Nancy Cassidy
Palo Alto, California, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
Cassidy's fifth "grown up" album - she does kid's music too - is a great place for an introduction to her hard-driving folk. Cassidy's ability to assemble a balanced, well-paced album has caught up with her performing and composing talents, which have always been ahead of the pack. - Vintage Guitar
...the tunes are upbeat and bouncy, the arrangements are lush and compelling, and Nancy's beautiful alto voice is always mixed to the front, so the lyrics stand out. - Sing Out!
She's a laid back Tracy Nelson with a good selection of country-folk and blues arranged with guitar, drums, harmonica, violin and others. Her smooth contralto is best in the up tempo songs like "Gonna Move On" and "Wanna Go Back to the Country." "I Want You" is one of those great gotta-have-you-now blues numbers with some excellent backing vocals. - JA - Sing Out!
A little back porch, a little post feminist, this is prime example of current DIY singer/songwriter
material done right. With a snappy backing crew, it feels like something that would have been at home on Rounder in the past,
playing in the background at suburban coffee klatches full of
nascent discontent. Not to paint this set with that brush as it
continually rises above malcontent music. Cassidy has a lot on the ball and really knows how to break down the fourth wall. Well done. - Chris Spector, Midwest Records
A little back porch, a little post feminist, this is prime example of current DIY singer/songwriter
material done right. With a snappy backing crew, it feels like something that would have been at home on Rounder in the past,
playing in the background at suburban coffee klatches full of
nascent discontent. Not to paint this set with that brush as it
continually rises above malcontent music. Cassidy has a lot on the ball and really knows how to break down the fourth wall. Well done. - Chris Spector, Midwest Records
Discography
Memphis (2013)
Song of Joy (2012)
Runaway Train (2009)
So Much Weather (2006)
Nancy Cassidy's Kids Songs: 2 Compact Discs
and a Sing-Along Songbook (2004)
You Reel Me In (2004)
Night Skies (2002)
Pocketbook Romance (1996)
Hullabaloo (1995)
KidsSongs Sleepyheads (1992)
KidsSongs Jubilee (1990) (sold over 500,000 copies)
KidsSongs 2 (1989) (sold over 500,000 copies)
KidsSongs (1986) (sold over 1,000,000 copies)
RADIO SHOWS (interviewed and/or played): KFOK 95.1, Georgetown, CA; KKUP 91.5, Cupertino, CA; KNBA 90.3, Anchorage, AK; KPIG 107.5, Watsonville, CA; KVMR 89.5, Nevada City, CA.
RADIO PLAY: So Much Weather got radio play on KCLA, KFOC, KKUP, KLCC, KPIG, KUSP, Radio Crystal Blue, Whole Wheat Radio, and Moozikoo Radio. You Reel Me In got radio play on KFOC, KKCR, and KKUP.
Photos
Bio
Nancy's laugh is the first thing you notice about her, and it is contagious. It erupts heartily and often, comes from deep inside and gives you a preview of the same rich tones found in her singing voice. The listener is put at ease and at the same time connected to Nancy's personal warmth and positive energy. When she sings, it's like that too.
Nancy, who first hit the charts with a platinum series of recordings for young families entitled KidsSongs, has just released her latest CD, MEMPHIS. This one follows up on the success of her 2012 hit (Song of Joy) and is written for everybody with a heart, young and old.
Memphis pulls you in like the Mississippi heading south. Every twist and turn of the currents is here: soft gentle rocking on the water channels like "Back Water Blue," all the way to the churning, fast changing, heart pounding moments like "Broken Wing Blues."
Nancy's voice has never been more sultry and moving. Memphis reveals the voice of a woman happy and clear about who she is and eager to invite you in to catch up. Straight from her heart as always, sung with the clarity and feel of a woman who's sure of what she's saying, Nancy brings us songs that are passionate, strong, at times rockin' and shaking you by the belt and then soothing and gentle as the river rolling through the grasslands. . .and all the heart stations in between.
MEMPHIS offers up the heart and soul of Nancy Cassidy, the woman we've grown to love and listen to, but now at a new spot on her map. It's a powerfully beautiful place, full of soul healing calm and body quaking rhythms. . .a trip you don't want to miss!
Even after 12 CD's and 2 million sales, Cassidy is still exploring and every CD has its surprises. But, just as importantly, when it's time to head back to the heart, she can still bring it home.
More info about Nancy Cassidy. . .
Nancy began singing and writing as a young girl while growing up on a farm in the San Joaquin Valley, CA, with her 6 brothers and sisters. She sang in her living room, to the calves she was feeding, in the fields she was irrigating, and hummed her way through school. As a child, she dreamed about Marian Anderson, the gospel singer, landing by helicopter in her cow pasture to whisk her away so she could listen to her always.
At age 11, her Girl Scout Camp counselors inspired her with their songs and ukulele playing, so she started uke lessons in Merced with Mr. Wakiki. Several years later she took up the guitar and has been enjoying sharing music ever since - especially on the farm, on rivers, and around campfires.
As Nancy gradually studied her way through college, she supported herself at a variety of jobs: Taco Bell, canneries, and counseling at group homes. It was the group home experiences that inspired her to get a Masters in Counseling, and resulted in spending several years counseling teens at a non profit, New Morning, in Placerville.
She spent her summers as a river guide with non-profit, Environmental Traveling Companions, on the Stanislaus River, rowing less financially privileged groups of kids down the river. Later, she was a camp director at an environmental, multicultural camp, Hidden Villa, in Los Altos, where she was able to share music around campfires.
In 1986 she recorded her first children's album, KidsSongs, in Toronto with Ken Whiteley. Nancy was inspired to make her first children's song tape by the birth of her son, Cody. Klutz Press, located in her home at that time and owned by family and friends, distributed her music (with a book attached) through bookstores.
This first album, KidsSongs, was so successful that she received a gold record award from the Recording Association of America Inc. for having sold 500,000 copies. On this album, "Chicken Lips and Lizard Hips", a song written by Nancy and her husband, John Cassidy, achieved special acclaim. Bruce Springsteen recorded it on a benefit tape for the Pediatric Aids Foundation and has sold over a million copies.
Nancy has devoted fans worldwide. On her Jubilee CD, she recorded "I Wanna Be a Dog" which was beamed up to the astronauts on a shuttle flight, making Nancy one of the first childrens artist's with an orbital audience. So far, Nancy has a total of 5 childrens CDs, selling over 2 million copies worldwide.
Nancy's voice is frequently heard across the U.S. as she tours. She sings her classic KidsSongs in museums, schools, and libraries, and performs at folk festivals, house concerts, and clubs sharing her original folk music.
Some venues where Nancy has performed:
RADIO SHOWS (interviewed and/or played): KFOK 95.1, Georgetown, CA; KKUP 91.5, Cupertino, CA; KNBA 90.3, Anchorage, AK; KPIG 107.5, Watsonville, CA; KVMR 89.5, Nevada City, CA.
RADIO PLAY: So Much Weather got radio play on KCLA, KFOC, KKUP, KLCC, KPIG, KUSP, Radio Crystal Blue, Whole Wheat Radio, and Moozikoo Radio. You Reel Me In got radio play on KFOC, KKCR, and KKUP.
FESTIVALS: CA Blueg
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