Courtney Marie Andrews

Biography

Courtney Marie Andrews is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and poet known for her emotionally incisive blend of Americana, alt‑country, and folk. Born and raised around Phoenix, Arizona, she began singing in local karaoke bars with her mother and soon gravitated to the city’s folk scene, writing songs and performing in her teens.[4][6] By 16–17 she was already touring the West Coast, booking shows via MySpace, and shortly thereafter began releasing early self‑produced albums and EPs while still in high school.[1][6] Those formative years also brought extensive side‑person work, including backing vocal and keyboard duties for Arizona alt‑rock band Jimmy Eat World and “psychedelic” electric guitar for songwriter Damien Jurado, experiences that honed her skills on the road and in the studio.[1][5]

In her early twenties Andrews effectively hit reset on her career, moving from Arizona to the Pacific Northwest, leaving her first three records behind after what she has described as a bad early industry deal.[1][5] She settled around Seattle, supporting herself with bartending and service jobs while writing prolifically, splitting time between Belgium—where she lived for a period while touring with Belgian pop artist Milow—and Washington State.[1][5] This period produced the introspective albums “No One’s Slate Is Clean” (2012) and “On My Page” (2013), but her international breakthrough came with 2016’s “Honest Life,” largely inspired by the loneliness and rootlessness of constant touring.[1][3] Its critical success, especially in Europe, led to extensive touring across North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand and set the stage for 2018’s “May Your Kindness Remain,” recorded in Los Angeles with producer Mark Howard and widely praised for its warm, gospel‑tinged Americana sound.[1][3]

Andrews’ music is marked by a clear, high, emotive voice and narrative songwriting that explores heartbreak, working‑class struggles, and resilience with unvarnished honesty.[1][4] Her 2020 album “Old Flowers,” a stark, cathartic breakup record, earned a Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album and further cemented her reputation as one of her generation’s most affecting songwriters.[2][4] Beyond music she has published a book of poetry and exhibited her paintings, extending her artistic practice into other mediums.[2] She has received multiple UK Americana Awards, including International Artist of the Year and International Album of the Year for “May Your Kindness Remain,” and has shared stages with artists like John Prine, Brandi Carlile, and Irma Thomas, underscoring her standing within the contemporary Americana and alt‑country community.[1]

Fun Facts

• She began singing as a child in Phoenix‑area karaoke bars with her mom, performing pop and country songs before moving into the local folk circuit as a teenager.[4][6]
• Andrews booked some of her earliest national tours herself through MySpace, riding Greyhound buses up and down the West Coast while still in school.[1][4][6]
• After a difficult early record deal, she has said she figuratively “erased” her first three albums from the world and considers 2012’s “No One’s Slate Is Clean” the true starting point of her current catalog.[1]
• Much of her breakthrough album “Honest Life” was written while she was living alone in Belgium, working as a touring backup singer and processing a major breakup—experiences that informed its themes of independence and loneliness.[1][5]

Associated Acts

• ♀♀♀♀: The Collaboration

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Damien Jurado - Andrews played psychedelic‑style electric guitar in Jurado’s band for years, absorbing his approach to atmospheric, narrative songwriting and studio experimentation while touring extensively with him. (Touring and recording appearances with Damien Jurado during the 2010s (side‑player roles noted in interviews).) [c. 2010s[1][5][8]]
• Mark Howard - Veteran producer whose work with Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, and Tom Waits inspired Andrews; she sought him out after repeatedly noticing his name on favorite records, and his production shaped the sound and scope of “May Your Kindness Remain.” (Producer of the album “May Your Kindness Remain.”) [Recorded mid‑late 2010s[3]]
• Aretha Franklin (inspirational, tribute context) - While not a personal mentor, Andrews was selected to sing in a high‑profile tribute to Aretha Franklin alongside Brandi Carlile and Irma Thomas at the Americana Honors & Awards, reflecting Franklin’s influence on her soulful vocal delivery. (Participation in an Aretha Franklin tribute performance at the Americana Music Association’s Honors and Awards at the Ryman Auditorium.) [Late 2010s[1]]

Key Collaborators

• Jimmy Eat World - Andrews toured and recorded with the Arizona alt‑rock band as a backing singer and keyboard player, gaining large‑venue experience and national and international touring mileage early in her career. (Recorded with the band and toured internationally as a backing vocalist/keyboardist (specific tracks not named in sources).) [Late teens to early 20s, c. late 2000s–early 2010s[1][5][8]]
• Milow - Belgian pop artist for whom Andrews sang backup on tours, leading her to live in Belgium for a period and directly inspiring much of the material that became “Honest Life.” (Touring backup vocalist for Milow; songs for “Honest Life” were written partly while living in Belgium during this work.) [Early–mid 2010s[1][5]]
• Brandi Carlile - Shared the stage as co‑vocalists during an Aretha Franklin tribute at the Americana Honors & Awards, highlighting Andrews’ integration into a circle of prominent Americana artists. (Joint performance in the closing tribute to Aretha Franklin at the Americana Music Association’s Honors & Awards.) [Late 2010s[1]]
• Irma Thomas - Performed alongside the “Soul Queen of New Orleans” and Brandi Carlile in the same Aretha Franklin tribute, reflecting cross‑generational collaboration within roots and soul traditions. (Joint performance in the closing tribute to Aretha Franklin at the Americana Music Association’s Honors & Awards.) [Late 2010s[1]]
• John Prine - Andrews opened shows for Prine and duetted with him during a brief run of dates, an endorsement from one of Americana’s most revered songwriters. (Select shows featuring Andrews as opener and duet partner on tour dates approximately one year before Prine’s passing.) [Around 2019[1]]
• Bradley Cluff (Bradley & The Materials) - Local Arizona songwriter with whom Andrews undertook one of her first tours as a teenager, helping launch her life on the road. (Shared West Coast tour when Andrews was about 17.) [Mid‑late 2000s[6]]

Artists Influenced

• [[|]] - No specific artists are yet documented in reliable sources as being directly and clearly influenced by Courtney Marie Andrews’ work, though her critical success and Grammy‑nominated songwriting place her as an important voice in contemporary Americana and alt‑country.

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Summer's End
2. If I Told (Old Flowers)
3. America
4. It Must Be Someone Else’s Fault (Old Flowers)
5. Satellite
6. Getting It Right (CAZIMI)
7. Irene (Honest Life)
8. Oh, Sister [Feat. Courtney Marie Andrews]
9. Satellite (Loose Future)
10. Getting It Right

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #acoustic-guitar, #alternative, #alternative-country