Iris DeMent | |
|---|---|
 Iris DeMent (age 46) atOld Settler's Music Festival –Driftwood, Texas (2007) | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Iris Luella DeMent (1961-01-05)January 5, 1961 (age 65) Paragould, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Labels | Rounder Records (Philo),Warner Bros., Flariella Records |
Spouses | |
| Website | www |
Iris Luella DeMent (born January 5, 1961)[1] is an American singer-songwriter and musician. DeMent's musical style includes elements offolk,country andgospel. She has been nominated for aGrammy Award twice.
DeMent was born inParagould, Arkansas,[2] the 14th and youngest child of Pat DeMent (1910–1992) and Flora Mae DeMent (1918–2011).[3] Iris's mother had harbored dreams of going to Nashville and starting a singing career. Although she put those plans on hold to get married, her singing voice was an inspiration and influence for her youngest daughter Iris.[4] DeMent was raised in aPentecostal household. Her family moved from Arkansas to the Los Angeles area when she was three. While growing up, she was exposed to and influenced by country andgospel music.[5] Singing at age five as one of "the little DeMent sisters", Iris had a bad experience when she forgot her words during her first performance, which caused her to avoid performing in public for some time.[4]
DeMent left high school in the tenth grade to work full time at aKmart store. Her parents required her to get aGED high school diploma. She later went with a boyfriend toTopeka, Kansas, where she attendedWashburn University. There she started writing after receiving positive feedback from her English composition professor.[6]
In 1986, at age 25, DeMent was inspired to write her first song, "Our Town", when driving through a boarded-up Midwest town.[4] The song lyrics came to her "exactly as it is now", with no need for re-writing, and she realized then that songwriting was her calling.[4]
In 1995, "Our Town" was played during the closing scene for the final episode (July 26, 1995) of theCBS television seriesNorthern Exposure. The song has been recorded byKate Rusby, Kate Brislin &Jody Stecher, andTrampled by Turtles.[citation needed]
DeMent's first album,Infamous Angel (1992), was released on the Rounder-Philo label, exploring such themes as religious skepticism, small-town life, and human frailty. "Let the Mystery Be" has been covered by a number of artists, including10,000 Maniacs (whose 'Unplugged' version featured Talking Heads' David Byrne), as well asAlice Stuart. It was also used in the opening scenes of the filmLittle Buddha (1993).[citation needed]
In the fall of 2015, a version of "Let the Mystery Be" from theTransatlantic Sessions became the musical theme for the opening credits of the second season of theHBO seriesThe Leftovers, replacing the original "Main Title Theme" composed byMax Richter, and it would once again serve as the opening theme for the third-season series finale.[7]
In her second album,My Life (1994), DeMent continued her personal and introspective approach. The record is dedicated to her father, who had died two years earlier.My Life was nominated for aGrammy Award in the Best Contemporary Folk Album category. It also appeared in season 2, episode 7 of the TV show Handmaids Tale.[8]
DeMent's third album,The Way I Should (1996), featuring theprotest song "Wasteland of the Free", has been DeMent's most political work. It covers topics such as sexual abuse, religion, government policy, and Vietnam.[9]
In 1997, DeMent sang the duet "Bell Bottomed Tear" as part ofThe Beautiful South's MuchLater with Jools live special.[10]
DeMent sang four duets withJohn Prine on his albumIn Spite of Ourselves (1999), including the title track.[11]
DeMent appeared in the filmSongcatcher (2000), both playing the character Rose Gentry and singing on the soundtrack.[citation needed]
DeMent's duet withRalph Stanley on "Ridin' That Midnight Train" was the opening track on his albumClinch Mountain Sweethearts: Ralph Stanley & Friends (2001).[12]
In 2004, DeMent releasedLifeline, an album of gospel songs. It included 12 covers and one original composition ("He Reached Down").[13] It was the first album she released on Flariella Records, a label she started herself and named after her mother.[14] A shortened version of her rendition of "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" was later used in the closing credits of theCoen brothers' filmTrue Grit. On October 2, 2012, DeMent released her first album of original songs in 16 years,Sing the Delta.[15]
DeMent has sung duets withSteve Earle andEmmylou Harris and is featured on the albums of many other performers. She sang theMerle Haggard song "Big City" onTulare Dust: A Songwriters' Tribute to Merle Haggard. She has made frequent appearances onGarrison Keillor's radio showA Prairie Home Companion. DeMent contributed harmony vocals to "Pallbearer", a song from country artistJosh Turner's albumPunching Bag (2012).[16]
In 2015, DeMent releasedThe Trackless Woods, an album based upon and inspired by the words of Russian poetAnna Akhmatova, on her own Flariella record label. She reunited with John Prine in 2016 for his second duets albumFor Better, or Worse and performed on two tracks. DeMent received the Americana Trailblazer Award at the 2017Americana Music Honors & Awards.[citation needed]
DeMent's albumWorkin' on a World (2023) was No. 4 onRobert Christgau's Dean's List for that year.[17]
In 1991, DeMent married Elmer McCall; they divorced in 1999.[citation needed]
On November 21, 2002, DeMent married her current spouse, singer-songwriterGreg Brown. They live in rural southeast Iowa with their daughter, whom they adopted at the age of six in 2005 from Russia.[18][19]
In 1998, the song "Iris" by the rock bandGoo Goo Dolls was named after her. Singer and songwriterJohn Rzeznik had already written the lyrics to the song but was having a problem naming it. He opened up theLA Weekly and noticed that DeMent was playing in town and thought her name was beautiful and then decided to name it after her.[20]
| Year | Album | Label | Chart | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Infamous Angel | Philo | ||
| 1994 | My Life | Warner Bros. | BillboardHeatseekers | 16 |
| 1996 | The Way I Should | Warner Bros. | Billboard Heatseekers | 22 |
| 2004 | Lifeline | Flariella | FolkDJ-L Folk Radio Airplay | 15 |
| 2012 | Sing the Delta | Flariella | Billboard 200 | 124 |
| 2015 | The Trackless Woods | Flariella | ||
| 2023 | Workin' on a World | Flariella |
| Year | Title | Label | Songs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | "Our Town" | Warner Bros. | "Our Town" / "God May Forgive You (But I Won't)" / "Heart's Highway" |
| 1994 | "Sweet is the Melody" | Warner Bros. | "Sweet is the Melody" / "French Boy" (live) / "Keep on the Sunny Side" (live) |
| 1996 | "Wasteland of the Free" | Warner Bros. | "Wasteland of the Free" (edit) / "The Way I Should" / "Letter To Mom" / "Wasteland of the Free" (album version) |
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | "Our Town" |
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singer Iris DeMent in 1961 (age 58)
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