Katy Moffatt

Katy Moffatt has never broken through to the country mainstream, but she has earned a substantial cult following among roots-music fans and plenty of critical respect for her blend of country, folk, rock, pop, and blues. The younger sister of singer/songwriter Hugh Moffatt, she was born in Fort Worth, TX, in 1950 and first performed in local coffeehouses. She attended St. John's College in Santa Fe, NM, and while there, she appeared in the 1971 film Billy Jack. She subsequently dropped out of school and moved to Corpus Christi, TX, where she worked at a television station and sang with a local blues band. Unfortunately, the station was destroyed by a hurricane, and she moved first to Austin and then to Colorado, where she found a regular gig singing on a Denver radio station in 1973. That helped her land a deal with Columbia in 1975, and she issued two country-rock albums for the label: 1976's Katy and 1978's Kissin' in the California Sun, the latter of which featured members of the Allman Brothers. Neither broke her commercially, and she made ends meet as a backup singer, working with the likes of Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffett, Poco, John Prine, Tanya Tucker, and Lynn Anderson, among others.

In 1983, Moffatt signed with the independent Permian label and recorded several acclaimed singles for them; although she didn't release an album or score a major chart hit, she still managed to land a nomination as the Academy of Country Music's Female Vocalist of the Year in 1985. Permian later folded, and she moved on to a new deal with Rounder subsidiary Philo, issuing her label debut, Walkin' on the Moon, in 1989. The 1990 follow-up, Child Bride, was a more electrified, rock-oriented effort, and both started to earn Moffatt some attention in the roots-music community. She recorded an album of duets with brother Hugh, Dance Me Outside, and saw the live set Indoor Fireworks released on the overseas Red Moon label. Her next proper solo effort, The Evangeline Hotel (originally released under the title The Greatest Show on Earth), was hailed by many critics as her best ever and an instant classic. It proved to be her last release for Philo, however; a pair of albums on Watermelon, 1994's Hearts Gone Wild and 1996's Midnight Radio, failed to maintain her critical momentum. 1998's Angel Town, issued on HMG, received good reviews, however, and she followed it with the straight-ahead country album Loose Diamond on Hightone in 1999. Her next project, 2001's Cowboy Girl, was a collection of traditional (and traditional-style) western songs, issued on Shanachie.

from Wikipedia:

Katherine Louella "Katy" Moffatt (born November 19, 1950) is an American musician, lyricist, composer, vocalist. She is the sister of country singer-songwriter Hugh Moffatt.

Midnight Radio

Moffatt became impassioned by music as a child growing up in Fort Worth. She was captivated by Broadway show tunes, the Beatles, and the Motown sound, and has said that she was such an avid listener to Top 40 radio that "I used to come home from school, have dinner, go to bed, and set the alarm for midnight. Then I'd get up and do my homework and listen to the radio. It was my favorite time - I could be alone with the music."

Early Influences

Moffatt points to the influence of the Beatles and the bands of the British Invasion as inspiring her to learn the guitar. She credits Leonard Cohen's "Dress Rehearsal Rag" for making her want to perform and says folk singers like Judy Collins, Phil Ochs, and Dave Van Ronk were her models. Ella Fitzgerald and the versatile vocalist, Tracy Nelson were also important influences.

Early life and career

Moffatt was born in Fort Worth, Texas. She left Fort Worth to attend Tulane University in New Orleans but ended up studying at St. John's College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In Sante Fe, she developed a local following performing her songs at the College. Her local fame won her a part as a folk singer in Tom Laughlin's movie, "Billy Jack." In 1971, this aspiring singer/songwriter moved to Denver, Colorado to find an audience in the growing musical community there. While working a regular cocktail hour gig at a Denver hotel, Moffatt met Mary Flower and Randy Handley and who, along with Lon Ephraim, formed a band called Flower, Handley, and Moffatt. The band developed a following and traveled all over the state performing. Eventually, Moffatt and Flower became a duo and toured on the national coffeehouse circuit.

Moffatt's frequent gigs as a solo performer at Ebbets Field, a prominent Denver music club, opened a door to the mainstream recording industry. From 1975 to 1979, she recorded for Columbia Records; making several singles and two albums, Katy (produced by Billy Sherrill) and Kissin' in the California Sun.

On the Road and Recording Career

Coinciding with her recording at Columbia, Moffatt opened for such performers as Charlie Daniels, Warren Zevon, Muddy Waters, and Steve Martin, and she toured with Leo Kottke. She also worked with Willie Nelson and Andrew Gold, appeared with Poco and John Prine, and toured with Jerry Jeff Walker, J.D. Souther and the Allman Brothers. For a brief time in the early 1980s, while waiting out two management contracts, Moffatt was a sought-after and featured touring harmony and duet singer for four prominent acts.

With that music industry experience behind her, she returned to making records including recording several songs for the short-lived Permian record label that were released to country radio and pursued an ever-expansive solo artist's path. She began making records as she wanted them to be made and licensed several gems which became favorites and remain so within her body of work thus far, including "Walkin' On the Moon", "The Greatest Show on Earth" (aka "The Evangeline Hotel"), "Hearts Gone Wild", and "Angel Town".

Like many American singer/songwriters, Katy Moffatt is honored both abroad and in her own country. She regularly tours Europe and the U.K.

Industry Recognition

1985 Academy of Country Music nomination as Best New Female Vocalist

Discography

Playin' Fool Strictly Country Records, 2010Trilogy Floating World/Evangeline, 2009Fewer Things Zeppelin, 2008Up Close and Personal Fuel, 2005Cowboy Girl Shanachie, 2001Loose Diamond Hightone, 1999Angel Town HMG, 1998Midnight Radio Watermelon, 1996Sleepless Nights (with Kate Brislin) Rounder, 1996Hearts Gone Wild Watermelon, 1994The Evangeline Hotel Philo, 1993Indoor Fireworks Red Moon, 1992Dance Me Outside (with Hugh Moffatt) Philo, 1992Child Bride Philo, 1989Walkin’ on the Moon Philo, 1989Kissin’ in the California Sun CBS, 1978Katy CBS, 1976