I love the duets I got to do with Rob McNurlin. I enjoyed singing with him so much... We have toured just the two of us. -- I have a new guitar player, Robert Mache - from New Orleans but now in Memphis - since Jay Ruffin who was on guitar moved to Nashville. I get Roy Brewer on fiddle, mandolin and guitar (when I can afford him), Ronnie Vandiver (aka Van Driver) used to play bass - but these days I have been using Nathan Breckenridge on upright bass - which I have always loved. You never know, Ronnie might sub on guitar sometime down the road. Jumpin James Cunningham on drums. In the past, Robert Hall was playing drums with me but he dumped me for Jerry Lee Lewis, go figure! Seriously, Robert is great. One of these days I will list all the former "Back Door Men" but there might not be enough room here to do that, hell, I may not remember them all. Been doing this a long time and there have been nights when folks came up and talked about some gig in Boondock, Miserysippy that they said they played with me and I just have to look at them like a deer in headlights and figure I have lost my mind. You know what, you got to be half crazy to be in this biz so I guess I am.
Influences
Johnny Cash, Buck Owens, Duane Eddy, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Bob Dylan, Keith Sykes, Dwight Yoakam and people who make real music like Rob McNurlin, Otis Gibbs and Ronny Elliott.
Sounds Like
Nancy Apple and no body else, although some folks say I sound a little like Wanda Jackson, Loretta Lynn and Rose Maddox all twangled up in blue.
My favorite quote anyone ever said about me was from Nightflying Magazine: As country as Cash, as rockin as Carl, and by God as bold as Elvis. (I want this on my tombstone if I have one).
I still say I sound like me.
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Dubbed the reigning "Queen of Country in Memphis" by Memphis Magazines City Guide, and the "Princess of Twang" by Memphis’ daily paper the Commercial Appeal, Nancy Apple inexplicably reminds her audiences how special it is to be comfortable in your own skin. From classic country tunes to memorable ballads and honey-flavored cheatin songs, Nancy rocks-and-rolls with a twist that is twangled up in the blues. Its genuine yalterna-honk makes you want to either shake your groove thang or chase your beer with whiskey shots.
Nancy plays drums, guitar, harmonica and accordion, sometimes dabbles on the concertina but not very well. She has been nominated more than a dozen times for a Premier Player Award in Memphis in the songwriting, Female Vocalist and Community Service categories, and was a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition in 2002 and 2003. She has appeared in numerous movies and videos with the likes of Harvey Keitel, Linda Gail Lewis and Bridget Fonda, has been endorsed by Gibson Guitars, played drums in The Hellcats and legendary bluesman Willie Cobbs. She’s been featured in television specials on every Memphis network, Turner South, and even hosted her own special on PBS. She did a stint as the Tennessee Triple Threat with Duane Jarvis and Phil Lee, and charted number 1 on the FAR Chart with a duo record she cut with Rob McNurlin entitle RIVER ROAD OR RAIL. Nancy has sung backup with Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere and the Raiders, Rob McNurlin, Todd Snider, Dan Baird, Keith Sykes, Reba Russell, Barbara Blue, Jay Ruffin, Michael O’Neil and Cory Branan. She is also known by her longtime fans as The Cadillac Cowgirl, and has been a deejay on WEVL in Memphis doing a Monday afternoon drive show (CarTunes) since 1996.
Her journey to the present has been as eclectic as she is. Born and raised a Navy brat, Nancy Apples immense talent became clear at a very early age she went from crawling to singing along with Buck Owens on the radio.
She is the real deal - not as crusty as you might think from her lyrics; and she plays her ass off live -- But watch it, she’ll play your heart strings without you knowing it. You’ll catch yourself humming along to her songs when you least expect it.
