Colin Patrick Henry Meloy
(born October 5, 1974) is the lead singer and songwriter for the Portland, Oregon, folk-rock band The Decemberists. In addition to his vocal duties, he performs with an acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bouzouki, and percussion. In 2005, Meloy wrote a 100-page book on The Replacements' third album, Let It Be
, released as part of the 33?
series.
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Personal life
Meloy was born in
Helena, Montana. His sister is
Maile Meloy, an
author often published in
The New Yorker. He first attended the
University of Oregon before going to the
University of Montana, where he majored in creative writing. He then moved to Portland, where he met future bandmates
Jenny Conlee and
Nate Query. Prior to being in
The Decemberists, Meloy was the lead singer and songwriter of
Happy Cactus and
Tarkio, both indie/
folk bands from
Montana. On February 24, 2006,
Carson Ellis, Meloy's wife (who shares the same birthday) and graphic artist for the Decemberists, gave birth to a son, Henry "Hank" Meloy.
Musical career
In 2005, he went on his first solo tour in support of the self-released six-song EP,
Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey
, consisting of six
Morrissey covers. Only 1000 copies of the album were made and they were sold only on this tour. Meloy did a second solo tour in January 2006, playing with
Laura Veirs and
Amy Annelle. On this tour, he sold an EP featuring covers of British folk artist
Shirley Collins. Performances from the 2006 tour were recorded for a live release.
Meloy contributed an online
bonus track for
Lavender Diamond on their
Imagine Our Love
album. He performed a solo version of "Oh No."
Meloy embarked on an extended U.S. tour beginning in April 2008. This coincided with the release of his debut solo album,
Colin Meloy Sings Live!
, on the
Kill Rock Stars label. Singer-songwriter
Laura Gibson is the supporting act for the full tour. As with previous EPs, Meloy is selling an EP only available on this run:
Colin Meloy Sings Sam Cooke
, a collection of five Sam Cooke songs, intimately arranged and performed by Meloy, with Laura Gibson singing harmonies throughout.
Solo discography
- Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey
(2005)
- Colin Meloy Sings Shirley Collins
(2006)
- Colin Meloy Sings Live!
(2008)
- Colin Meloy Sings Sam Cooke
(2008)
Meloy contributed vocals on the tracks "Cemetery Row" and "Twilight Distillery" on
The Minus 5's 2006
Yep Roc release. Meloy also covered the
Elliott Smith song "Clementine" for a compilation of Portland, Oregon artists to support a children's charity. In mid-2006, he contributed the track, "Lazy Little Ada" on the
Kill Rock Stars compilation,
The Sound the Hare Heard
. In 2007, Meloy lent his voice to an episode of
Lil' Bush
. He has appeared with Charlie Salas-Humara in the music video for "A Pillar of Salt" by
The Thermals.