Christiana Elizabeth "Tia" Wallman (April 13, 1952 – June 17, 2015), better known by her stage name Tia Blake, was an American singer-songwriter and writer. She was known for her 1971 debut album, ''Folk Songs & Ballads: Tia Blake and Her Folk-Group''. Originally released only in France and selling very few copies, it was reissued in 2011 and has been described as a rediscovered lost album. The album gained cult status during the 1990s and 2000s, with comparisons being drawn to musicians such as

Nick Drake Nicholas Rodney Drake (19 June 1948 – 25 November 1974) was an English singer-songwriter known for his acoustic guitar-based songs. He did not find a wide audience during his lifetime, but his work gradually achieved wider notice and recognit ...

and

Nico Naftiran Intertrade Company Société à responsabilité limitée#In Switzerland, limited (NICO) is a Switzerland, Swiss-based subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). NICO is a general contractor for the oil and gas industry. NIOC bu ...

. Wallman was born in

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...

, in 1952, and grew up in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. She later moved to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, where she formed "Her Folk Group" and recorded her debut album. Wallman performed once at the

Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier The Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier is a theatre located at 21, rue du Vieux-Colombier, in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. It was founded in 1913 by the theatre producer and playwright Jacques Copeau. Today it is one of the three theatres in Paris u ...

with her group, in support of the album, and later recorded a set of demos and rehearsals. She subsequently relocated to

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

where she recorded a selection of songs for

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

, which were ultimately rejected, and provided backing vocals for a song by

Daniel Lavoie Daniel Lavoie (; born Joseph-Hubert-Gérald Lavoie on March 17, 1949) is a Canadian singer–songwriter, actor, producer, poet, and radio host, known for his song " Ils s'aiment" and the role of Frollo in musical ''Notre-Dame de Paris''. He rele ...

. Transitioning away from music, Wallman pursued a career as a freelance writer and editor, after graduating from

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...

in 1989. She shared her experiences through pieces published under the name Tia Wallman, including a memoir about searching for her father in

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

in ''

Granta ''Granta'' is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centres on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story’s supreme ability to describe, illuminate and ma ...

''. She co-wrote, with her mother, a comedy piece that was performed at the 2007

New York Fringe Festival The New York International Fringe Festival, or FringeNYC, was a fringe theater festival and one of the largest multi-arts events in North America. It took place over the course of a few weeks in October, spread on more than 20 stages across seve ...

. Wallman died at the age of 63 from

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

in 2015.

Biography

Christiana Elizabeth Wallman was born in

, on April 13, 1952, and grew up in

; she had six siblings. Her father, Jack, worked for the

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...

. In 1960 her parents separated and in the middle of

custody battle Child custody is a legal term regarding '' guardianship'' which is used to describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent or guardian and a child in that person's care. Child custody consists of ''legal custody'', which is the righ ...

, her father kidnapped Wallman and her siblings for seven months. When they were found, her father was arrested and subsequently fled the country. In 1970 she graduated high school and then worked for

Farrar, Straus and Giroux Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer ...

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 ...

for six months, before moving to

. There she met and fell in love with Benito Merlino, a Sicilian folksinger, record store owner and record producer. She learned to play the guitar and spent most of her time at a record shop in the

Latin Quarter The Latin Quarter of Paris (french: Quartier latin, ) is an area in the 5th and the 6th arrondissements of Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine, around the Sorbonne. Known for its student life, lively atmosphere, and bistros ...

, Disco'Thé, where she occasionally sang. While at the shop, she met two young guitarists, who were ardent followers of

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

and frequent visitors to the shop. They started playing alongside her, thus establishing "Her Folk Group". Upon hearing and being enchanted by Wallman's singing voice, Merlino introduced her to his contacts in the record industry. She was acquainted with Michel Bachelet and Jean-Paul Smets, respectively the owner and

artists and repertoire Artists and repertoire (colloquially abbreviated to A&R) is the division of a record label or music publishing company that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists (singers, instrumentalist ...

manager of Société française de production (SFP), a small French record label, who invited her to record her debut album, at

Pierre Barouh Pierre Barouh (born Élie Pierre Barouh; 19 February 1934 – 28 December 2016) was a French writer-composer-singer best known for his work on Claude Lelouch's film ''A Man and a Woman'' as an actor and the lyricist/singer for Francis Lai's music ...

