Biography
Malone was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, by her mother and grandmother, both professional singers. Malone first began performing at age four in a church choir, and later learned to play saxophone, guitar, and drums, which she played in her first band at age twelve.
As an teenager, Malone began to write songs. While studying voice at Agnes Scott College, she began performing professionally in and around Atlanta. She left school upon receiving a recording contract from Clive Davis at Arista Records, for whom she recorded, with her band Drag the River, the album Relentless, produced by Lenny Kaye of the Patti Smith Group. She later signed with Walter Yetnikoff at his Velvel Records label. In 1992 Malone started her own label, SBS Records, and continues to record and tour.
Over the course of her 20 year career, Malone has won numerous awards including Best Female Vocalist and Best Acoustic Guitarist (Creative Loafing), Album of the Year (Atlanta Magazine). Her albums Sugar Foot and Debris, released on SBS Records, were both on the Grammy Award ballot for best Contemporary Blues and Best Americana Albums respectively. Her songs have appeared in the films Bam Bam and Celeste, All Over Me, Shotgun Jesus and television programs True Blood, Dawson's Creek, Felicity, Brooklyn South, and have been recorded by Indigo Girls (for which she received both gold and platinum records), Antigone Rising, and Vistoso Bosses. Malone appeared with The Harshed Mellows on a recording of the song U.S. Blues for the Grateful Dead tribute album Deadicated (Arista Records, 1991). She was also featured in a Georgia Tourism TV commercial with Elton John in the 1994. The Collectible card game Magic: The Gathering was named in part after Malone's song The Gathering (Redemption Dream 1994/Daemon Records/HiFi Records). In 2010 Malone took part in a virtual concert performing to a screen displaying avatars, as part of Michael Nesmith's Video Ranch 3D project.
Malone has collaborated in the studio and on stage with such artists as John Mayer, SugarLand members Jennifer Nettles, Kristen Hall, and Kristian Bush, Indigo Girls, Shawn Mullins, Kevn Kinney, Drivin' N Cryin', Little Feat, Albert King, Charlie Musselwhite, Johnny Winter, Lurrie Bell, Lonnie Brooks, ZZ Top, Robert Cray, Keb Mo, Tinsley Ellis, Rory Block, Marcia Ball, Chris Whitley, Steve Earle, K.T. Tunstall, Shawn Colvin, Jackson Browne, James Taylor and Joan Osborne, as well as Ellen DeGeneres.
Michelle Malone recorded and released Debris, on her own SBS Records label and distributed by Thirty Tigers out of Nashville, TN. It was produced and engineered by Nick Didia. Musicians on the CD include Peter Stroud (guitar), Phil Skipper (bass), Trish Land (percussion), Trina Meade (backing vocals), Tony Reyes (bass, backing vocals), Angela Kaset (piano) and Dave Anthony (drums).
Malone recorded and released Day 2 in 2012 with artists Shawn Mullins, Gerry Hansen, Randall Bramblett, Chuck Leavell, and Tom Ryan.
Read more about this topic: Michelle Malone
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