Liz Phair - American singer & songwriter
Name: Liz Phair
Birthday: April 17, 1967 (1967-04-17)
New Haven, Connecticut
Genre(s) Alternative rock, indie rock, lo-fi, pop rock
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s) Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active 1991 - present
Liz Phair (born Elizabeth Clark Phair on April 17, 1967 in New Haven, Connecticut, USA) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
Phair began her career in the early 1990s by self-releasing lo-fi audio cassettes under the moniker Girly Sound, before signing with Matador Records and becoming one of the leading artists of the 1990s DIY indie rock underground. In 2003, Phair’s fourth album, Liz Phair, was released on her new label, Capitol Records and her music began to move in a more pop rock-oriented approach.
Her signature guitar, which she is often seen playing (and is prominent upon the cover of her self-titled fourth album), is a Fender Duo-Sonic II. Her album Exile in Guyville was chosen as one of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Liz Phair was born in Connecticut, but was raised in Winnetka, Illinois. Phair was adopted, as was her older brother Philip. She attended[3] and graduated from New Trier High School in 1985. She attended Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, and majored in art history.
Liz Phair signed with ATO Records in early 2008 and re-released Exile in Guyville on June 24, 2008.[11] Exile in Guyville was reissued on CD, vinyl, and in digital format. The special reissue package includes three never-before-released songs from the original recording sessions: “Ant in Alaska,” “Say You,” and an untitled instrumental. Phair has also completed a new documentary DVD, “Guyville Redux.” [12] This DVD features an introduction by Dave Matthews, founder/co-owner of ATO Records, and describes the making of the album, in the male-dominated, Chicago independent music scene of the early 1990’s (which included Urge Overkill, Material Issue, and Smashing Pumpkins), and the Wicker Park neighborhood where it happened.
“Exile in Guyville is miles more complex than the porn-star manifesto it was often considered,” said Alan Light (former editor-in-chief of Spin, Vibe, and Tracks) in an essay written for the reissue. “Phair spoke for the uncertainties facing a new generation of women, struggling to find a balance between sexual confidence and romance, between independence and isolation. . . . Exile in Guyville sat at the center of a culture in transition.”
Phair is currently working on an untitled music project to be released 2009.
In addition to making appearances on television shows and in films portraying herself, Phair has been billed as an actress in several roles, including the film Cherish. She also played 1960s pop singer Jackie DeShannon in an episode of the NBC period drama American Dreams and a yoga instructor in the film Seeing Other People.
Liz Phair works
Girly Sound
Year Tape Name
1991 Yo Yo Buddy Yup Yup Word To Ya Muthuh
1991 Girls! Girls! Girls!
1991 Untitled Tape 3
Studio albums
Year Album Billboard Chart U.S. Sales RIAA Certification
1993 Exile In Guyville 196 450,000 Gold
1994 Whip-Smart 27 600,000 Gold
1998 Whitechocolatespaceegg 35 320,000
2003 Liz Phair 27 429,000
2005 Somebody’s Miracle 46 81,000
2008 Exile In Guyville Redux: 15th Anniversary Reissue 200 9,000
2009 Untitled Sixth Album TBR TBR
EPs
Year Name
1995 Juvenilia
2003 Comeandgetit
Demos
Year Name
1992 Exile In Guyville Studio Demo
1996 ‘96 Shelved Demos/Studio Recordings
1997 Whitechocolatespaceegg Demos
1999-2001 Michael Penn Recordings/”4th Album Roughs”
2005 Somebody’s Miracle Demos
Singles
Year Title Chart Positions[19] Album
US Hot 100 US Adult US Main US Mod. Rock US Airplay US Digital US Pop 100
1994 “Supernova” 78 – – 6 68 – – Whip Smart
1995 “Whip-Smart” – – – 24 – – –
2003 “Why Can’t I” 32 7 10 – 34 – – Liz Phair
“Insanity” – – – – – 5 – digital single release only
2004 “Extraordinary” 111 14 28 – – – – Liz Phair
2005 “Everything to Me” – 27 – – – – 99 Somebody’s Miracle
Awards
Year Award Category Work Result
1993 Village Voice Pazz & Jop Critics Poll Album of the Year “Exile in Guyville” Won
1993 Rolling Stone Critics Poll Best New Female Artist “Exile in Guyville” Won
1995 Grammy Awards Best Female Rock Vocal Performance “Supernova” Nomination
1996 Grammy Awards Best Female Rock Vocal Performance “Don’t Have Time” Nomination
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