PJ Harvey

British singer-songwriter PJ Harvey has released 8 studio albums since her 1992 debut, Dry and has collaborated with numerous artists, including Josh Homme, Nick Cave, Tricky, Sparklehorse, Marianne Faithfull and Mark Lanegan.

Fast Facts

1. Born October 9, 1969 in Yeovil, Somerset, England
2. Full Name: Polly Jean Harvey
3. Years Active: 1991 – Present
4. Nominated for 5 Grammys
5. Won the 2001 Mercury Music Prize
6. Grew up on a sheep farm
7. Played Magdalena in the film The Book of Life
8. Named "Greatest Woman in Rock Music" in 2001 by Q Magazine
9. Steve Albini claims she ate nothing but potatoes while recording Rid Of Me

Career Overview

While attending high school, Harvey performed backup vocals for a variety of bands from her hometown of Somerset, England. She formed her own band in January of 1991 with Rob Ellis and Steve Vaughan. Later that year, the trio released a single called "Dress," which caught the attention of legendary British DJ and journalist John Peel, and their first full-length album, Dry, followed in 1992, becoming a hit in both England and America.

Harvey started recording on her own, without Ellis and Vaughan, on 1994's To Bring You My Love, which sold over 1 million copies, buoyed by the hit single "Down By the Water." That year, Rolling Stone magazine voted Harvey its "Artist of the Year."

5 more solo albums followed, including the 2007 record White Chalk. The most recent record marks a departure for Harvey, containing mostly piano ballads.

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