Nancy Hanson's songwriting is simple, honest, and from the heart. Her guitar playing and stage presence are strong and compelling. Add a voice that is at once warm and shimmering and you begin to see and feel her deep talents.
Hanson came to the stage with a love of music. At 12 years old, she successfully negotiated a deal with her mother to end her piano lessons and pick up the guitar. Guitar playing came naturally to her as she spent hours learning and playing songs written by her favorite artists. Her early influences include John Denver, Dan Fogelberg, and James Taylor. She was later inspired by the music of Nanci Griffith, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Shawn Colvin.
Hanson worked her way through college playing and singing cover tunes at local clubs and restaurants. She graduated with a B.S. in Psychology and began her work as a counselor for troubled children and teens. In 1993, she tried her hand at songwriting and just one year later was invited to play as a finalist in the Telluride Folk Festival Troubadour Contest in Colorado.
Hanson's early success encouraged her to continue writing, performing, and competing. She was a New Folk Finalist at both the Kerrville Folk Festival and Napa Valley Music Folk Festival. She was later a winner at the Rocky Mountain Folk Festival Songwriting Contest. Her song "Drops in a Bucket" won the 1998 Fast Folk Café Songwriting Contest, later took second place in the folk category of the 2000 John Lennon Songwriting Contest, while a second song, "The Father in Me," was awarded Honorable Mention.
Hanson's debut CD, Drops in a Bucket, released in 1997, earned rave reviews from both critics and fans alike. Produced by noted composer and recording artist Sam Cardon, the album reflects all that Hanson embodies. The songs are refined and charming, with a simplicity, confidence, and a sense of humor that is contagious. Through lyrical and musical images and insights, Hanson's songs reflect the fabric of life, and her music feels like a conversation with a good friend.
Hanson has taken her music to many great venues throughout the country -- including the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, the Fast Folk Cafe in New York City, and the campfires of the Kerrville Folk Festival. Although she continues to perform, Hanson prefers to stay close to home in Utah where she can be with her husband Dave and their three small children.
Often referred to as "the natural" by fellow musicians, Nancy Hanson continues to grow as a songwriter, performer, and recording artist. Much like the great names that inspired her, she continues to inspire and lift others as she musically paints the wonders and mysteries of life and love. ~ Jared Johnson, Rovi
