By Paul Freeman [1993 Interview]

One of our most eloquent and moving songwriters, Griffith may humbly underplay her vocal skills. But the truth is, she has a gorgeously graceful and distinctive voice. She can deliver country, folk and "folkabilly" tunes like nobody else. She's simply spellbinding.

We had the pleasure of talking with Griffith in 1993, following the release of a compelling collection of covers, "Other Voices, Other Rooms," spotlighting the music associated with folk artists she admired. It won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album in 1994.

In 1998, Griffith released an equally beautiful sequel, "Other Voices, Too (A Trip Back to Bountiful)." She has recorded many superb albums in the years since, including 2012's "Intersection."

Nanci Griffith considers herself primarily a songwriter, not a singer. Such stars as Kathy Mattea ("Love at the Five and Dime"), Suzy Bogguss ("Outbound Plane," which Griffith co-wrote with Tom Russell), Emmylou Harris ("It's a Hard Life Wherever You Go") and Willie Nelson ("Gulf Coast Highway") have recorded her compositions. Even the most jaded of her peers gush with praise over the sensitivity and insight her works display.

Her new album, "Other Voices, Other Rooms," however, contains no original numbers. On it, she sings the songs of the folk artists who have inspired her through the course of her creative life.

"Folk music is my first love, my basic instinct," says the soft-spoken Griffith, her eyes luminous.

"Other Voices, Other Rooms," is the title of Truman Capote's first novel. "It's my favorite of Truman's novels," Griffith says. "It's so reflective. It's about returning to one's roots and understanding your sense of self. That's what the album is for me."

Griffith, a Texas native, often has been lumped into the country category. She refers to herself as a "folkabilly" artist. "I love true country music, but to call me a country artist is a lie," she says. "Folk music and country music have always sort of held hands in the dark, in the back of a theatre somewhere, and never been seen out on the street together.

"It's mainly a difference in the way they're presented. I don't want to play in Branson, Missouri. I want to play for people who aren't wearing toe tags... not that country audiences are," she adds quickly.

Country music certainly gets a lot more exposure than folk these days. "I feel fortunate that this album gave me the opportunity to thank all these songwriters who so influenced me and maybe to turn audiences on to this material," Griffith says. "It's so hard for acoustic artists to get a major-label deal."

"Other Voices, Other Rooms" marks Griffith's move from one major label, MCA, to another Elektra. "I'd wanted to leave MCA for a long time," she says. "I didn't feel that they understood my music very well. I had so much success in Europe, yet MCA in the U.S. looked at me as an integrity artist they could parade out now and then. They really didn't promote my records.

"I had been determined to do this folk album and Elektra started as one of the premier folk labels. So it all seemed to come together."

It was during the recording of her previous album, "Late Night Grande Hotel," that she began thinking about creating this folk tribute. Her producer on that earlier album, Rod Argent (The Zombies), unintentionally sparked the idea.

"He was so excited that we had Phil Everly, one of his idols, singing on one of the tracks. It reminded me how lucky I've been to know most of my heroes, to sit across from them and have a glass with them." The concept for the new album solidified after a discussion with Emmylou Harris. "We spent New Year's Eve together. That's a ritual," Griffith says. "We talked about Kate Wolf, how no one was doing her songs. I began pondering 25 years of lost folk music. The industry has been ignoring it for that long. Just because some bigwig somewhere, chomping on a cigar, has decreed that folk music isn't commercially viable, doesn't mean it doesn't deserve to be heard."

In fact, Griffith's toughest chore was narrowing down her lengthy list of nearly 300 deserving songs. The songwriters represented on the album include Wolf, Jerry Jeff Walker, Townes Van Zandt, Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton, John Prine, Gordon Lightfoot and Woody Guthrie.

"We wanted to offer a taste of each folk revival that we've had over the past 120 years, going back to 'Are You Tired of Me, Darling,' which was written in 1877, and returning to contemporary writers," she explains.

Griffith, who can gently caress a lyric, takes a humble stance on her singing talents. "Songwriting is a gift. So is singing. We all want what we don't have," she says. "I've had conversations with Maura O'Connell and she always feels so inferior, because she's a singer and she doesn't write songs. I told her, 'I always feel intimidated by you, because you're one of the greatest singers I know. I can't sing like that. All I can do is write and hope people like you will record it.'

"I have a fun voice. It's definitely mine. It's recognizable. I love singing harmony. But as long as there's a Maura O'Connell, an Emmylou Harris, a Dolores Keane, a Tracy Nelson, a Mary Black, a Linda Ronstadt, I'll never call myself a singer."

Many great guest artists appear on "Other Voices, Other Rooms," including Harris, Dylan, Arlo Guthrie, Guy Clark and Carolyn Hester. Chet Atkins also performs on a couple of tracks.

"I had played a few bars on the guitar and asked him to come up with something ingenious," says Griffith, who never studied guitar. "When we got into the studio, we sat down with our guitars and Chet said, 'Okay, take off, kiddo! I don't want to mess with that guitar part of yours. It's just fine. You play lead and I'll play rhythm.' Talk about intimidating!"

Griffith, 38. was born in Austin and now lives in Nashville. She has been playing guitar since she was six, influenced by her family. "My dad's a barbershop quartet tenor, as was my grandfather. My mother played piano," she says.

"My dad loved the Weavers, Odetta, the Carter Family. My mother was into Count Basie, Sinatra, jazz. Needless to say," Griffith says, laughing, "my parents are divorced. But while they were together, it was a household of arts."

As a youngster, she experimented with songwriting. "As a child, it's so hard to learn other people's songs. It was easier to put together chords and phrases, making up my own little songs."

Her writing has been influenced by her favorite literary figures, such as Eurdora Welty and Larry McMurtry, as well as folk and country artists. She has written such hits as "Lone Star State of Mind" and "Daddy Said." But she is not one of those songwriters who is reluctant to perform live.

"I have so much fun with my audience," she says.

Folk music, she says, is "intimate, accessible, compassionate. It tells a story. It belongs to the people. It's not a cold, synthesized format that lacks the human factor. It's very warm. It creates a sense of community. Goodness knows, we need more of that these days."

For the latest on this artist, visit www.nancigriffith.com.