Nanci Griffith, a Grammy-winning folk singer-songwriter, died on August 13, her management agency told multiple outlets. Griffith did not want more details to be revealed until a week after her death, the agency said in a statement, per the Associated Press. The Texas-born musician blended genres in a style she dubbed “folkabilly,” and first performed songs that would go on to become hits. Kathy Mattea made “Love at the Five and Dime,” first written and performed by Griffith in 1986, into a hit with her cover, while Bette Midler found success with “From a Distance,” originally recorded by Griffith in 1987. For her tenth album, Other Voices, Other Rooms, Griffith teamed with country and folk legends including John Prine, Emmylou Harris, and Arlo Guthrie to record covers of classic songs; the album won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album in 1994. Griffith last released the album Intersection in 2012, and this past July was inducted to the Texas Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Suzy Bogguss, who covered Griffith’s song “Outbound Plane” in 1991, remembered the performer in an Instagram tribute. “My heart is aching😔A beautiful soul that I love has left this earth,” she wrote. “I feel blessed to have many memories of our times together along with most everything she ever recorded.” Darius Rucker also honored the musician, whom he credited as “one of my idols” and “one of the reasons I am in Nashville.” “She blew my mind the first time I heard Marie and Omie,” he tweeted. “And singing with her was my favorite things to do.”