PJ Harvey | Artist
Polly Jean 'PJ' Harvey MBE is an English musician, singer-songwriter, writer, poet and composer born 1969 in Bridport UK. Harvey, who as well as being a fine vocalist is proficient with a wide range of instruments, blends Electronica, Indie Rock and Folk sounds and has delivered many excellent and diverse albums which have won her critical acclaim. Harvey grew up in a musical environment, her parents were avid music fans and regularly arranged get-togethers and small gigs, counting Rolling Stones co-founder Ian Stewart among their oldest friends. In her words, "I was brought up listening to John Lee Hooker, to Howlin' Wolf, to Robert Johnson, and a lot of Jimi Hendrix and Captain Beefheart. So I was exposed to all these very compassionate musicians at a very young age, and that's always remained in me." She began her career in 1988 when she joined local band Automatic Dlamini as a vocalist, guitarist and saxophone player. The band's frontman, John Parish would become her long-term collaborator. In 1991, she formed an eponymous trio released two excellent studio albums, Dry (1992) and Rid of Me (1993) before disbanding, after which Harvey continued as a solo artist. Since 1995, she has released a further eleven studio albums with collaborations from musicians including John Parish, Nick Cave, Rob Ellis, Mick Harvey and Eric Grew Feldman. She has also worked extensively with record producer Flood plus she is a member of the Desert Sessions collective along with Josh Homme and others. Following their musical collaboration, Harvey had a relationship with Nick Cave, and their subsequent break-up influenced Cave's album The Boatman's Call (1997), with songs such as "Into My Arms", "West Country Girl" and "Black Hair" being written specifically about Harvey. Outstanding albums by PJ Harvey include Dry (1992), Rid of Me (1993), To Bring You My Love (1995), Is This Desire? (1998), Stories From the City Stories From the Sea (2000), White Chalk (2007), Let England Shake (2011), and Inside the Old Year Dying (2023). The Peel Sessions 1991-2004 (2008) is also recommended. Among the accolades she has received are the 2001 and 2011 Mercury Prize for Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea and Let England Shake, eight Brit Award nominations, seven Grammy Award nominations and two further Mercury Prize nominations. Rolling Stone listed Rid of Me, To Bring You My Love, and Stories from the City.. on its list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In June 2013, she was awarded an MBE for services to music. Harvey has always experimented with her image and adopted a theatrical aspect to her live performances. Her early fashion style, consisting of black leggings, turtleneck sweater and Dr. Martens boots, was replaced by ballgowns, catsuits, wigs and excessive make-up, leading to her being affectionately dubbed "Joan Crawford on acid" by Spin magazine. Harvey commented that "it's that combination of being quite elegant and funny and revolting, all at the same time, that appeals to me".
Artist Website: pjharvey.net
Featured Albums: PJ Harvey
Related Artists: John Parish, Nick Cave
Collections: Women of Note
