Monday, November 25, 2013

Michelle Branch, The #96 Female Artist of the Rock Era*

Michelle Branch was born in Phoenix, Arizona and began to sing at age three.  She enrolled in voice lessons at Northern Arizona University when she was eight and received her first guitar for her fourteenth birthday.  She taught herself guitar chords and wrote her first song within a week after receiving her guitar.

Branch attended Sedona Red Rock High School, but finished her education through home schooling so she could focus on music.  Her parents arranged local gigs in Sedona and later financed her independent album Broken Bracelet, which Michelle self-produced.  In 1999, Branch posted two songs online, which caught the attention of the group the group Hanson, eventually leading to Branch opening for them in concert.

In 2001, Branch signed a recording contract with Maverick Records and she released her first major album The Spirit Room.  "Everywhere" was #12 overall but #9 on the dominant radio format, Adult Contemporary, and won an MTV Video Music Award Viewer's Choice Award.




"All You Wanted" hit #3 in New Zealand, #4 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #6 on Billboard's Hot 100.







"Goodbye to You" was another Top 20 hit on the album that helped The Spirit Room sell over two million copies in the United States alone.  In 2002, she joined with Santana to record the song "The Game Of Love".  It was a multi-format smash and won the Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.






It was quite a year for Branch, and she was nominated at the Grammys for Best New Artist.  Her next album Hotel Paper in 2003 also sold one million copies.  "Are You Happy Now" went #3 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #16 on the so-called "Popular" chart and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.

The next two singles from the album did not fare as well, and Branch joined friend Jessica Harp on a brief project called the Wreckers.  They joined Rascal Flatts on tour, and their song "Leave the Pieces" was nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.  

Branch continues to record, with a new album due out anytime.

Branch has six Top 40 hits and two Top 10's and has sold three million albums in her career.

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