Ana G. Egge (born September 20, 1976, in Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada) is a Canadian/American musician and songwriter. Egge grew up the daughter of a teacher and a wheat farmer in Ambrose, North Dakota, and later moved to

Silver City, New Mexico Silver City is a town in Grant County, New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat and the home of Western New Mexico University. As of the 2010 census the population was 10,315. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,704. History ...

. She spent some of her childhood traveling back and forth from North Dakota to a hot springs commune in New Mexico. When Egge was 16 years old, she began a one-year apprenticeship with luthier Don Musser, to build her own guitar which she still plays exclusively. She currently lives in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York.

Career

The early songs she wrote were soon noted by bassist Sarah Brown (Albert Collins, Bonnie Raitt) and guitarist Steve James, who persuaded her to record the 1994 cassette EP of her original songs in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. This EP led to a recording contract with Lazy S.O.B. Recordings and the release of her first full-length album, ''River Under The Road''. The title track was co-written by Egge, Sarah Brown and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. The following year, the

Austin Music Awards Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

named Egge, then nineteen, their "Best Singer/Songwriter" and "Best Folk Artist". Next Egge was invited on tour by Jimmie Dale Gilmore,

Iris DeMent Iris Luella DeMent (born January 5, 1961) is an American two-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and musician . DeMent's musical style includes elements of folk, country and gospel. Early life DeMent was born in Paragould, Arkansas, the 14 ...

Shawn Colvin Shawn Colvin (born Shawna Lee Colvin, January 10, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. While Colvin has been a solo recording artist for decades, she is best known for her 1998 Grammy Award-winning song " Sunny Came Home". Early ...

and

Ron Sexsmith Ronald Eldon Sexsmith (born January 8, 1964) is a Canadian singer-songwriter from St. Catharines, Ontario. He was the songwriter of the year at the 2005 Juno Awards. He began releasing recordings of his own material in 1985 at age 21, and has s ...

. She recorded her first live album ''Mile Marker'' on her solo tour in 1999. She later shared the stage with

John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death. He ...

Lucinda Williams Lucinda Gayle Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and a solo guitarist. She recorded her first two albums: '' Ramblin' on My Mind'' (1979) and '' Happy Woman Blues'' (1980), in a traditional country and blues style ...

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song " He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...

and Sinéad O'Connor among others. After a few years of constant touring, Egge returned to Silver City, New Mexico where she began building her own house in the desert and spending time with family. In 2002, after writing some of the songs for her next record, Egge resettled in

, New York. In Brooklyn she met bassist

Jason Mercer The Bourbon Tabernacle Choir were a Canadian alternative rock band that formed in 1985 in Toronto. History The band consisted of vocalist Kate Fenner, vocalist and organist Chris Brown, vocalist and guitarist Andrew Whiteman, guitarist Chris Mil ...

( Ani DiFranco, Ron Sexsmith) and they began recording demos of Egge's new songs. Singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith, guitarist

Tony Scherr Tony Scherr is an American jazz and folk rock bassist, guitarist, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Biography Scherr was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and is a graduate of the Hammonasset School. He played with Woody Herman as a teenag ...

and trumpeter Shane Endsley joined their efforts and the result was ''Out Past the Light'' which received critical acclaim. "Listen to the lyrics,"

urged an audience one night after the album was out. "She's a folk

Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blu ...

." Egge's ''Lazy Days'' was released on November 13, 2007. It is an album made up of cover songs on the theme of laziness. Songs include

The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhyt ...

' " Sitting in the Midday Sun",

Arcade Fire Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara. The band's current touring line-up also includes former core member ...

's "In the Backseat",

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' "I Could Spend a Day" and Belle and Sebastian's "Summer Wastin' ". Though all songs on the album were written by others, "Egge makes them her own through her distinctively laid-back approach. She drawls out the lyrics like a yawn, but the kind that settles in your soul like a sigh." In July 2007 she won The Mountain Stage New Song Regional Competition in New York City. Egge released her sixth record, ''Road to My Love'', in February 2009. The record was co-produced by Egge and her longtime collaborator Jason Mercer and includes guest musicians Steve Moore,

Michael Jerome Michael Jerome Moore, known as Michael Jerome is an American rock musician and drummer. He is a former member of the Toadies (1990–91), Course of Empire (1994–1998), and James Hall's band Pleasure Club, which was formed in 2002. He was a ...

