Nanci Griffith: a song a day. (1) From Clare to Here
August 16, 2021
We talk about the health challenges of later life. By the yardstick of average life expectancy - 76 for a woman in her adopted home city of Nashville, Tennessee - Nanci Griffith’s later life started young. She was only 68 when she died last Friday. Friday the 13th.
No cause of death has been disclosed as I write. The absence of detail is no accident. She requested it, according to her management company in a statement suggesting to me at least that, one way or the other, Nanci knew death was near.
She had fought two bouts with cancer in the 1990s and also suffered from Dupuytren’s disease, which causes a thickening of the palm and can bend a finger permanently. I have undergone operations on both hands to relieve the effects of the same condition and know, as a guitar dilettante, the effects on dexterity of even my relatively mild version; Nanci played professionally and it apparently hit her hard.
Salut! Live recorded Nanci's death with three powerful tributes of markedly varying length at this link. Over the coming days, we shall offer clips of different tracks from Nanci's career. This will do no more than scrape the surface of a great artist's formidable repertoire and readers should feel free to add their own choices in Comments below.
I start with her rendition of my favourite Ralph McTell song, From Clare to Here. It appeared on Nanci's Other Voices, Other Rooms album, released in 1993, and the Salut! Live Amazon link if you want to buy it is here.
When I compared different versions of this song, I observed that she had change the story slightly but hope that in doing so, I made it clear this did not detract from the beauty of her interpretation:
Nanci Griffith removes our hero's long-lost Clare love, Josephine, so that it's "family" he misses, not the girl he promised to return to.
But it is a gorgeous rendition and I am not remotely surprised that so many people have "liked" it at YouTube and/or left admiring comments.
Looking again at those YouTube comments, I notice a few that had been posted since news of Nanci's death, but also offer one that appeared seven years (the first quoted):
Greg Hierholzer: This is by far one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard . The harmony is impeccable.
Anonymous: So very sad to hear of her passing. Her stunning version of From Clare to Here will live on. We'll miss you Nanci. RIP.
Lara Lewis: RIP Nanci - Such a beautiful rendition of this song and my home county xxxx
Their words speak volumes and I shall leave it there. Tomorrow, we'll hear a terrific example of two supremely gifted artists collaborating to produce a piece of musical magic.
Via Facebook
What a lovely tribute.My sister and I saw Nanci in concert twice.A beautiful voice,and story teller.May her soul rest in peace.So sad.
Posted by: Déborah Gravett | August 16, 2021 at 04:24 PM
Don't neglect Nanci's own compositions and performances with the Blue Moon Orchestra. "The Wing and the Wheel" for example, performed live at Anderson Fair from the "One Fair Summer Evening" album is a beautiful song that never fails to make me fill up - even more so when I played it after reading about her passing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TH6IfQJgys
Posted by: Malcolm Dawson | August 16, 2021 at 04:32 PM