Remembering Gretchen Peters: Country Songstress & Songwriter

November 14 is a special day for one of country music’s most gifted, unforgettable, and powerful voices in both ink and voice: Gretchen Peters.

Gretchen Peters received nominations and won prestigious music awards, too. She was nominated for the following: Grammy’s Best Country Song in 1995 for Independence Day and 1996 for You Don’t Even Know Who I Am; Academy of Country Music’s Song of the Year in 1996; Golden Globes’ Best Original Song for Here I Am in 1992, and the UK Americana Association’s International Artist of the Year in 2016.

Meanwhile, she took home CMA’s Song of the Year in 1995, as well as the UK Americana Association’s International Album of the Year in 2016.

On October 5, 2014, she was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Seeing how far Gretchen Peters has become both as a songwriter and an artist, it’s hard to comprehend how her earlier critics tried to put her down just for venturing into two different yet deeply related paths in music. She cannot be who she is as a country artist if we take away her talent in songwriting or singing. Both sides make up her distinct and impressive identity.

Born in Bronxville, New York in 1957, she was mostly known for some of her greatest works that include Pam Tillis’ Let That Pony Run, Faith Hill’s The Secret of Life, Patty Loveless’ You Don’t Even Know Who I Am, and Martina McBride’s Independence Day.

Peters moved to Nashville during the late 1980’s to pursue her passion for music. It was in Nashville that she booked a job as a songwriter. She then began to pen songs for artists like Neil Diamond, Martina McBride, Shania Twain, Etta James, Anne Murray, Trisha Yearwood, George Strait, and Patty Loveless. She had also co-written songs with the world-renowned singer, Bryan Adams.

Aside from her innate talent in translating so many stories, thoughts, and emotions through written words, she has also wowed the crowd with her powerful singing voice. However, forging her path in the industry of music was not an easy feat for her. She recalls how naysayers would mock her back in the days. “I remember going on my first radio tour for my debut album and the guys at the radio stations would say, ‘So you’re a songwriter, and now you want to be an artist?”

But as she kept writing and singing, Gretchen Peters grew as a very respectable artist in no time. Over the course of her career, she released 11 studio albums, 3 singles, and 1 guest single. Her albums include The Secret of Life, Gretchen Peters, Halcyon, Trio: Recorded Live, Burnt Toast & Offerings, Northern Lights, One to the Heart, One to the Head, Circus Girl: The Best Of, Hello Cruel World, Woman on the Wheel: Live From the Hello Cruel World Tour 2012, and Blackbirds.