Michelle Shocked
Michelle Shocked is a Texas-born singer-songwriter whose career began with a portable tape recording made at the Kerrville Folk Festival. Her albums ranged from acoustic folk to swing and big-band music.
- Born
- 24 February 1962, Dallas, Texas
- Birth name
- Karen Michelle Johnston
- Labels
- Mercury; later her own label, Mighty Sound
- Debut
- The Texas Campfire Tapes (1986)
Career
In 1986 Pete Lawrence recorded her on a portable tape recorder at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas and released the results in Europe as The Texas Campfire Tapes. Its success brought offers from major labels, and she signed with Mercury in 1987, keeping complete ownership of her work. Short Sharp Shocked (1988) was her first US success, and its single "Anchorage" reached the Billboard Hot 100.
Captain Swing (1989) explored swing and big-band music, and Arkansas Traveler followed in 1992. She later parted from Mercury after a lawsuit, and from 2002 released her records on her own label, Mighty Sound. In 2013 comments she made on stage about same-sex marriage led to criticism and cancelled concert dates.
Songs to know
- "Anchorage"
- "If Love Was a Train"
- "When I Grow Up"
- "On the Greener Side"
Selected albums
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1986 | The Texas Campfire Tapes |
| 1988 | Short Sharp Shocked |
| 1989 | Captain Swing |
| 1992 | Arkansas Traveler |
| 1996 | Kind Hearted Woman |
| 2002 | Deep Natural |
More Texas songwriters: Nanci Griffith.