Devon Sproule

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Devon Sproule | image = Devon Sproule USA August 2006.jpg | caption = 23 August 2006 | image_size =  | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1982|04|23|df=y}} | origin = [[Kingston, Ontario]], Canada | instrument = Guitar, vocals | genre = [[Folk music|Folk]], [[Indie folk]] | occupation = Singer-songwriter, musician | years_active = 1999–present | label = [[Tin Angel Records|Tin Angel]], [[Black Hen Music|Black Hen]] | associated_acts = [[Paul Curreri]], [[Wes Swing]] | website = {{URL|www.devonsproule.com}} | current_members = | past_members = }}

'''Devon Sproule''' (born 23 April 1982) is a [[Folk music|folk]] and [[indie rock]] singer-songwriter and musician based in [[Charlottesville, Virginia]]. She shared the [[ASCAP Foundation]] Sammy Cahn Award for 2009 with [[Oren Lavie]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://www.ascap.com/playback/2009/10/FOUNDATION/Sammy_Cahn.aspx|title=Two ASCAP Lyricists Named Recipients of the 2009 ASCAP Foundation Sammy Cahn Award|last=American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers|date=3 October 2009|work=ASCAP|access-date=15 March 2017}}</ref> She is married to fellow musician, and music producer, [[Paul Curreri]].

After birth of their daughter in 2016, Sproule returned to touring with the release of ''The Gold String'' in early 2017.

==Early life== Born to [[hippie]] parents on a [[Commune (intentional community)|commune]] named [[Dandelion Community|Dandelion]] in [[Kingston, Ontario]], Sproule claims citizenship of both Canada and the United States. Her parents were both musicians.<ref name=":2">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.newyorker.com/culture/sarah-larson/listen-to-devon-sproule|title=Listen to Devon Sproule|last=Larson|first=Sarah|date=1 July 2014|magazine=The New Yorker|access-date=14 March 2017}}</ref> She spent her childhood on the {{convert|465|acre|km2|adj=on}}, 100-member [[Twin Oaks Community]]<ref>{{Cite news|title=An Interview with Devon Sproule|last=Holmes|first=Bret|work=Lucid Arts and Culture}}</ref> founded in 1967 as an [[intentional community]] and [[ecovillage]] in [[Louisa County, Virginia|Louisa County]], Virginia. Asked about how the experience has affected her musical career, she said:

{{blockquote|. . growing up with 80+ adults (many of whom I was very close to and spent lots of one-on-one time with) creates a need for versatile communication. . . in whatever manner will get the job done . . growing up in an income-free environment, the lack of money never bothers me much . .<ref name="luxlotus.com">[http://www.luxlotus.com/lux_lotus/2006/04/the_lux_lotus_i_1.html "The Lux Lotus Interview: Devon Sproule"] by Laura Cerand, appearing April 27, 2006 in ART section ''Lux Lotus''.</ref>|sign=|source=}}

After moving between private, public and home schooling, she eventually left high school, recorded her first record, and began touring nationally – all before the age of eighteen.<ref name=":3">{{cite web |url=http://www.devonsproule.com/bio.html |title=Devon Sproule | Biography |access-date=25 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071213224952/http://www.devonsproule.com/bio.html |archive-date=13 December 2007 }}</ref>

== Career == By 25, Sproule had already released four albums, drawing from influences as diverse as [[Frank Zappa]], [[Bikini Kill]], and a range of Canadian folk music.

A year after releasing her debut album ''Devon'' in 1999, she attracted the attention of fellow Charlottesville resident [[Dave Matthews]] who offered her a spot on a tour with the [[Dave Matthews Band]]. Bassist [[Stefan Lessard]] produced her next album ''Long Sleeve Story'' in 2001. The release of ''Upstate Songs'' in 2003 coincided with a move to [[upstate New York]]. The edgier sound, with a more folk-driven feel, represented a departure – and helped her gain national prominence.

