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Singer Kathy Chiavola
She Sings Backup, Brahms and Bluegrass
 Listen to the interview with Kathy Chiavola.
March 9, 2002 -- You very well may have heard Kathy Chiavola's voice, whether you know it or not.
Chiavola sings the jingles in familiar TV advertisements -- among them, Country Time Lemonade and State Farm Insurance. She has sung back-up vocals on hundreds of Nashville studio recordings, sweetening the sounds of Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Kathy Mattea, Ricky Skaggs, Tony Rice, Bill Monroe and Emmylou Harris. In 1995, she was voted "Outstanding Background Vocalist" at the Nashville Music Awards.
Chiavola spends plenty of time in the foreground, too, as a solo artist performing bluegrass and country at The Station Inn, a popular Nashville bluegrass club. And she also does the occasional classical recital (she began her career as an opera singer).
Recently, Chiavola released her third solo album of bluegrass and country, From Where I Stand. It is a tribute to her partner in music and in life, Randy Howard. Howard, a renowned fiddle player, died from cancer at age 38, while he and Chiavola were recording the album together. Two years later, Chiavola went into the studio and finished the album; many of the songs on it reflect her loss.
Weekend All Things Considered host Lisa Simeone spoke to Chiavola from member station WPLN in Nashville.
Other Resources
Exclusively on npr.org, hear Kathy Chiavola talk about a mysterious occurrence in her life after the death of her partner Randy Howard, and hear her song that foretold it: "Across the Great Divide" by Kate Wolf.
• Visit Chiavola's Web site.
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