Tiffany Anders

Talk about the American Dream. Tiffany Anders went from working as nanny to the stars to taking her place among the stars. Her pedigree didn't hurt, either: the singer's mother is Allison Anders, director of the film Gas, Food, Lodging. Another detail in her favor was having PJ Harvey act as producer on one of her albums. Anders debuted in 1998 with an album from Up Records, Running From No Place to Nowhere. She followed up in 2001 with Funny Cry Happy Gift, also from Up. Anders first came to Harvey's notice when she slipped Harvey one of her tapes on a sidewalk in New York. After taking a good listen, Harvey showed up at a few of the young singer/songwriter's shows. Their acquaintance grew and Harvey eventually offered her assistance, if Anders could ever use some help. When Anders later asked Harvey to produce the album, Harvey admitted that she'd been thinking of the very same thing but didn't want to be too forward and ask for the job. The two eventually settled down to work on Funny Cry Happy Gift in Hoboken, NJ, where they managed to lay down all of the album's tracks in just a couple of weeks. In addition to contributing to the album as producer, Harvey also played and sang on the release. Anders gives credit to her mother for her first lucky meeting with Harvey. She also credits her mom for introducing her to J Mascis and Mike Johnson of Dinosaur Jr., and for introducing her to the music scene while she was growing up. Mother and daughter attended shows given in Los Angeles by Redd Kross and X, as well as other punk outfits. Before she'd hit her teen years, Anders was attending live performances with her mom, among them a show given by Exene. Her mom also exposed her to a variety of musical styles, including pop from the 1960s. At the age of 14, the singer/songwriter owned a guitar. She didn't become comfortable with playing the instrument until she was 18, working first from a songbook of Neil Young tunes. She joined a couple of Seattle groups, then headed to New York to make her mark as a solo artist. Before her solo career got started, Anders sang on Dinosaur Jr.'s Hand It Over CD in 1997, and she also spent time collaborating with both Mascis and Johnson.