''Upstate Songs'' was critically acclaimed with [[Rolling Stone]] Magazine naming it to their Critics Top Albums of 2003.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10702524|title=Devon Sproule: Back to Roots|last=Dye|first=David|date=4 June 2007|work=NPR.org|access-date=17 March 2017|language=en}}</ref> Julie Gerstein called the record, "perhaps the sweetest and most honest folk-pop album recorded this year," and added, "Sproule's vocal and lyrical beauty is unmatched."<ref name=":6">[https://web.archive.org/web/20080617230216/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5935999/our_critics_top_albums_of_2003 "Our Critics Top Albums of 2003: Strokes, Shins and a whole lot of OutKast"] posted 31 December 2003 ''[[Rolling Stone Magazine]]''.</ref>

At a show in Charlottesville, fellow musician [[Paul Curreri]] jumped on stage with her and joined in singing. They married in 2005 and often performed together locally. They also tour together across the United States and United Kingdom. They were regular favorites at the now-defunct Gravity Lounge, a major platform for new talent in their hometown. Curreri often "sings, plays, mixes, and produces" his wife's recordings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roundhouse.org.uk/whats-on/2017/devon-sproule/|title=Devon Sproule -|website=Roundhouse.org.uk|language=en|access-date=18 March 2017}}</ref>

In September 2011 Sproule and Curreri moved to Berlin, Germany, citing professional and economic reasons. "It felt like a good career move, to not just grow careers, but to make money, which is hard when you're going back and forth," says Sproule. "It's really fun to play over there where you can play the folk shows, but you can also play a little theater of 20-year-olds who are sitting on the floor and they're blogging about it the next day."<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=http://www.readthehook.com/100291/devon-sproule-paul-curreri-moving|title=Berlin bound: Sproule and Curreri head for Europe|last=Cober-Lake|first=Justin|date=2 August 2011|website=The Hook|language=en|access-date=15 March 2017}}</ref>

After living in Austin for a time, they've returned to Charlottesville. As Sproule says, "Everything that led away from Virginia felt necessary, and so did the coming home."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.c-ville.com/instead-different-singer-songwriter-devon-sproule-comes-home/#.WMhmQTvyvIU|title=Instead of different: Singer-songwriter Devon Sproule comes home|last=O'Hare|first=Erin|date=2 November 2015|work=C-VILLE Weekly|access-date=14 March 2017|language=en-US}}</ref>

Moving away from recording albums, much of Sproule's new music is available through Patreon as of 2025.<ref>{{cite web |author= |date=31 October 2025 |title=Devon Sproule & Paul Curreri |url=https://www.patreon.com/c/DevonandPaul/ |website=Patreon |publisher=Devon Sproule & Paul Curreri |access-date=8 November 2025}}</ref>

==Recordings== [[File:Devon Sproule Canada Day Festival Trafalgar Square in London ENGLAND July 2011.jpg|alt=On stage at Canada Day festival Trafalgar Square London 2011|thumb|On stage at Canada Day festival Trafalgar Square London 2011]] She released her first album when she was 16. Her second album, ''Long Sleeve Story'', was released in 2001 with praise from ''[[The Village Voice]]''. ''Upstate Songs'', released in 2003, made it in ''[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]'s'' Critics Top Albums of the year, followed by ''Keep Your Silver Shined'' in March 2007. She and [[Paul Curreri]] performed two tracks from the album, ''Old Virginia Block'' and ''Stop By Anytime'', on the [[BBC]]'s renowned Later With [[Jools Holland]] show in 2007.

''¡Don't Hurry for Heaven!'' was released in April 2009. ''Live in London'', recorded with a collection of musicians including English pedal steel player [[BJ Cole]], was released in 2010. ''I Love You Go Easy'' was released on Tin Angel Records in 2011 to further critical acclaim,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/nnb6/|title=BBC – Music – Review of Devon Sproule – I Love You, Go Easy|last=Lo|first=Chris|access-date=17 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2011/11/devon-sproule-i-love-you-go-easy.html|title=Devon Sproule: I Love You, Go Easy|work=pastemagazine.com|access-date=17 March 2017|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-devon-sproule-i-love-you-go-easy-tin-angel-2284542.html|title=Album: Devon Sproule, I Love You, Go Easy (Tin Angel)|date=1 May 2011|work=The Independent|access-date=17 March 2017|language=en-GB}}</ref> accompanied by the single ''Now's the Time''. It features a cover of [[Terre Roche]]'s ''Runs in the Family''.

In the spring of 2013, Devon went into the studio in [[Toronto]] to record an album of songs co-written with Canadian singer-songwriter Mike O'Neill. A video for the song ''You Can't Help It ''was released in the summer and the resulting record, ''Colours'', was released in September 2013. Musicians featuring on the record include Thom Gill and Robin Dann.

