Brittany Howard
Brittany Amber Howard (born October 2, 1988[4][5]) is an American musician from Athens, Alabama. Currently a solo artist, she rose to prominence in the early 2010s for being the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and the primary songwriter of Alabama Shakes. Her work with Alabama Shakes garnered her four Grammy Awards (including Best Alternative Music Album) from nine nominations. Later in the decade, Howard played bass in the side project Thunderbitch as well as both acoustic guitar and double bass for the trio Bermuda Triangle.[6]
For the Canadian ice hockey player, see Brittany Howard (ice hockey).
Brittany Howard
Brittany Amber Howard
Musician
- Vocals
- guitar
- piano
- drums
- bass
2009–present
Alabama Shakes
Bermuda Triangle
Thunderbitch[3]
In 2018, Alabama Shakes announced they were going on hiatus. After the announcement, Howard released her debut studio album as a solo artist, Jaime, in 2019. The album received critical acclaim and earned her seven Grammy nominations, winning Best Rock Song for "Stay High". Its follow-up, What Now, was released in February 2024.
Early life[edit]
Howard was born in Athens, Alabama,[7] one of two daughters born to Christi (née Carter) and K. J. Howard.[8] Her mother is white, of English and Irish ancestry while her father is African American.[9] The family's home was in a junk yard and it once burned down due to a lightning strike.[10] She learned to write poetry and play the piano from her older sister Jaime, who died from retinoblastoma in 1998; Howard had the same affliction but survived with partial blindness in one eye. Her parents separated soon after that.[11] She began playing the guitar at age 13;[12] she was enamored with albums by Dionne Warwick and Elvis Presley, which she listened to repeatedly, and was inspired to write song lyrics.[8]
Howard attended East Limestone High School, where she met future Alabama Shakes bassist Zac Cockrell.[12] In high school, Howard began listening to 1970s rock music, such as Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd. "I’d be in the back of this Buick and be like ‘What's this? This is really cool’ and my friends told me it was Pink Floyd and I was like ‘Whoa’, it blew my mind. I started getting into all the classic rock stuff, like Yes, Cream, all that stuff."[8]
After high school, Howard worked for the United States Postal Service until becoming a full-time musician as lead singer of Alabama Shakes.[13]
Influences[edit]
Howard has cited as influences artists including Led Zeppelin,[32] Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Prince, Curtis Mayfield, David Bowie, Mavis Staples, Tom Waits, Björk, Gil Scott-Heron, Freddie Mercury, and Tina Turner.[33]
Brittany Howard discography
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