Liz Phair

Liz Phair

Birth : 1967-04-17, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

History

Elizabeth 'Liz' Clark Phair (born April 17, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to start a musical career in San Francisco, California, but returned to her home in Chicago, where she began self-releasing audio cassettes under the name Girly-Sound. The tapes led to a recording contract with the independent record label Matador Records. Her 1993 debut studio album, Exile in Guyville, was released to acclaim; it has been ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. She followed this with her second album, Whip-Smart (1994), which earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, and Whitechocolatespaceegg (1998). Ten years after the release of her debut, her fourth album, Liz Phair (2003), released on Capitol Records, moved towards pop rock, earning her a mainstream audience but alienating critics. In 2009, she began working as a television composer, following an invitation by her childhood friend Mike Kelley to score the show he was creating for CBS, Swingtown, given it was based on the life in their hometown. She followed it by creating the theme song for NBC's The Weber Show, and working for the CW's The 100, the USA Network show In Plain Sight, and the CW reboot of 90210, for which she won the 2009 ASCAP award for Top Television Composer. After the release of her fifth album, Somebody's Miracle (2005), she left Capitol and released her sixth album Funstyle independently in 2010. In 2018, it was announced that Matador Records would be releasing a retrospective set for her debut album Exile in Guyville which includes remastered recordings from her original Girly Sound demo tapes. She released her seventh studio album, Soberish, in 2021.

Profile

Liz Phair
Liz Phair

Movies

The Rolling Stones: Stones in Exile
Self
In 1971, to get breathing room from tax and management problems, the Stones go to France. Jimmy Miller parks a recording truck next to Keith Richards and Anita Pallenberg's Blue Coast villa, and by June the band is in the basement a few days at a time. Upstairs, heroin, bourbon, and visitors are everywhere. The Stones, other musicians and crew, Pallenberg, and photographer Dominique Tarle, plus old clips and photos and contemporary footage, provide commentary on the album's haphazard construction. By September, the villa is empty; Richards and Jagger complete production in LA. "Exile on Main Street" is released to mediocre reviews that soon give way to lionization.
Guyville Redux
Director
Fans and luminaries of the Chicago music scene explain their reactions to Liz Phair's EXILE IN GUYVILLE album and the mark it made on indie rock in the early 1990s.
Guyville Redux
Fans and luminaries of the Chicago music scene explain their reactions to Liz Phair's EXILE IN GUYVILLE album and the mark it made on indie rock in the early 1990s.
Seeing Other People
Yoga Teacher
Ed and Alice are two months shy of getting married when she realizes that she wishes she'd had a more active love life while still single. Reluctantly, Ed agrees to have an open relationship in the months before their wedding, and initially this seems to improve their connection, particularly in the bedroom. However, as Ed and Alice get more involved in their own flings, the experiment goes awry.
Cherish
Brynn
After a martini-induced rampage, a fantasy-prone young woman is placed under house arrest.
Lilith on Top
Following up on her 2000 opus Suspicious River, Lynne Stopkewich directs this documentary about the final Lilith Fair. Launched in 1997 by Sarah McLachlan and a host of other female singer/songwriters, the concert series quickly became one of the most popular, and profitable, tours of the late '90s. Stopkewich, along with her crew, tagged along during the 2000 tour, traveling to 42 shows across the continent. Rising early and crashing late -- often in the bus as it drives to the next destination, Stopkewich's crew quickly gets a taste of the rigors of life on the road. Along the way, they interview fans, crew, tech staff, and the stars. Apart from such documentary footage, Lilith also features performances from McLachlan, Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders, Sheryl Crow, the Dixie Chicks, and sundry other.
The Horse Whisperer
Original Music Composer
The mother of a severely traumatized daughter enlists the aid of a unique horse trainer to help the girl's equally injured horse.
What's Up Matador
Liz Phair
Wanna learn a little about the music industry? Mr. Bill Boggs answers your questions with Liz Phair, Yo La Tango, and kids just like you!