Biography
Who is Cat Power?
Early life and real name
Charlyn Marie Marshall was born on January 21, 1972, in Atlanta, Georgia. Her father, Charlie Marshall, worked as a blues musician and pianist, while her mother was Myra Lee Marshall. She grew up with an older sister named Miranda and later a half-brother named Lenny after her parents divorced and remarried. Due to her stepfather's profession, the family moved frequently across the southern United States, leading her to attend ten different schools in states like Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
During her youth, she listened to records from her stepfather's and parents' collections, including artists like Otis Redding, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Black Flag, and the Rolling Stones. In sixth grade, she adopted the nickname Chan, which she later used professionally. At the age of 16, she dropped out of high school and became estranged from her mother for many years. Religion also played a role in her upbringing as her father was a Jehovah's Witness, and she attended Southern Baptist churches with her grandmother where she learned to sing hymns.
Musical beginnings
Marshall learned to play a 1950s Silvertone guitar herself and began performing in Atlanta during the late 1980s and early 1990s. She played music with local musicians in basement jam sessions. When the group needed a name quickly for a show, she chose Cat Power after seeing a man wear a trucker cap that read Cat Diesel Power. She played early live shows supporting local bands like Magic Bone and Opal Foxx Quartet.
Following personal losses, including the death of her boyfriend and a friend, she relocated to New York City in 1992 with Glen Thrasher. In New York, she immersed herself in the free jazz and experimental music scene. She released her first limited single titled Headlights with assistance from the band God Is My Co-Pilot. After opening for Liz Phair in 1993, she connected with drummer Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth and guitarist Tim Foljahn.
Career and albums
In a single day in December 1994, Marshall, Shelley, and Foljahn recorded twenty songs in a New York basement studio. These sessions became her first two records, Dear Sir and Myra Lee, which were released in 1995 and 1996. In 1996, she signed with Matador Records and released her third album titled What Would the Community Think, produced by Shelley.
She later traveled to South Africa and lived in Portland before moving to a farmhouse in South Carolina. While staying there, she wrote songs for her critically acclaimed 1998 album Moon Pix, recorded in Melbourne with members of Dirty Three. She followed this with The Covers Record in 2000 and You Are Free in 2003, which featured guest musicians Dave Grohl and Eddie Vedder. In 2012, she released her self-produced album Sun, which debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Birthday and age
Cat Power was born on January 21, 1972, which makes Cat 54 years old today. That birthday falls under the Aquarius sign. Cat shares the date with 45 other famous people.
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