Beki Hemingway
Chicago, Illinois8 reviews across 4 releases
Beki Hemingway is a singer-songwriter who grew up in Colorado and began performing in Denver before joining the Chicago-based band This Train. Her solo work emerged from that band's power-pop and rockabilly setting, but moved toward a more personal rock sound after she began working with guitarist and producer Randy Kerkman. The 1999 debut Too Much Plenty used electric guitars and prominent drums while keeping her writing close to childhood memories, adult relationships, and uncomfortable self-examination. Words for Loss for Words in 2002 brought more polished production and a wider singer-songwriter range, including songs about forgiveness and religious faith. By Tennesota in 2004, Hemingway's music had shifted toward acoustic Americana, with the album's country and folk arrangements built around her collaboration with Jonathan Rundman.
In 1996, Hemingway left This Train and began concentrating on solo writing with Kerkman, releasing the six-song rinse. repeat. EP the following year. She and Kerkman married in 1991, and their musical partnership continued through her Salt Lady Records releases, with Kerkman providing guitar and production while Hemingway remained the lead vocalist and principal writer. The collaboration with Rundman expanded from the limited 2001 Christmas EP Present into Tennesota, assembled largely by exchanging recordings after Rundman moved to Minnesota and the Kerkmans moved to Nashville. Hemingway later relocated with Kerkman to Ireland. She released Whins and Weather in 2017, followed by the single "We're Not Going Anywhere" in 2020 and two more singles in 2021.
4 releases reviewed
Too Much Plenty
Present
Words for Loss for Words
