally good music." — Southeast Performer "The slight catch in Holley's voice can break your heart…" — Time Out New York