Frazey Ford Frazey Obadiah Ford is a Canadian singer-songwriter and actress. She was a founding member of The Be Good Tanyas. Her solo debut ''Obadiah'' was released on Nettwerk on July 20, 2010. Jenny Charlesworth of ''The Georgia Straight'' wrote that a ...

and Trish Klein of

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Adam Levy Adam Levy is a jazz guitarist who was a member of Norah Jones's band. Career Levy was born in Encino, California. Two of his uncles and one cousin played guitar, and his mother briefly took lessons. His grandfather, George Wyle, worked for ' ...

and

. She also appears as a guest musician on

Joel Plaskett William Joel MacDonald Plaskett (born April 18, 1975) is a Canadian rock musician and songwriter based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was a member of Halifax alternative rock band Thrush Hermit in the 1990s. Plaskett performs in a number of genre ...

's 2009 album ''

Three 3 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 3, three, or III may also refer to: * AD 3, the third year of the AD era * 3 BC, the third year before the AD era * March, the third month Books * '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 ...

'' and has performed as a backup singer and musician and as a solo artist on his 'Three' world tour. Egge released her seventh record, ''Bad Blood'', on August 23, 2011. The record was produced by Steve Earle and recorded at Levon Helm's studio in

Woodstock, New York Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States, in the northern part of the county, northwest of Kingston, NY. It lies within the borders of the Catskill Park. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census, down from 6,241 in 20 ...

and was released by Danny Goldberg's Ammal Records. In 2015 Egge released Bright Shadow, an all acoustic, intimate album produced by Egge herself and engineered by long-time friend and collaborator

Steve Addabbo Steve Addabbo is a record producer, songwriter and audio engineer who helped launch the careers of Suzanne Vega and Shawn Colvin. He had a vital hand in Vega's hit single, " Luka" and Colvin's album '' Steady On''. Career He has produced and/or ...

featuring The Stray Birds as her back-up band on mandolin, fiddle, banjo, upright bass, dobro and harmony vocals. In 2016 Egge collaborated with the Danish indie-folk band The Sentimentals on Say That Now. Co-written and co-produced by Egge and The Sentimentals, recorded in Copenhagen, DK. In 2018 Egge signed with the NYC based label StorySound Records. Her first release with the label was a single, We Are One. Produced by Stewart Lerman and co-written by Gary Nicholson it features Steve Holley (Wings) and Paul Socolow (David Byrne). In 2018 Egge released White Tiger. Produced by Alec Spiegelman and features

Buck Meek Buck Meek (born Alexander Buckley Meek, July 10, 1987) is an American musician from Wimberley, Texas, best known as the guitarist and backing vocalist of Big Thief. Early life Meek was raised in Texas and was introduced to the guitar at a you ...

(Big Thief), Anais Mitchel (Hadestown) and

Billy Strings Billy Strings (born William Lee Apostol, October 3, 1992) is an American guitarist and bluegrass musician. He won a Grammy Award in 2021. Early life Billy Strings was born William Lee Apostol on October 3, 1992, in Lansing, Michigan. His fat ...

. Egge released her eleventh full-length album Is It The Kiss in 2019. It was produced by Alec Spiegelman and features

(Big Thief) and Matt Davidson (Twain). In 2019 Egge released a live recording of her previously released song, We Are One. Produced by Stewart Lerman and co-written by Gary Nicholson it features The Brooklyn Unitarian Choir,

Arthur Vint Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more wi ...

and Jacob Silver. Egge's songs have been recorded by

Dave Alvin David Albert Alvin (born November 11, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He is a former and founding member of the roots rock band the Blasters. Alvin has recorded and performed as a solo artist since the late 1980s a ...

