Cat Power

Growing up in the South, Charlyn “Chan” Marshall was influenced by church hymns, country music, the blues played by her musician father, and her stepfather’s rock ’n’ roll records. ∙ After a seeing a man wearing a trucker cap emblazoned with the words “Cat Diesel Power,” she named her first band Cat Power, before adopting the moniker for herself. ∙ Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley and Two Dollar Guitar’s Tim Foljahn were so impressed by her live performances that they became her bandmates during the mid-’90s. ∙ Eddie Vedder and Dave Grohl contributed to 2003’s You Are Free, the first Cat Power album to make the Billboard 200 chart. ∙ While she was recording her album The Greatest with renowned Memphis musicians, Al Green’s longtime guitarist Teenie Hodges praised her playing, saying, “It’s so simple, it’s difficult.” ∙ The Greatest was honored with the 2007 Shortlist Music Prize, awarded to the best US album with sales under 500,000 copies. ∙ After helping Marshall through a time of self-doubt, Lana Del Rey collaborated with her on the feminist anthem “Woman,” which became one of Cat Power’s biggest hits.