Gretchen Peters

Gretchen Peters

Gretchen Peters is an American singer-songwriter working in country and folk. She is born in Bronxville, New York, and is raised in Boulder, Colorado before moving to Nashville in the late 1980s, where she builds a career as a songwriter and recording artist.

Songwriting and recognition

Peters wins the Country Music Association Song of the Year award in 1994 for “Independence Day”, a song recorded by Martina McBride. The song also deals with domestic abuse and is nominated for a Grammy. Peters receives Grammy nominations for Best Country Song in 1995 and 1996, and is nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song in 2003. She is inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014.

Work for other artists

In Nashville, Peters writes songs for a wide range of performers, including Martina McBride, Etta James, Trisha Yearwood, Patty Loveless, George Strait and Anne Murray. Her songs are also recorded by Neil Diamond, and she co-writes with Bryan Adams. Her writing is known for addressing difficult and often emotional subject matter.

Solo recordings

Peters releases a series of studio albums under her own name. Her debut album, The Secret of Life, appears in 1996, and its title track is later recorded by Faith Hill in 1999. Her 2012 album Hello Cruel World is described as a major statement in her catalogue, and Blackbirds follows it, recorded in Nashville and featuring Jerry Douglas, Jason Isbell, Jimmy LaFave, Will Kimbrough, Kim Richey and Suzy Bogguss among others.

Style and reputation

Peters is associated with country and folk, and her work is noted for its detailed songwriting and focus on complex feelings, loss and resilience. She is widely regarded as an established figure in contemporary country songwriting.