Grace Evelyn Potter (born June 20, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She has released five solo albums: Red Shoe Rebel (2002), Original Soul (2004), Midnight (2015), Daylight (2019), and Mother Road (2023). She has also released four studio albums with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, a band she formed in 2002, which disbanded in 2015 upon her divorce from her bandmate: Nothing but the Water (2005), This Is Somewhere (2007), Grace Potter and the Nocturnals (2010), and The Lion the Beast the Beat (2012).
Early life
Potter was born on June 20, 1983, in Waitsfield, Vermont. Both of her parents, Peggy and Sparky Potter, were involved in professional woodworking; her mother was also a piano teacher. Her older sister, Charlotte Potter, is an artist who works with glass. She was exposed to the arts at a very young age and was encouraged by her parents to work with her hands. Potter grew up legally blind in one eye and got bad grades. She was expelled from bands because she could not read music.
In 1999, while attending Harwood Union High School, Potter was chosen to attend the three-week Governor's Institute on the Arts session at Castleton University. There, she learned from artists such as poet Verandah Porche.
She attended to St. Lawrence University, but dropped out after her sophomore year to pursue a career in music.
Music
Beginnings and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals (2002-2015)
While in college, Potter met Matt Burr, a drummer and her future husband, who convinced her to form a band. They started playing at the Java Barn. The band could only find space to rehearse at 2AM, inspiring the band name, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. They would stay up all night rehearsing and then go to class. The band included Scott Tournet on guitars (including slide guitar) and harmonica), drummer Matthew Burr, Michael Libramento on bass guitar and keyboards, and Benny Yurco on electric guitar and vocals. Bryan Dondero played bass guitar, upright bass, and mandolin with the group until his departure in early 2009.
In 2002, she released her first album, Red Shoe Rebel. Her second album, Original Soul followed in 2004.
The group independently recorded and released one album, Nothing but the Water in 2005 with sound engineer Lane Gibson, who recorded and mastered Original Soul (2004). The band signed a deal with Hollywood Records in December 2005 and re-released Nothing but the Water in May 2006.
In 2005, the band was nominated in two categories at the Boston Music Awards, for "Best Local Female Artist" and also for "Best New Local Act".
In 2006, the band won the Jammy Award for "Best New Groove". At the Boston Music Awards, the band was nominated for Album of the Year (major) for the re-release of Nothing but the Water and Potter was nominated for Vocalist of the Year.
The group released its second album, This Is Somewhere, on August 7, 2007, on Hollywood Records and was the opening act for Gov't Mule on its October and November North American tour.
In August 2007, the band made appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Good Morning America, and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
In June 2008, the band was the opening act for the Dave Matthews Band as well as for The Black Crowes.
In 2010, the band's cover version of Jefferson Airplane's song "White Rabbit" was included on Almost Alice, the companion soundtrack for Tim Burton's feature film Alice in Wonderland.
The group released their third studio recording, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, in June 2010. It included the song "Paris (Ooh La La)". On the album, Catherine Popper replaced Libramento on bass.
In 2011, Potter earned her first Grammy nomination for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for "You and Tequila" with Kenny Chesney.
In July 2011, Potter was a guest on Chelsea Handler's show Chelsea Lately.
In July 2012, she joined The Flaming Lips during their show at The Lyric in Oxford, Mississippi, which was part of their attempt to break the Guinness World Record for Most Concerts Played in different cities in a 24-hour period. That same year, Potter and The Flaming Lips collaborated on a recording of "My Mechanical Friend", which she also wrote, for the companion soundtrack to Disney and Tim Burton's film Frankenweenie. In 2014, she contributed to their cover of The Beatles' "Good Morning Good Morning" for their With a Little Help from My Fwends album.
Potter made guest appearances on The Chew in November 2012 and December 2015.
Solo career
After Potter's divorce from Burr, the band disbanded.