Catie Curtis (born 22 May 1965) is an American singer-songwriter working primarily in the

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...

idiom. Her most recent album recording,''The Raft,'' was released in 2020.

Career

Curtis was raised in Saco,

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

. By the age of fifteen she was playing drums for a local theater company and in her late teens she sat in with Foreigner on a performance of "

I Want to Know What Love Is "I Want to Know What Love Is" is a power ballad by the British-American rock band Foreigner. It was released in November 1984 as the lead single from their fifth album, ''Agent Provocateur''. The song hit number one in both the United Kingdom ...

". She graduated from

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

with a degree in history and 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 ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, where she began working the

circuit. Curtis

self-released Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using POD (pr ...

the cassette-only ''Dandelion'' in 1989; her first CD, ''From Years to Hours'', in 1991; and her second CD, ''Truth from Lies'', in 1995. She did not gain wide recognition, however, until a successful appearance at The Bottom Line in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

led to a contract with EMI/Guardian Records and the re-release of ''Truth from Lies'' in 1996. Her 1997 follow-up, ''Catie Curtis'', was named Album of the Year at that year's Gay and Lesbian American Music Awards. Her discography now runs to thirteen albums, including the highly regarded ''

A Crash Course in Roses ''A Crash Course in Roses'' is the fifth studio album by Catie Curtis, released on . The album contains numerous love songs, with "Magnolia Street", a song about the realization that one is in love, gaining some radio airplay. While the album di ...

'' (1999). Her songs have featured in ''

Alias Alias may refer to: * Pseudonym * Pen name * Nickname Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Alias'' (2013 film), a 2013 Canadian documentary film * ''Alias'' (TV series), an American action thriller series 2001–2006 * ''Alias the ...

'', ''

Dawson's Creek ''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college that ran from 1998 to 2003. T ...

'', ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into se ...

'', '' Felicity'' and ''

Chicago Hope ''Chicago Hope'' is an American medical drama television series, created by David E. Kelley. It originally aired on CBS from September 18, 1994, to May 4, 2000. The series is set in a fictional private charitable hospital in Chicago, Illinois. ...

'', as well as in several independent films. In 2005, she and

Mark Erelli Mark Erelli (born June 20, 1974) is an American singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist,Chilton, Martin''The Telegraph'' (UK), November 22, 2011. and touring folk musician from Reading, Massachusetts who earned a master's degree in evolutionary ...

won the Grand Prize in the International Songwriting Competition for "People Look Around", a song written in response to

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

. Curtis has toured internationally as both headliner and support act. In 2009, she performed at the HRC Equality Ball in celebration of President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

’s inauguration. She performed at the White House the following year and again in 2011. Her tenth studio album ''Hello Stranger'' (2009) was produced by Garry West, and supported by Alison Brown and Stuart Duncan, along with Gary Marinelli (acoustic guitars, mandolin and resophonic guitar), Kenny Malone (drums and percussion) and Todd Phillips (acoustic bass).

Personal life

Catie Curtis was married to Liz Marshall for 17 years, but separated in 2014. Together they have two daughters, Lucy and MJ Marshall. Curtis is a supporter of

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...

, and is qualified to officiate weddings as of 2010.

Awards

* 1996 Out Song at the Gay and Lesbian American Music Awards for "Radical" from ''Truth From Lies''. * 1996 Out Recording at the Gay and Lesbian American Music Awards for "Radical" from ''Truth From Lies''. * 1997 Album of the Year at the Gay and Lesbian American Music Awards for ''Catie Curtis''. * 1999 Out Song at the Gay and Lesbian American Music Awards for "What's The Matter" from ''A Crash Course in Roses''. * 2002 Song of the Year on an Indie Label at the

Boston Music Awards Founded in 1987, the Boston Music Awards are a set of music awards given annually that showcase talent in the Boston, Massachusetts, area. Past shows have featured such notable talent as Aerosmith, Paula Cole, Esperanza Spalding, Boston, Rubyhor ...

for "Kiss that Counted". * 2005 Grand Prize in the International Songwriting Competition for "People Look Around" (with

Discography

* ''Dandelion'' (1989) * ''From Years to Hours'' (Hear Music, Mongoose Music, 1991) * ''Truth from Lies'' (Guardian Records, 1995) * ''Catie Curtis'' (Rykodisc, 1997) * ''

'' (Rykodisc, 1999) * ''Catie Curtis Live'' (Rykodisc, 2000) * '' My Shirt Looks Good on You'' (Rykodisc, 2001) * ''Acoustic Valentine'' (Sam the Pug Records, 2003) * ''Dreaming in Romance Languages'' (Vanguard, 2004) * ''Long Night Moon'' (Compass Records, 2006) * ''Sweet Life'' (Compass Records, 2008) * ''Hello, Stranger'' (Compass Records, 2009) * ''Stretch Limousine on Fire'' (Compass Records, 2011) * ''A Catie Curtis Christmas'' (Catie Curtis Records, 2012) * ''Flying Dream'' (Catie Curtis Records, 2014) * ''While We're Here'' (Catie Curtis Records, 2017) * ''The Raft'' (Catie Curtis Records, 2020) A 2003 compilation, ''From Years to Hours: The Early Recordings'', combines eight of the eleven tracks from the 1991 album with four other early songs.

References

External links

Official Website

Allmusic profile of C. Curtis

Discogs profile of C. Curtis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, Catie 1965 births Living people American women singer-songwriters American folk singers Singers from Maine American singer-songwriters Brown University alumni Fast Folk artists American lesbian musicians LGBT people from Maine LGBT singers from the United States LGBT songwriters Rykodisc artists Capitol Records artists Vanguard Records artists People from Saco, Maine Songwriters from Maine Guitarists from Maine 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American women guitarists 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people 21st-century American women