Laurie Lewis Laurie Lewis is an innovative American singer, musician, and songwriter in the genre of bluegrass music. History Laurie Lewis was born in Long Beach, California on September 28, 1950. Her family moved regularly from place to place until she w ...

, Maya DeVitry, Laura Cortese & The Dance Cards and Matt the Electrician. Her songs have been featured on the TV shows I'm from Rolling Stone (MTV) and Shameless (Showtime). Egge is the subject of a full-length documentary directed by Jesse Lyda titled Bright Shadow released in 2015.

Discography

* Ana Egge (1994) -EP Grace Records *''River Under the Road'' (1997) Lazy S.O.B. * ''Mile Marker'' (1999) Grace Records/Parkinsong * ''101 Sundays'' (2000) Sodarock/Grace Records * ''Out Past the Lights'' (2004) Grace Records/Parkinsong * ''Lazy Days'' (2007) Grace Records/Parkinsong * ''Road to My Love'' (2009) Grace Records/Parkinsong * ''Bad Blood'' (2011) Ammal Records * ''Bright Shadow'' (2015) Grace Records/Parkinsong * ''Say That Now'' with The Sentimentals (2016) Grace Records/Sentimental Music *We Are One (2018) single – StorySound Records *''White Tiger'' (2018) StorySound Records *Is It The Kiss (2019) StorySound Records *We Are One (2019) live single feat. The Brooklyn Unitarian Choir – StorySound Records *This Time (2020) single - – StorySound Records *The Ship (2020) single - – StorySound Records *Between Us (2021) StorySound Records

Compilations

* ''Forever Dusty – A Tribute to Dusty Springfield'' (1998): "Breakfast in Bed" * ''38 Songs of Hope – Parkingsong'' (2004): "Wedding Dress"' * ''My Old Man: A Tribute to Steve Goodman'' (2006): "Old Fashioned Girl"'

Guest appearances

Roberto Moreno Roberto Pupo Moreno (born 11 February 1959), usually known as Roberto Moreno and also as Pupo Moreno, is a Brazilian former racing driver. He participated in 75 Formula One Grands Prix, achieved 1 podium, and scored a total of 15 championship p ...

, ''One Possible Explanation'' (1998) * Matt the Electrician, ''Baseball Song'' (1998) *

Kelly Hogan Kelly Hogan (born January 11, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter, often known for her work as a member of Neko Case's backing band, as well as for her solo work. Early and personal life Hogan was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the daughter of ...

& The Pine Valley Cosmonauts, Beneath The Country Underdog (2000) *

, '' Blue Boy'' (2001) * Tandy, ''To a Friend'' (2006) *

Nels Andrews Nels Andrews is a folk singer based in Santa Cruz, California. In 2002, Andrews was selected as a winner in the New Folk Competition at the annual Kerrville Folk Festival in Kerrville, Texas. In 2006, Nels was selected as the winner of the Tellu ...

, ''Off Track Betting'' (2007) *

Rose Polenzani Rose Polenzani (born March 7, 1975 in Waukesha, Wisconsin) is an American folk musician. She was raised in the Chicago area and attended Knox College before leaving to pursue a singing career. She is currently living in Boston, Massachusetts. S ...

, ''When the River Meets the Sea'' (2008) *

, ''

'' (2009) * Good Luck Mountain, ''Good Luck Mountain'' (2011) * Good Luck Mountain, Good Luck Mountain Too (2014) * Matt Patershuk, I Was So Fond Of You (2016) * Matt Patershuk, Same As I Ever Have Been (2017) * Dick Connette, Too Sad for the Public Vol. 1 Oysters Ice Cream Lemonade (2017) * The RT's, ''The RT's'' (2021)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Egge, Ana 1976 births Living people People from Estevan Canadian people of Norwegian descent American singer-songwriters American women singer-songwriters American folk musicians Musicians from Saskatchewan Guitarists from North Dakota People from Silver City, New Mexico 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American women guitarists