Cat Power consists of Chan Marshall.
Chan Marshall, a.k.a. Cat Power (born Charlyn Marie Marshall, January 21, 1972), is an American singer/songwriter known for her minimalist (yet often pastoral) music, for her sparse guitar and piano playing, and for her ethereal, Southern-styled vocals. She is often, but not always, accompanied by backing musicians on record and in concert.
The daughter of divorced parents, Chan (pronounced "Shawn") Marshall was born in Georgia. After dropping out of high school, she started performing under the name Cat Power while in Atlanta, backed by musicians Glen Thrasher, Mark Moore, and others. She soon moved to New York City where, while opening for Liz Phair in 1994, she met Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth and Tim Foljahn of Two Dollar Guitar, who encouraged her to record, and played on her first two albums, 1995's Dear Sir and 1996's Myra Lee. In 1996 she was signed to Matador Records, and released her third album, What Would the Community Think, which spawned a rare single and music video, " Nude as the News".
In 1998 came Moon Pix, which was recorded in Australia and featured backing musicians Mick Turner and Jim White of the Dirty Three. The album was well-received by critics, and songs such as the luminous "Colors and the Kids", along with the video for the song " Cross Bones Style", helped increase Marshall's profile in the indie rock scene. During the subsequent tours, however, she grew tired of her own material, and two years later released The Covers Record, a collection of cover songs recorded at various sessions in 1998 and 1999.A selection of covers that didn't make it on to the album were recorded at Peel Acres, home of the highly influencial and legendary British DJ John Peel. The session was broadcast on his BBC Radio 1 show and featured Marshall's own interpretations of Bob Dylan's "Hard Times in New York Town" amongst others.
