Chris While
Chris While | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Christine Mills |
Born | 1956 (age 67–68) |
Origin | Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire, England |
Genres | Folk music, country music, Americana |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, Acoustic guitar, Banjo, Dulcimer and Percussion |
Years active | 1974–present |
Labels | Water on the Wall Music (1993), HTD Records (1993–96) Fat Cat Records (1997–present) |
Website | whileandmatthews |
Chris While (born 1956) is an English songwriter, singer and musician, known particularly for her vocals and live performances. She has worked as a solo artist, a songwriter and as a member of a number of duos and groups. Her music is often classified as English folk, but contains strong American influences.
Early career
She was born and grew up in Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire, where her childhood, work and relationships provided a basis to many of her songs. She began to learn to play the guitar at the age of thirteen and was soon performing and singing at local folk clubs.[1] She left Barrow to tour in a duo with her then husband, pianist and songwriter Joe While.[2] After their divorce in 1991 she embarked on a solo career, releasing the albums Still on Fire (1991) and By Request (1992) in tape format.[3] The albums demonstrated English and American folk and country music influences that have all remained important in her career. The tracks included some traditional material and covers of songs by some major songwriters, but also marked her emergence as a songwriter, in particular the track "100 Miles", which has been frequently covered by British and American artists. Singer/songwriter Ruud Hermans from The Netherlands recorded a version of the song on his album "Little Tear, Big Smile" in 1998. This song was also on Chris While's first CD format album Look at Me Now (1993) with others written with Nigel Stonier and her former husband, but many of the tracks were single compositions indicating a growing confidence in her own songwriting. From 1992–95 she also performed with accomplished guitarist and songwriter Ken Nicol who contributed to the high level of musicianship on Look at Me Now. Their 1994 recording was eventually released as Shadows on the Wall (1995), which included three While-penned tracks from her early solo material.
The Albion Band
In 1993 she joined the
In 1995 Chris and Julie toured Canada as The Women of Albion. The intention was a one-off project, however, audience reception and their growing musical partnership led them towards pursuing joint projects.
While and Matthews
In the Big Room to Stages
In 1997 Chris and Julie left the Albion Band to pursue their individual and joint projects and Chris released her fourth solo album, 'In the Big Room'. As well as containing some notable covers, it included one track, 'Sister Moon', from early in Chris's career, but was dominated by Chris' new songwriting.
This was followed by what was formally Chris and Julie's first album as a duo, 'Piecework', in 1998. This included what are often considered some of Chris and Julie's most powerful songs and marking the emergence of their distinctive and highly polished sound. Chris contributed her vocal and instrumental skills to Julie's songs as well as penning the powerful title track, which recalls her time in factory work in Barrow.[9] A busy recording schedule resulted in their second album 'Higher Potential' in October 1999, which showcased their diverse influences, from Chris's bluesy 'Tire Tracks in the Snow' to the poignant 'Love has Gone to War'. It also included Chris's ' The Light in My Mothers Eye", dedicated to her own mother, which was nominated for best song in the first BBC Radio 2's prestigious Folk Music Awards.[2][10] The following year there was the much anticipated double live album, Stages, which managed to capture some of the duo's outstanding live sound and stagecraft, as well as many of their best songs to date.
Quest to Stage 2
Their third joint studio album, Quest (2001), was produced by acclaimed Ghanaian musician Kwame Yeboah of e2K / Craig David and featured his multi-instrumental skills. It was hailed as their best album to date, and as cementing their position "as two of Britain's most important singer/songwriters".[11] It included ‘Shadow of my former self’ featuring a consummate While vocal performance and the live favourite ‘Bruccianni’s Café’. In this period Chris and Julie began to tour frequently in the UK, Europe, Africa, North America and Australia. They are particularly well regarded in the last of these, where they fill large concert halls and attend the major festivals. The 2004 release Perfect Mistake contained fewer of her writing contributions, but some of her most stunning vocals. In 2005 they released Here and Now, recorded at the Worden Arts Centre in Leyland Lancashire, with a more acoustic and stripped-down sound. The live vibe may explain its very positive reception in the music press, especially among more traditional folk commentators.[12] The retrospective The Best of While and Matthews (2006) and Stage 2: Live at the Firehouse (2007), a second live album containing some fan favourites and songs written since 2000, summarised their partnership to that point.
Rosella Red to Shoulder to Shoulder
Chris’s first solo album for ten years, Rosella Red, was released in 2007, with her song writing, instrumental playing and vocals enhanced by strong arrangements and playing by Joe Broughton. Her own songs covered the now familiar subjects of family, youth and relationships, but there were also some stunning covers including the haunting ‘Pennyweight Hill’ written by her late friend, Austrian singer/songwriter Michael Kennedy and revisited Chris’s musical roots with a fine version of
Their tenth album in 22 years Shoulder to Shoulder was released in September 2016.
Diverse projects
While pursuing a career based around her work with Julie and her solo endeavours, Chris has been able to fit a number of diverse projects into a busy schedule of touring and recording.
