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All Music Guide:
Born in Pittsburgh, PA, singer/songwriter Courtney Jaye moved to Atlanta during her formative high school years and began writing songs after a friend's untimely death. She traveled extensively after graduation, spending her days working as an acupuncturist in Flagstaff, AZ, and playing in a band at night. She then found herself on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, where she developed an affinity for the region's fluid rhythms and laid-back atmosphere. It wasn't until Jaye returned to the mainland and temporarily settled in Georgia that the music she absorbed in Hawaii began to influence her songwriting, however. Athens provided the young artist with her first love and a vibrant, influential music scene. She then relocated once more -- this time to Austin, TX -- where she and her partner went their separate ways, thus leaving Jaye with a bottomless well of emotions to write about.
Courtney was signed on the spot after a mutual friend managed to set up an audition with several A&R executives at Island Def Jam Music Group. She made her major label debut with 2005's Traveling Light, and several of her songs found their way onto TV programs like Laguna Beach and One Tree Hill. Her partnership with Island proved to be short-lived, however, and she spent the rest of the decade issuing independent albums like 2007's Who'll Stop the Rain. The Exotic Sounds of Courtney Jaye, her most accomplished album to date, followed in 2010, featuring a duet with Band of Horses frontman Ben Bridwell, mixing by Guster's Joe Pisapia, and a combination of Laurel Canyon folk and tropical pop. Meanwhile, Jaye kept herself busy by collaborating with artists like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, whose 2010 release featured her vocals on one track.
Wikipedia:
Courtney Jaye is an American singer/songwriter.
Biography [edit]
Courtney Jaye was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and moved to Alpharetta, Georgia, when she was a freshman in high school. It was at this time she discovered The Grateful Dead and Neil Young, and also began to play the guitar. After becoming immersed in the bohemian culture, she headed out west and lived in mountain town of Flagstaff, Arizona. She worked as an acupuncturist's assistant by day and performed in a bluegrass band at night.
Over the years, she has lived on the Hawaiian island of Kauai as well as in music cities such as Austin, Los Angeles, and finally Nashville, Tennessee. Along the way, she signed her first record deal with Island Records in 2004 and released her first single "Can't Behave" in June 2005. She performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and toured the country on a radio promotional tour. She has collaborated with many musicians over the years Gary Louris of The Jayhawks, Matthew Sweet, Peter Hayes of BRMC, Kristen Hall, Rhett Miller, Tift Merritt, Taj Mahal, Thad Cockrell,Floating Action, Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses, Dallas Green, and Emily Saliers of The Indigo Girls.
On January 12, 2010 she released the independent album, The Exotic Sounds of Courtney Jaye, which features the duet "Sometimes Always" with Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses. The album was released on Jaye's imprint Tropicali Records and was produced by Seth Kauffman (Floating Action), with additional production by Bill Reynolds (Band of Horses), and was mixed by Joe Pisapia.
Courtney has appeared as a featured guest vocalist on the following records:
Thad Cockrell’s song “Great Rejoicing”, off the 2008 album To Be Loved.
Peter Hayes of BRMC’s 2008 cover of “Cool Water” .
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s song “The Toll”, off the 2010 album Beat The Devil’s Tattoo.
Dallas Green-guest vocals on 2010 Nashville Skyline song “Carry You Home”.
Jessie Baylin’s song “Holiday, off the 2012 album Little Spark.
In February 2011, she made an appearance in the video for Super Furry Animal’s lead singer Gruff Rhys’s song, “Sensations in the Dark”, off his album Hotel Shampoo, via Witchita Recordings. And in July 2012, she appeared in the JEFF the Brotherhood video, "Sixpack".
She was also featured as a background vocalist on the Dan Auerbach produced album from Ohio artist, Brian Olive. The record was released on Alive Records, June 2011. And in November 2012, she appeared as a featured guest/backing vocalist on comedian Stephen Lynch's album "Lion", produced by Doug Lancio (Patty Griffin).
Spring 2013 Courtney will be releasing a record called ”Love and Forgiveness”, produced by CMA/Grammy Award winning producer Mike Wrucke (Miranda Lambert “Revolution”). Yet again defying genre's, Jaye describes the record as a "modern sounding 70's influenced Country/Disco/Pop record". The album was tracked live in L.A. over the course of four days at Ocean Studio’s Burbank. The musicians that played on the record are Neal Casal-acoustic guitar (Ryan Adams/The Cardinals), Greg Leisz -lap steel and electric guitar (Ray LaMontagne/Lucinda Williams), Sebastian Steinberg -bass (Soul Coughing), Josh Grange-electric guitar (Dwight Yoakam, k.d. lang), and Fred Eltringham–drums (The Dixie Chicks, The Wallflowers).
Zach Galifianakis is a fan. He has been quoted as saying “Courtney Jaye is an artist with real style, class and real talent, unlike all the other jerkoffs in her business.”
