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Biography
Infobox musical artist | name = Meredith Brooks| image =| caption =| image_size =| background = solo_singer| birth_name = Meredith Ann Brooks| birth_date = birth date and age|1958|06|12| Origin Oregon City, Oregon|Oregon City , Oregon , United States | instrument = singing|Vocals , guitar | genre = Rock music|Rock , pop music|pop | occupation = Singer-songwriter , musician | years_active = late 80's–present| label = Capitol Records|Capitol Gold Circle Kissing Booth| URL (website removed due to intrusion attempt by the website) Reference: Norton Utilities Meredith Ann Brooks (born June 12, 1958)cite web |url= http://www.associatedentertainment.com/aec/National-Acts/Music-Category-1/Meredith-Brooks |title=Meredith Brooks |work=associatedentertainment.com |publisher= |accessdate=June 11, 2011 is an United States|American singer/songwriter and guitarist . She is best known for her 1997 hit song " Bitch (Meredith Brooks song)|Bitch ", for which she was nominated for a Grammy Award .
Early life
Meredith Brooks was born in Oregon City, Oregon . Her parents divorced while she was still a child. She and her brother and sister grew up in Corvallis, Oregon and were raised by their mother. At age eleven, Brooks became fascinated with the guitar and she soon learned how to play it.
Career
Career Beginnings; See It Through My Eyes 1984 and The Graces (band)|The Graces 1989
In the early 1980s, Brooks performed at a number of clubs in the Willamette Valley of Oregon and in Washington (U.S. state)|Washington , where she was popular to a broad range of fans. She often performed at the Last Hurrah, and Eli's Hard Rock Cafe in Downtown Portland. She was managed by Denny Herman of Pacific Talent, who was also her boyfriend. She recorded Meredith Brooks and The Angels of Mercy: Recorded Live at the Starry Night , a one-hour TV show. The video production was headed up by Mark de Leon Martinez, an established young music video producer from Portland. She performed that night as the opening act for Jack Charles. She then moved to Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles to further her career in music. At that time, she recorded the songs that later appeared on See It Through My Eyes . In the late 1980s and early 1990s, she was a member of The Graces (band)|The Graces , who recorded one album, Perfect View , in 1989.
Blurring the Edges 1997 and Bitch (Meredith Brooks song)|Bitch
In 1995, Brooks landed a major label contract with Capitol Records . Her first hit single, " Bitch (Meredith Brooks song)|Bitch ", garnered her nominations for the 1998 Grammy Awards for Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance|Best Female Rock Vocal Performance and Grammy Award for Best Rock Song|Best Rock Song . The song was Brooks' only major hit on the charts. Her album Blurring the Edges achieved Platinum record|platinum sales and peaked at 22 on the Billboard 200 and 5 on the UK Albums Chart . The album was produced by David Ricketts , formerly of David and David (with David Baerwald ). Ricketts also played keyboards, among other instruments, on the album. Brooks toured in the US and Europe in 1997 and 1998 to support the album. On March 30 in Argentina, whilst opening for the Rolling Stones , the crowd demanded to see the Stones during her set and threw bottles and other objects at the stage. Brooks abandoned her set after 2 songs as the crowd yelled "come on Stones". The next day Brooks showed reporters bruises to her eye and ankle and stated: "They have taken away my greatest moment. I was playing with the Stones, something I never imagined I would do... and now I think I'll cancel the rest of my shows in Latin America. I have no intention of continuing to expose myself to this kind of barbaric behavior... not me, not my band, not my crew." In 1998 she divorced her husband, Russell Jackson, after seven years of marriage.
Deconstruction (Meredith Brooks album)|Deconstruction 1999 and Lilith Fair
Brooks recorded her second major album Deconstruction (Meredith Brooks album)|Deconstruction in 1999. It was a stylistic and thematic shift away from Blurring the Edges . She only toured in Europe and the album sold poorly. She originally wrote the song "Sin City", which appears on this album, for the movie Snake Eyes (film)|Snake Eyes , directed by her friend Brian De Palma . She toured with Sarah McLachlan's successful Lilith Fair .
Bad Bad One 2002 and Label Independence
In 2002, Brooks worked on her third solo album Bad Bad One on Gold Circle Records, an independent label, after being booted out of Capitol Records . Immediately after releasing the album, the label folded and prevented the record from getting promoted or achieving significant sales. Track 11 - "Shine" - was released as the lead single. The label's demise also interrupted her tour with Melissa Etheridge that summer, causing her and the band to return early to Los Angeles. Also in 2002, Brooks produced Jennifer Love Hewitt 's album, BareNaked , and appeared on the VH1 Divas Las Vegas program as a guest guitar soloist with Celine Dion and Anastacia .
Shine (Meredith Brooks album)|Shine 2004
In 2003, Brooks remarried and the next year adopted her son, Troy. She also signed a new record deal with the Columbia Music Entertainment|SLG Records label and released the material of Bad Bad One as Shine (Meredith Brooks album)|Shine . Television psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw|Dr. Phil chose the song "Shine" as the theme for his show.
If I Could Be... 2008 and Becca (Singer)|Becca
Most recently, Brooks has completed a new children's album titled If I Could Be... and continuing to develop new artists as a producer and songwriter. In particular, she is producing Sony Music Entertainment Japan|Sony Music Entertainment artist Becca (Singer)|Becca , a pop/rock singer/songwriter from Portland, Oregon .
Discography
Albums
Year
Album
Billboard 200>url=http:/ / www.allmusic.com/ artist/ meredith-brooks-p184634/ charts-awards/ billboard-albums
1997
Blurring the Edges
22
See It Through My Eyes
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1999
Deconstruction
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2002
Bad Bad One
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2004
Shine
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2007
If I Could Be...
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Singles
Year
Title
Chart positions
Album
U.S. cite web
UK
IRE
NED cite web
AUS cite web
NZ cite web
Hot 100
Main Top 40
Adult Top 40
Modern Rock
1997
Bitch "
2
1
14
4
6
12
15
2
4
Blurring the Edges
I Need "
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28
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77
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1998
" What Would Happen "
46
15
21
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49
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"Stop"
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40
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1999
"Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)"
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81
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Deconstruction
"Shout"
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2004
"Shine"
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35
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Bad Bad One
"You Don't Know Me"
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"Where Lovers Meet"
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References
Reflist
External links
official website| http://www.meredithbrooks.com/news.php
http://www.kissingboothblog.com/ Kissing Booth, Brook's blog
http://www.rockonthenet.com/artists-b/meredithbrooks_main.htm Meredith Brooks Top 40 Mainstream Page
Persondata | NAME =Brooks, Meredith | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH =June 12, 1958 | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Meredith Category:1958 births Category:Living people Category:American female singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American female guitarists Category:Musicians from Oregon Category:People from Corvallis, Oregon Category:People from Oregon City, Oregon
