# Gretchen Peters

Gretchen Peters is an American singer and songwriter.

## Early life

Peters was born in Bronxville, New York on November 14, 1957. She wrote her first song with her sister at the age of 5. In 1970, her parents broke up, and Peters moved with her mother to Boulder, Colorado.

## Music career

In Boulder, she discovered a lively music scene, and began playing at local clubs. In 1988 she moved to Nashville, where she found work as a songwriter, composing hits for Martina McBride, Etta James, Trisha Yearwood, Patty Loveless, George Strait, Anne Murray, Shania Twain, Neil Diamond and co-writing songs with Bryan Adams. Some of Peters' notable compositions include "The Secret of Life", "On a Bus to St. Cloud", "You Don't Even Know Who I Am" and "Independence Day", for which she received the Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year. In addition, Peters has released fourteen studio albums of her own, beginning with 1996's The Secret of Life.
As a writer, Peters' style is defined by melancholy lyrics and dark themes, such as murder, loneliness, PTSD, sexual abuse, and domestic violence. She was inducted to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame on October 5, 2014.
On August 12, 2022, Peters announced her intention to retire from touring, playing her final shows in June 2023, though she will continue to write and record.

## Personal life

Peters is married to keyboardist and producer Barry Walsh, her long-time performing partner, who has also performed with the reunified Box Tops.

## Discography
### Albums

| Title | Album details | Peak positions |
| Title | Album details | UK |
| The Secret of Life | Release date: June 4, 1996 Label: Imprint Records | — |
| Gretchen Peters | Release date: February 13, 2001 Label: Purple Crayon Records | — |
| Halcyon | Release date: May 31, 2004 Label: Purple Crayon Records | — |
| Trio: Recorded Live | Release date: March 28, 2006 Label: Purple Crayon Records | — |
| Burnt Toast & Offerings | Release date: August 7, 2007 Label: Scarlet Letter Records | — |
| Northern Lights | Release date: October 21, 2008 Label: Scarlet Letter Records | — |
| One to the Heart, One to the Head (with Tom Russell) | Release date: February 1, 2009 Label: Scarlet Letter Records | — |
| Circus Girl: The Best Of (single CD and 2-CD versions) | Release date: May 12, 2009 Label: Scarlet Letter Records | — |
| Hello Cruel World | Release date: January 31, 2012 Label: Scarlet Letter Records | 70 |
| Woman on the Wheel: Live from the Hello Cruel World Tour 2012 (Limited Edition Book/CD/DVD) | Release date: May 7, 2013 Label: Scarlet Letter Records | — |
| Blackbirds | Release date: February 10, 2015 Label: Scarlet Letter Records | 39 |
| Dancing with the Beast | Release date: May 18, 2018 Label: Scarlet Letter Records | 87 |
| The Night You Wrote That Song | Release date: May 15, 2020 Label: Scarlet Letter Records | |
| The Show: Live from the UK | Release date: August 19, 2022 Label: Scarlet Letter Records | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart |||

### Singles

| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album |
| Year | Single | US Country | Album |
| 1996 | "When You Are Old" | 68 | The Secret of Life |
| 1996 | "I Ain't Never Satisfied" | — | The Secret of Life |
| 2012 | "Hello Cruel World" | — | Hello Cruel World |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart ||||

### Guest singles

| Year | Single | Artist | Peak positions | Album |
| Year | Single | Artist | US Country | Album |
| 1999 | "New Year's Eve 1999" | Alabama | 55 | — |

### Music videos

| Year | Video | Director |
| 1996 | "When You Are Old" | Bud Schaetzle |
| 2012 | "The Matador" | Bud Schaetzle |
| 2015 | "Blackbirds" | Eric Power |
| 2018 | "Arguing With Ghosts" | Joshua Britt & Neilson Hubbard/Neighborhoods Apart |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Association | Category | Nominated Work | Result |
| 1995 | Country Music Association | Song of the Year | "Independence Day" | Won |
| 1995 | Grammy Awards | Best Country Song | "Independence Day" | Nominated |
| 1996 | Grammy Awards | Best Country Song | "You Don't Even Know Who I Am" | Nominated |
| 1996 | Academy of Country Music | Song of the Year | "You Don't Even Know Who I Am" | Nominated |
| 2002 | Golden Globes | Best Original Song | "Here I Am" | Nominated |
| 2016 | UK Americana Association | International Album of the Year | Blackbirds | Won |
| 2016 | UK Americana Association | International Artist of the Year | Gretchen Peters | Nominated |
| 2016 | UK Americana Association | International Song of the Year (shared with Ben Glover) | "Blackbirds" | Won |
| 2021 | Academy of Country Music | Poet's Award | Gretchen Peters | Won |