Singer-songwriter Pierce Pettis consistently combines thoughtful and carefully crafted lyrics with emotional awareness and interesting guitar tunings. His songs cover a broad range: songs of faith (That Kind of Love, St Paul’s Song, Meriam), songs that deal honestly with tough emotion (Crying Ground, If It Wasn’t for the Night), songs that tell stories (Farewell, Georgia Moon), songs about family (My Little Girl, Black Sheep Boy), songs that explore racial tensions (Alabama 1959, Legacy), and more.
After a lifetime of crafting finely-wrought, heart-touching songs, Pierce feels he’s finally found his comfort zone. “The biggest change has been realizing that the purpose isn’t fame and fortune… but simply doing good work.”
He grew up surrounded by music, and through his teen years “put together various bands—all of them horrible.” But he persevered, not only playing but writing songs in a mix of rock, folk, country, and R&B genres.
Pierce became a member of New York’s “Fast Folk” movement in the mid-80’s, released an independent album, Moments (1984) before signing with High Street Records, where he released While the Serpent Lies Sleeping (1989), Tinseltown (1991), and Chase the Buffalo (1993).
Pierce signed to Compass Records where he released Making Light of It (1996), Everything Matters (1998), State of Grace (2001), and Great Big World (2004), That Kind of Love (2009), New Agrarians—Songs & Stories of the Southland (2013). Father’s Son, Pierce’s’ newest solo project, was released January of 2019 to widespread critical praise in the US, UK, and Europe.
Pierce’s songs have been recorded by artists including Joan Baez, Susan Ashton, Dar Williams, Garth Brooks, and Art Garfunkel.
https://www.piercepettis.com/