Anne Heaton is an American pop-influenced

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

singer-songwriter and pianist from New York City. She majored in

liberal studies Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the ...

at the Notre Dame, and grew up in the Chicago suburb of

Wilmette Wilmette is a village in New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. Bordering Lake Michigan and Evanston, Illinois, it is located north of Chicago's downtown district. Wilmette had a population of 27,087 at the 2010 census. The ...

. She regularly toured with "Live from New York" on the eastern coast of the United States. In 2007, Heaton moved to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, and generally tours and performs with multi-instrumentalist Frank Marotta.

Early life

Anne Heaton grew up in

Wilmette, IL Wilmette is a village in New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. Bordering Lake Michigan and Evanston, Illinois, it is located north of Chicago's downtown district. Wilmette had a population of 27,087 at the 2010 census. The ...

, a suburb of Chicago and started playing piano at the age of 3. She was trained in classical music and turned down a scholarship to study at Boston's

Berklee School of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

in classical piano. In an interview with

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

Online, Heaton said she gave up classical piano because she found it too inhibiting and exact. Thinking she would one day be a philosophy professor, Heaton pursued philosophy and theology at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

in Indiana. Heaton sang in a cover band in college and later found her calling in music and songwriting. She cites

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...

and

The Indigo Girls Indigo Girls are an American folk rock music duo from Atlanta, Georgia, United States, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. The two met in elementary school and began performing together as high school students in Decatur, Georgia, part of ...

as her biggest influences. After college, Heaton made her way to NYC. There she played in a Latin band and sang in a gospel choir in Harlem.

Music

Heaton's debut release in 2002, ''Black Notebook'', was met with critical acclaim and garnered "Top DIY Pick" from ''Performing Songwriter'' magazine. In 2004, she released ''Give In'', which she created in collaboration with Mike Denneen. Her second release, ''Give In'', in 2005 was called "tender, amusing, barbed and spiritual by turns" by ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

''. Heaton toured extensively across the US in support of her albums. In 2004, Heaton won the Soul City Café competition and earned the opening slot for Jewel during her West Coast tour. Heaton has also played with/ opened for

Melissa Ferrick Melissa Ferrick (born September 21, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter. Her song "Drive" (2000) is considered a lesbian anthem. She is a music professor at Northeastern University and at Berklee College of Music. Early life Ferrick was ra ...

HEM A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the ga ...

Jill Sobule Jill Sobule (born January 16, 1961) is an American singer-songwriter best known for the 1995 single "I Kissed a Girl (Jill Sobule song), I Kissed a Girl", and "Supermodel (Jill Sobule song), Supermodel" from the soundtrack of the 1995 film ''Cl ...

The Pernice Brothers Pernice Brothers are an American indie rock band. Formed by Joe Pernice in 1998 after the breakup of his old band, the Scud Mountain Boys, and including Joe's brother Bob Pernice, the band recorded their first album, '' Overcome by Happiness'', f ...

Catie Curtis Catie Curtis (born 22 May 1965) is an American singer-songwriter working primarily in the folk rock idiom. Her most recent album recording,''The Raft,'' was released in 2020. Career Curtis was raised in Saco, Maine. By the age of fifteen she ...

Jennifer Kimball Jennifer Kimball is a singer and songwriter who formed the folk duo The Story with Jonatha Brooke. Career Jennifer Kimball and Amherst College friend Jonatha Brooke began playing music together in the 1980s. They performed regularly during the ...

Jonatha Brooke Jonatha Brooke (born January 23, 1964) is an American folk rock singer-songwriter and guitarist from Massachusetts, United States. Her music merges elements of folk, rock and pop, often with poignant lyrics and complex harmonies. She has been a ...

, and Edie Carey. ''Blazing Red'', released March 3, 2009, is Heaton's latest offering. She teamed up with Gary Maurer (of

) to produce ''Blazing Red'' and gathered funds to record the album by taking preorders from fans. Heaton says "this record is about going inward to connect to the truest part of yourself in order to make changes in your life." The raw honesty and emotional content of ''Blazing Red'' has resonated positively with audiences. ''

'' Online praised 'Jump' the opening track of ''Blazing Red'', calling it "absolutely gorgeous.”

Discography

Solo albums

* ''Black Notebook'' (2002) * ''Give In'' (2004) * ''I Know This'' ( EP) (2005) * ''Blazing Red'' (2009) * ''Honeycomb'' (2012) * ''Dora'' (2014) * ''To the Light'' (2019)

Collaborative albums

* ''Winterbloom: Winter Traditions'' (2009) (with Antje Duvekot,

Meg Hutchinson Meg Hutchinson (born 1978, in South Egremont, Massachusetts) is an American folk singer-songwriter. Originally from rural westernmost Massachusetts, Hutchinson is now based in the Boston area. Influences include poet Mary Oliver, songwriter Sha ...

, and

Natalia Zukerman Natalia Zukerman (born June 25, 1975) is an American artist and musician. She blends genres of blues, jazz, bluegrass and folk. Personal life Zukerman was born in Manhattan, the daughter of violinist/violist/conductor Pinchas Zukerman and fl ...

)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heaton, Anne Year of birth missing (living people) American folk musicians Singers from New York City Singers from Chicago University of Notre Dame alumni Living people American women songwriters Songwriters from New York (state) Songwriters from Illinois 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American singers