's Studios Saravah. In an afternoon, she recorded an album of public domain

folk songs Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has be ...

and

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

s under the name Tia Blake, with her group supporting her. It was released in France, in 1971, as ''Folk Songs & Ballads: Tia Blake and Her Folk-Group'', with very few copies produced. A month after the album's release, to promote it, Wallman and her group performed at the

. In 1973 she recorded a selection of demos and rehearsals backed by a guitarist named Jack. In September 1976, in

, where Wallman was then living, she responded to a call from

for local artists' songs, recording at CBC's studio a demo tape of three originals, including one for her father and another for an old boyfriend. The CBC producer found nothing usable upon playback, returning the tape to her. Wallman later provided backing vocals for the song "Boule Qui Roule" on

's 1979 ''Nirvana Bleu'' album. Wallman graduated from

in 1989, winning the Elizabeth Drew Writing Prize. Living in

, she became a freelance writer and editor. She published, as Tia Wallman, two pieces in ''

'', the first of which was a memoir about a trip to

with her sister, during the Vitenam War, to find her father who worked for the CIA, and the second appeared posthumously. In 2006, a comedy piece she co-wrote with her mother, Joan Blake, was staged at the 2007

, lasting for 10 minutes. In 2011, her debut album was reissued on CD by Water Music, together with her Paris demos and CBC Montreal recordings. Having been described as a rediscovered lost album, it started to circulate as a cult record in the 1990s and 2000s. Wallman has been compared to

Sibylle Baier Sibylle Baier (born 25 February 1945) is a German folk singer and actress, whose musical abilities achieved belated recognition with the 2006 release of the album '' Colour Green'', compiled from songs she had recorded in the early 1970s. Her ...

, Bridget St. John, and

Vashti Bunyan Vashti Bunyan (born Jennifer Vashti Bunyan, 1945) is an English singer-songwriter. Beginning her career in the mid-1960s, she released her debut album, ''Just Another Diamond Day'', in 1970. The album sold very few copies and Bunyan, discourage ...

. Wallman died at the age of 63 from

Pinehurst, North Carolina Pinehurst is a village in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 13,124. It is home of the historic Pinehurst Resort, a Golf resort, which has hosted multiple United States Open Champion ...

, on June 17, 2015. She was buried next to her two brothers, Chris and Peter, in

North Hatley North Hatley is a village of 675 people (2021 Census), located at the north end of Lake Massawippi. It is part of the Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality in the Eastern Townships region of Quebec, Canada, also known as Estrie or Cantons de ...

, Quebec, Canada.

Works

Discography

* ''Folk Songs and Ballads: Tia Blake and Her Folk-group'' (LP), SFP, Paris, 1971. **Reissued by Water Music, California, in 2011, together with Paris demos (1973) and CBC Montreal recordings (1976) **Reissued and remastered by Ici Bientôt, Paris, in 2022 * ''Tia Blake, Paris and Montreal Demos 1973-1976'' (EP), Yep Roc Records, 2018.

Bibliography

We Went to Saigon
''Granta'', 14 July 2006
Forbidden Games
''Granta'', 9 March 2017

References

External links

*
Street Hassle: Tia Blake

KZSU KZSU is a freeform FM radio station broadcasting from the campus of Stanford University in Stanford, California, United States. KZSU broadcasts in stereo at 90.1 MHz FM with an effective radiated power of 500 watts. The station is owned b ...

, 8 May 2012
Obituary: Christiana (Tia) Elizabeth Wallman

Tia Blake Collection, 1956-2019
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Tia 1952 births 2015 deaths 20th-century American memoirists 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American singer-songwriters 20th-century American women guitarists 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American women writers 20th-century folk musicians 20th-century folk singers 21st-century American memoirists 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century American women guitarists 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American women writers 21st-century folk musicians 21st-century folk singers American acoustic guitarists American comedy writers American folk guitarists American folk musicians American folk singers American women editors American women memoirists American women non-fiction writers American women singer-songwriters Burials in Quebec Deaths from breast cancer in North Carolina Folk musicians from Georgia (U.S. state) Folk musicians from North Carolina Kidnapped American children Musicians from Columbus, Georgia Singer-songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) Singer-songwriters from North Carolina Smith College alumni Women folk singers Writers from Columbus, Georgia Writers from North Carolina American editors