Lisa Germano
USALisa Germano: Biography
Lisa Ruth Germano is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist known for her unique vocal style, candid lyrics, and distinctive violin sound. Born on June 27, 1958, in Mishawaka, Indiana, Lisa grew up in a large Italian-American Catholic family where music was encouraged from an early age.
At the age of seven, Lisa composed a 15-minute opera for piano, marking her first experience in music composition. She later took up the violin, an instrument that ultimately helped her choose a musical career. Lisa became a member of John Mellencamp's band during the recording of his 1987 album, "The Lonesome Jubilee," and continued to work with him and tour for the next seven years.
During this time, Germano also played and recorded with bands such as Simple Minds and Indigo Girls, which inspired her to create her own music. She released her first album, "On the Way Down From the Moon Palace," in 1991, independently on her own label, Major Bill Records. Despite low sales without the support of a major label or advertising, Capitol Records took notice of the album, and in 1992, Germano was offered a contract.
Her debut album on a major label, "Happiness," was released in July 1993. However, just before its release, the label underwent significant reorganization, resulting in the departure of most of the people working with Germano. When it became clear that "Happiness" would not receive the promised support, Germano regained the rights to the album and signed with the influential independent British label, 4AD Records, which was collaborating with Warner Bros. Records in the United States at that time.
The founder and head of 4AD Records, Ivo Watts-Russell, was a big fan of Germano's music and played a significant role in actively promoting her early releases on his label. Her third album, "Geek the Girl," released in 1994, received rave reviews in the press, as did her 1996 album, "Excerpts From a Love Circus." However, changes within the label led to the termination of their partnership with Warner Bros. Records by the end of 1998.
Germano announced that she was done with the music business and moved to Hollywood, where she began working in an independent bookstore. However, songwriting remained an integral part of her life, and Germano continued to collaborate with other musicians, working on their projects. She returned to her solo career in 2002 with a collection of both new and unreleased songs. She sent the tracks to several labels and some of her industry friends, and the first to respond was Tony Berg.
In 2002, Germano became the first artist signed to the new label, ARTISTdirect, and her sixth album, "Lullaby for Liquid Pig," was released in April 2003. Like her previous work, the album achieved success, but the young label was not as fortunate and closed soon after. Germano's next two releases, "In the Maybe World" (2006) and "Magic Neighbor" (2009), came out on Young God Records, and her most recent album to date, "No Elephants" (2013), was released on Badman Recording Co.