- St Agnes Fountain
In December 2001 Chris and Julie joined forces with
- Blue Tapestry
In 2002 the duo collaborated with outstanding instrumentalists
- Chris and Kellie While
Chris's eventual replacement in the Albion Band was her daughter Kellie, also a talented singer and guitarist. From the age of thirteen Kellie had accompanied her mother to folk clubs to sing. They revisited this era with an album entitled Chris and Kellie While in 2004, notable for its strong harmonies and emotional delivery of standards and some of Chris's best songs. Since then they have toured together frequently, producing a second album, Too Few Songs, in 2006, which showcased some of the best songwriting available and a version of the previously unavailable While/Matthews track '36 Miles Away from the Sea'. The album received widespread critical acclaim: as the review in the Daily Telegraph put it 'each song remains a showcase for the delicate, complementary powers of expression of two expert vocalists, truly living up to the "more like sisters" description of one admirer, Ralph McTell'.[19] Since then they have produced another album, Indigo (2015).[20]
- Radio work
As a duo, While and Matthews have worked on several musical projects for the BBC including Tales of the Towpath (2005), a radio documentary about the building of the Manchester Ship Canal, and the 2006
- Rejoice the Voice
Chris and Julie, along with fellow Daphne's Flight member Helen Watson, also tour with their woman's vocal workshop 'Rejoice the Voice', providing women with an opportunity to sing collectively and improve their vocal technique.[23] In 2009 Julie, Chris and Helen released Bare Bones, featuring some of the songs they worked on at the 'Rejoice the Voice' workshops.
- Liege and Lief Reunion
Over the years Chris has made many appearances with
Awards
Chris won the FAETA award for best female vocalist in 2007.[25] Chris and Julie have been nominated as best duo in the BBC Radio 2 Folk awards seven times, as best live act twice, and won the 'Best Duo' award in 2009.[26][27]
Discography
Solo albums
- Still on Fire (1991)
- By Request (1992)
- Look at me Now (1993)
- In the Big Room (1997)
- Rosella Red (2007)
- Still on Fire/By Request re-release (2009)
With the Albion Band
- Acousticity (1993)
- Albion Heart (1995)
- Demi Paradise (1996)
- The Acoustic Years 1993–97 (1997)
- Albion Heart on Tour (2004)
- Acousticity on Tour (2004)
With Ken Nicol
- Shadows on the Wall (1995)
With Julie Matthews
- Blue Moon on the Rise EP (1995)
- Piecework (1998)
- Higher Potential (1999)
- Stages (2000)
- Quest (2001)
- Perfect Mistake (2004)
- Here and Now (2005)
- The Best of While and Matthews (2006)
- Stage 2: Live at the Firehouse (2007)
- Together Alone (2008)
- Hitting the Ground Running (2010)
- Infinite Sky (2012)
- Who We Are (2014)
- Shoulder To Shoulder (2016)
- Revolution Calls (2019)
With Julie Matthews and Helen Watson
- Bare Bones (2009)
With Daphne's Flight
- Daphne's Flight (1996)
With Phil Beer and Ashley Hutchings
- Ridgeriders (1999)
- Ridgeriders in Concert(2001)
With St Agnes Fountain
- Acoustic Carols for Christmas (2001)
- Comfort and Joy (2002)
- The Show (2003)
- Three Ships (2003)
- The White Xmas Album (2006)
- Soul Cake (2008)
- The Spirit of Christmas (2010)
- Best of St Agnes Fountain (Double CD) (2011)
- Twelve Years of Christmas (2012)
- Christmas is not far away (2014)
- The Best of St Agnes Fountain Vol.2 (2015)
With Blue Tapestry
- Blue Tapestry Live (2003)
With Kellie While
- Chris and Kellie While (2004)
- Too Few Songs (2011)
- Indigo (2015)
Compilations
- Rubber Folk (2006) with her cover of the song "Nowhere Man" by Lennon-McCartney
References
- ^ "Latest Podcasts | podcastdirectory.com - your podcast directory with video and audio podcasts". Podcastdirectory.com. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ^ a b c WhileandMatthews official site "Biog". Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2009., retrieved on 08/01/09.
- ^ While, C. & Matthews, J. (2002) Words and Music. Circuit Music, p. 15
- ^ "Michael's Albion Band Website". Toadinthehole.org.uk. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ^ While, C. & Matthews, J. (2002) Words and Music. Circuit Music, p. 11
- ^ While, C. & Matthews, J. (2002) Words and Music, Circuit Music, p. 65
- ^ While, C. & Matthews, J. (2002) Words and Music. Circuit Music, p. 23
- ^ "The Albion Band: The HTD Years". Mainlynorfolk.info. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ^ While, C. & Matthews, J. (2002) 'Words and Music'. Circuit Music, p. 41
- ^ While, C. & Matthews, J. (2002) Words and Music. Circuit Music, p. 55
- ^ "Reviews". Archived from the original on 5 July 2008. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ^ "Living Tradition CD review of CHRIS WHILE AND JULIE MATTHEWS - Here And Now". Folkmusic.net. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ^ "RRreviews". Archived from the original on 9 March 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ^ 'Reviews' Propaganda (Oct 2008), p. 5.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 9 January 2009.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "A to Z Album Reviews". NetRhythms.co.uk. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ^ "Home". Archived from the original on 8 July 2008. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ^ "Blue Tapestry Live (review)". BBC Radio 2. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
- ^ "The year so far (3)". Salutlive.com. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ^ "Chris & Kellie While". While and Matthews. Archived from the original on 25 July 2004. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
- ^ While, C. & Matthews, J. (2002) Words and Music. Circuit Music, p. 21
- ^ "Radio 2 - Radio Ballads". BBC. 21 February 2007. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ^ "News". Archived from the original on 5 July 2008. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ^ "Salut! Live". Salutlive.com. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ^ "FATEA - Home". Fatea-records.co.uk. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ^ "Radio 2 - Folk Awards 2008 - Chris While and Julie Matthews Video". BBC. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ^ "BBC - Radio 2 - Folk Awards 2009 - Nominees". Archived from the original on 21 December 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2009.