Brittany Howard, Alabama Shakes, Hyde Park, London, 2016

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Brittany Amber Howard (b. 10/2/88) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter known for being the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter of rock bands Alabama Shakes, Thunderbitch, and Bermuda Triangle. Her work with Alabama Shakes has garnered her nine Grammy Award nominations including Best New Artist and Album of the Year for Sound & Color. They eventually won four awards including Best Alternative Music Album.

Early Life:
Howard was born in Athens, Alabama, one of two daughters born to Christi (née Carter) and K. J. Howard. Her mother is white, of English and Irish ancestry, while her father is African American. The family’s home was in a junk yard, and once burned down due to a lightning strike.

Musical Beginnings:
She learned to write poetry and play the piano from her older sister Jaime, who died from retinoblastoma in 1998; Howard got the same affliction but survived with partial blindness in one eye. Her parents separated soon after. She began playing the guitar at age 13, and was enamored with albums by Dionne Warwick and Elvis Presley, which she listened to repeatedly, and was inspired to write song lyrics. Howard attended East Limestone High School, where she met future Alabama Shakes bassist Zac Cockrell. 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.”

Discography:
As solo artist
Studio Albums: 1
Remix albums: 1
EPs: 4
Singles: 12
As featured artist: 1
Other charted songs: 1
Other appearances: 7

With Alabama Shakes

With Thunderbitch
Studio albums: 1

Some things to share: Howard came out as a lesbian at age 25. In 2018, Howard married Jesse Lafser, her bandmate in the Bermuda Triangle Band.

Official website: here

Source:  wikipedia