Edie Brickell | |
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 Brickell performing in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Edie Arlisa Brickell (1966-03-10)March 10, 1966 (age 59) Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | Alternative rock,folk rock,jam rock,jangle pop,neo-psychedelia,bluegrass |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, guitarist |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Labels | Geffen |
| Member of |
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Spouse | |
Edie Arlisa Brickell (born March 10, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter widely known for 1988'sShooting Rubberbands at the Stars, the debut album byEdie Brickell & New Bohemians, which went to No. 4 on theBillboard albumschart. She is married to singer-songwriterPaul Simon.
Brickell was born in the suburbs ofOak Cliff, a neighborhood ofDallas, Texas, to Larry Jean (Sellers) Linden and Paul Edward Brickell.[1][2] She was raised with her older sister, Laura Strain. She attendedBooker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts[3] in Dallas, and later studied atSouthern Methodist University[4] until she joined a band and decided to focus on songwriting.
In 1985, Brickell was invited to sing one night with friends from her high school in a localfolk rock group, New Bohemians. She joined the band as lead singer. After the band was signed to a recording contract, the label changed the group's name toEdie Brickell & New Bohemians. Their 1988 debut album,Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars, became a critical and commercial success, including theTop Ten single "What I Am". The band's follow-up album,Ghost of a Dog (1990), was a deliberate effort to highlight the band's eclectic personality and move away from the pop sound of their first record.[5]
In these first two albums and subsequent tours Brickell became known as a singer who could create lyrics on the spot. Of this talent she said, "It's nothing special...strange thoughts are always running through my head."[6]
The band sporadically played gigs after the albumGhost of a Dog in 1990, and in 2006 releasedStranger Things.[7][8] In 2018 they announced their latest album,Rocket, along with dates for a US tour.[9] The band released their fifth studio albumHunter and the Dog Star in 2021 available on CD and vinyl.[10]
As a solo artist, Brickell releasedPicture Perfect Morning (1994) andVolcano (2003). The video forPicture Perfect Morning's "Good Times" was included as part of the multimedia samples featured onMicrosoft'sWindows 95 Companion CD-ROM.[11] In 1992, she worked with producerBob Wiseman in New York andToronto on a collection of songs, utilizing a wind ensemble, unusual keyboards, andRon Sexsmith. The songs were rejected by the record company and remain unreleased.
In 2010, Brickell became a founding member of new band The Gaddabouts, consisting ofSteve Gadd on drums, Edie Brickell as lead vocalist and guitar,Andy Fairweather Low on electric and acoustic guitars and background vocals,Pino Palladino on bass and guitar, and featuringDan Block,Ronnie Cuber,Joey DeFrancesco,Gil Goldstein, andMarcus Rojas.[12] In 2011, Brickell wrote the title track, "The Meaning of Life", forTamar Halpern's film,Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life.
Love Has Come for You was released on April 23, 2013. The album is a collaboration withSteve Martin.[13] Both appeared on talk shows, such asThe View andLate Show with David Letterman, to promote the album in April 2013.[14][15][16][17]
Starting in May 2013, she toured with Martin and theSteep Canyon Rangers throughout North America.[18]
In 2016, the musicalBright Star – to which she contributed music, lyrics, and story[19] – opened on Broadway at theCort Theatre.
In 2017, Brickell and Martin appeared in the documentary filmThe American Epic Sessions directed byBernard MacMahon. They recorded "The Coo Coo Bird", a traditionalEnglishfolk song,[20] live on the firstelectrical sound recording system from the 1920s.[21] The track appeared on the accompanying soundtrack,Music from The American Epic Sessions.
In 2023, Brickell became the founding vocalist of new band Heavy MakeUp, alongside brass playerCJ Camerieri and trumpeter Trever Hagen. The band combines vocals, synth, brass, and drum machines in their music. Their self-titled debut album was released in 2023, and their second album,Here It Comes, was released in 2024.[22][23]
Brickell married singer-songwriterPaul Simon on May 30, 1992.[24] It was her first marriage and Simon's third. Brickell was performing "What I Am"[25][26] onNBC'sSaturday Night Live on November 5, 1988, when she noticed Simon standing in front of the cameraman. "Even though I'd performed the song hundreds of times in clubs, he made me forget how the song went when I looked at him. We can show the kids the tape and say, 'Look, that's when we first laid eyes on each other.'" Brickell and Simon have three children: Adrian, Lulu, and Gabriel.[27][28]
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