Tift Merritt

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Tift Merritt (born January 8, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter. Born in Houston, Texas, Merritt moved to North Carolina at a young age.

Merritt began her career playing small clubs in Chapel Hill and Raleigh, North Carolina. In 1999 she released a 7-song EP with the Two Dollar Pistols, led by John Howie, Jr. The EP was very much a country music compilation as it featured two original songs and five covers, including Charley Pride's "I'm So Afraid of Losing You Again."

In 2002, Merritt released her debut album Bramble Rose to wide critical acclaim, including selection by Time as one of the top 10 CDs of the year. The Times called it "the best release by a new artist, in any genre". While this first release was a country affair, her follow-up release, 2005’s Tambourine, took her in more of a rock/soul direction. The album was produced by famed roots rock producer George Drakoulias and featured backing by Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell (of the Heartbreakers) and Don Heffington (of Emmylou Harris's Hot Band and Lone Justice). Tambourine was honored with a 2004 Country Album of the Year Grammy nomination.

In 2005, Merritt released a live album called Home Is Loud, which was recorded June 4th, 2005 in North Carolina.

In 2006, Merritt appeared on Austin City Limits, the live music program on PBS. Originally aired on January 21, 2006, the show featured five songs recorded live in Austin, Texas on October 20, 2005.

As 2006 ends, Tift Merritt is ready to record her third studio album and hopes to sign a new recording contract and get into the studio early in 2007. .