Biography
Born Timothy Seth Avett in North Carolina, the multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter blends folk and bluegrass elements into his pop and rock work. The bulk of his recognition has come through steady partnership with his older brother Scott. Solo releases have appeared both under his own name and via the Darling alias. During 2000 the siblings issued a self-titled acoustic project credited to the Avett Brothers. Abundant further recordings preceded wider success with the 2007 album Emotionalism and the 2009 Grammy-nominated I and Love and You. A 2015 collaboration with Jessica Lea Mayfield produced a set of Elliott Smith covers, and in 2022 Seth Avett Sings Greg Brown honored one of his key influences.
The youngest of three siblings that include middle child Bonnie, Seth began performing with Scott during childhood. As a teenager he formed the Mt. Pleasant, North Carolina-based Margo alongside Kenny Graham and Noah Warner; that group later merged with his brother’s Greenville-based rock outfit Nemo. The combined lineup placed Scott Avett on vocals, Seth Avett and John Twomey on guitar, Kenny Graham on bass, and Noah Warner on drums.
In 2000 the brothers and Twomey issued the self-titled acoustic side project under the Avett Brothers name. Nemo disbanded shortly afterward, and bassist Bob Crawford replaced Twomey in the new ensemble. Beginning in 2001 Seth issued more personal solo material featuring varied instrumentation through the Darling moniker, starting with To Make a World Quiet and followed by 2002’s Killing the Headlamps. Returning to the Avett Brothers, the group delivered Country Was and Live at the Double Door Inn in 2002, then signed with Ramseur Records for 2003’s A Carolina Jubilee. Over subsequent years the band maintained an intensive pace of touring, songwriting, and recording that included 2004’s Mignonette and the following year’s Live, Vol. 2. Another Darling album, The Mourning, the Silver, the Bell, also appeared in 2005.
The Avett Brothers released Four Thieves Gone: The Robbinsville Sessions and The Gleam EP in 2006, the same year Seth contributed to the self-titled album by Crawford’s side project New Jersey Transient. With cellist Joe Kwon added to the roster, the band issued Emotionalism in 2007, which reached number 134 on the Billboard 200. The following summer they signed with Rick Rubin’s American Recordings, a Sony BMG/Columbia imprint, after which their final Ramseur release The Gleam II emerged. Their major-label debut, the textured I and Love and You, climbed to number 16 on the Billboard 200, prompting an international tour partially documented on 2010’s Live, Vol. 3. A debut Grammy Awards performance occurred in 2011, and 2012’s The Carpenter entered the Billboard album chart at number four while earning a Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album. Magpie and the Dandelion, recorded with Rubin during the Carpenter sessions, surfaced the next year and peaked at number five.
The Avett Brothers toured widely in 2014 and commenced work on another Rubin-produced album. Early in 2015 Seth joined folk-influenced indie rocker Jessica Lea Mayfield for the solemn Elliott Smith covers collection Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield Sing Elliott Smith. The project coincided with a tour featuring songs by Smith and shared influences such as the Beatles and Bob Dylan, along with original material from both artists. Later that year the band issued Live, Vol. 4, and their ninth studio LP, True Sadness, arrived in June 2016. Seth revived the Darling name in spring 2017 for its first release in twelve years, the album simply titled IV. In 2022 he paid further tribute to a musical hero with Seth Avett Sings Greg Brown.
The youngest of three siblings that include middle child Bonnie, Seth began performing with Scott during childhood. As a teenager he formed the Mt. Pleasant, North Carolina-based Margo alongside Kenny Graham and Noah Warner; that group later merged with his brother’s Greenville-based rock outfit Nemo. The combined lineup placed Scott Avett on vocals, Seth Avett and John Twomey on guitar, Kenny Graham on bass, and Noah Warner on drums.
In 2000 the brothers and Twomey issued the self-titled acoustic side project under the Avett Brothers name. Nemo disbanded shortly afterward, and bassist Bob Crawford replaced Twomey in the new ensemble. Beginning in 2001 Seth issued more personal solo material featuring varied instrumentation through the Darling moniker, starting with To Make a World Quiet and followed by 2002’s Killing the Headlamps. Returning to the Avett Brothers, the group delivered Country Was and Live at the Double Door Inn in 2002, then signed with Ramseur Records for 2003’s A Carolina Jubilee. Over subsequent years the band maintained an intensive pace of touring, songwriting, and recording that included 2004’s Mignonette and the following year’s Live, Vol. 2. Another Darling album, The Mourning, the Silver, the Bell, also appeared in 2005.
The Avett Brothers released Four Thieves Gone: The Robbinsville Sessions and The Gleam EP in 2006, the same year Seth contributed to the self-titled album by Crawford’s side project New Jersey Transient. With cellist Joe Kwon added to the roster, the band issued Emotionalism in 2007, which reached number 134 on the Billboard 200. The following summer they signed with Rick Rubin’s American Recordings, a Sony BMG/Columbia imprint, after which their final Ramseur release The Gleam II emerged. Their major-label debut, the textured I and Love and You, climbed to number 16 on the Billboard 200, prompting an international tour partially documented on 2010’s Live, Vol. 3. A debut Grammy Awards performance occurred in 2011, and 2012’s The Carpenter entered the Billboard album chart at number four while earning a Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album. Magpie and the Dandelion, recorded with Rubin during the Carpenter sessions, surfaced the next year and peaked at number five.
The Avett Brothers toured widely in 2014 and commenced work on another Rubin-produced album. Early in 2015 Seth joined folk-influenced indie rocker Jessica Lea Mayfield for the solemn Elliott Smith covers collection Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield Sing Elliott Smith. The project coincided with a tour featuring songs by Smith and shared influences such as the Beatles and Bob Dylan, along with original material from both artists. Later that year the band issued Live, Vol. 4, and their ninth studio LP, True Sadness, arrived in June 2016. Seth revived the Darling name in spring 2017 for its first release in twelve years, the album simply titled IV. In 2022 he paid further tribute to a musical hero with Seth Avett Sings Greg Brown.
Albums
Feathe
2025
It's Natural / Education
2025
Seth Avett Sings Greg Brown
2022
IV
2017
Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield Sing Elliott Smith
2015
Killing the Headlamps
2009
To Make the World Quiet
2009
The Mourning, The Silver, The Bell
2006
Singles
