Biography
Nancy Falkow first gained recognition across the Philadelphia region in the closing years of the 1990s as an expressive singer and songwriter whose pop-rock and pop-folk leanings often echo the 1970s work of Carole King. Philadelphia outlets have also noted the honey-voiced performer’s resemblance to both Natalie Merchant and Lucinda Williams, highlighting a delivery that stays sweet without tipping into cutesy or precious territory and that retains a noticeable edge of grit. Born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on April 22, 1970, she spent her early years in southern New Jersey before relocating to Philly in 1988 to enroll at Temple University, where she completed a B.A. in education. She later earned a master’s degree in education from Beaver College and began playing local gigs around 1995; within a few years she had established herself among the city’s most prominent singer-songwriters. In 1998 she prevailed in a regional talent competition tied to Sarah McLachlan’s Lilith Fair, besting roughly nineteen other female entrants and earning a slot on that summer’s bill at the E-Center in Camden, New Jersey, just beyond Philadelphia’s city limits. There she appeared on the main stage alongside the Indigo Girls for their signature “Closer to Fine” and joined McLachlan for a rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On.” Although her primary style remains rooted in pop-rock and pop-folk, Falkow’s R&B leanings surfaced when she was enlisted to supply background vocals for duets recorded in 2001 by Patti LaBelle and gospel great Shirley Ceasar for the Myrrh label. She has likewise contributed backing vocals to projects by G. Love & Special Sauce and Brazilian great Astrud Gilberto. Her debut recording, a self-titled EP, appeared in 1999 and was succeeded two years later by the full-length album Smitten, produced by Shane McMartin.
Albums
