Merritt in town for rock, folk, country, Norwood

Little Rock author Charles Portis may or may not be a fan of singer-songwriter Tift Merritt, but Merritt is a fan of Portis. So when she was asked if she would come to Arkansas to take part in the Oxford American's 50th anniversary salute to the legendary author's first novel, Norwood, she didn't have to think twice -- it would be all right with her.

"I loved Norwood, especially because of where I grew up," Merritt says. "When I was a kid, in the pre-internet South, you really were isolated from the world. Your world then was your neighbors, and later, the library and the record store. So the world was not exactly at your fingertips. Portis' book had such a tremendous feel to it and I could certainly identify.

"When I went off to college, it was certainly one of my major discoveries. And as I veered into American Studies, his book would certainly fall under that umbrella of what American culture means. And it's history through literature."

Merritt says two nights in Little Rock is a lot easier to manage these days, as she is not on tour and recently finished an album that will likely be released in early 2017.

"And I have a 3-month-old daughter, Jean, to try to keep up with. So I'm now at home more, close to family and trying to keep things as simple as possible."

Merritt, 41, was born in Houston but has long made her home in North Carolina. She grew up in a musical home and was taught guitar and piano by her father. She attended the University of North Carolina to study creative writing and found the local music scene just as alluring as writing short stories.

She got her first taste of local fame in 1999 via an EP called The Two Dollar Pistols With Tift Merritt; a year later she won the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at North Carolina's most acclaimed folk festival, MerleFest. A recording contract with Lost Highway Records led to her debut CD, Bramble Rose, in 2002, followed by Tambourine in 2004, Another Country in 2008, See You on the Moon in 2010 and Traveling Alone in 2012.

Following the release of Tambourine, she lived for a time in Paris, where she wrote the songs that went onto Another Country.

With a mix of rock, folk, country, Americana and the literate storytelling that first motivated her before music took over, and a voice that has been compared to those of Emmylou Harris, Joni Mitchell and others, Merritt has charted a course that has earned critical acclaim. She has toured with or opened shows for Kris Kristofferson, Joan Baez, Elvis Costello, Teddy Thompson, David Gray, Ray LaMontagne, Iron & Wine, Gregg Allman, Patty Griffin and Mary Chapin Carpenter.

Besides songwriting and child-raising, Merritt has other interests. She has had home state exhibitions of her photography and she has hosted a radio show, The Spark With Tift Merritt, which is produced by a station in Marfa, Texas.

Her appearance Sunday will have her on the bill with a diverse lineup: humorist Roy Blount Jr., sound effects artist Fred Newman, writer/comedian Harrison Scott Key and writer/editor Jay Jennings. Her Monday night show will feature her on guitar and piano, accompanied by guitar and pedal steel guitar player Eric Heywood.

"I'm really glad to be able to honor such a great novel," she says, adding "and I'm also such a fan of the Oxford American and what they are doing for music and literature and food and art and everything Southern."

Weekend on 07/28/2016