Sproule announced her return to touring, after birth of her daughter in 2016, with ''The Gold String,'' released 24 March 2017. The [[LP record|LP]] contains "North American music with weirdo roots" and was recorded in three Canadian provinces — [[Yukon]], Ontario, and [[Nova Scotia]] — and the [[Shetland]] Islands. It features backing from "Toronto dream-poppers" Bernice and Sproule's husband Paul Curreri.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://thankfolkforthat.com/new-release-devon-sproule-the-gold-string/|title=New Release: Devon Sproule – The Gold String|date=2 January 2017|work=Thank Folk For That|access-date=14 March 2017|language=en-US}}</ref> The idea for the album began with a stay in remote the [[Shetland]] islands off [[Scotland]] "when she first started following a thread."<ref name=":5" />

As Jane Dunlap Sathe of [[The Daily Progress]] stated:

{{Blockquote|text=An idea as simple and linear as a string led to a complex realization of precious connectedness to all the people who have shaped her life and all the spaces where love has been.|sign=|source=}}

"The Gold String" started as a song and then the concept developed into an album.<ref name=":5" />

== Tours and festivals ==

Sproule began touring nationally she was eighteen<ref name=":3" /> with the Dave Matthews Band.<ref name=":4" /> She tours across the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom regularly – often with her husband Paul Curreri. In 2011 Sproule performed at the [[Bergenfest]] in Norway<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bergenfest.no/artister/artister-1994-2011/|title=- Bergenfest|last=Bergenfest|website=Bergenfest.no|access-date=16 March 2017}}</ref> and the [[Canada Day]] festival in [[Trafalgar Square]], London.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://indiemusicfilter.com/calling-all-ex-pats-canada-day-london-2011|title=Calling All Ex-pats: Canada Day London 2011 – Indie Music Filter|date=1 April 2011|work=Indie Music Filter|access-date=17 March 2017|language=en-US}}</ref> She has appeared at numerous other music festivals in her career.

{{Quote_box | width = 30% | align = right | quote = Of course, I love playing guitar — especially now that my husband and friends have given me, for my birthday, the perfect addition to my collection: a 1954 [[Gibson ES-125]]. It's a [[jazz guitar]] and while I'm certainly not a [[jazz guitarist]], I steal absolutely as much as I can from the genre!<ref name="luxlotus.com"/> | source = Devon Sproule }}

==Style and sound== Sproule's music shares elements of indie, folk, country, and jazz.

{{Blockquote|text=. . Devon Sproule favours slinky jazzy chords and has the immaculate timing and poised delivery of a first-class jazz singer. . and there's no shortage of sass. But the Great American Songs Devon sings are her own Great American Songs.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/music/devon-sproule---keep-your-985876?service=responsive|title=Devon Sproule – Keep Your Silver Shined (Tin Angel)|date=2010-04-18|work=Manchester Evening News|access-date=2017-03-16}}</ref>|sign=Alan Brownlee|source=[[Manchester Evening News]]}}

{{Blockquote|text=There's plenty of harmonica, fiddle and banjo for the folk/country fan, but what comes through more strongly than any genre is the personal stamp of Devon herself; beautifully sparse arrangements like delicate spun-sugar constructions, and melodies that surprise the ear when you first hear them, but which then get under your skin much more than anything more obvious would.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/q4xm/|title=BBC – Music – Review of Devon Sproule – Keep Your Silver Shined|last=Craig|first=Miriam|access-date=2017-03-16}}</ref>|sign=Miriam Craig|source=[[British Broadcasting Corporation|BBC]]}} [[Image:Devon Sproule Gibson.jpg|thumb|Devon's 1954 Gibson ES-125<br />Image by Timothy Caldwell]]

{{blockquote|There's a refreshing sweetness about the work of this Canadian-American songwriter – there in her mellifluous vocals and poetic, freewheeling lyrics that, in the way of Bjork and Joanna Newsom, are more blank verse than rhyming schemes. Sproule's songs ooze the atmosphere of balmy Virginia days – she grew up in a commune in the state – and her sunny outlook is infectious.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tinangelrecords.co.uk/devon/keepyoursilver.html|title=Tin Angel Records|website=Tinangelrecords.co.uk|access-date=2017-03-16}}</ref>|Neil Spencer|[[The Observer|Observer]]}}

{{blockquote|Sproule's songs are something to behold: Victoria Williams' playfulness and spunk meeting up with Joni Mitchell's confessional songwriting chops. To top it off, this is the sexiest, sultriest southern album since Lucinda's Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/whitman/2007/05/current-faves-the-clientele-devon-sproule-scissors.html|title=Current Faves: The Clientele, Devon Sproule, Scissors for Lefty, The Traveling Wilbury's|work=pastemagazine.com|access-date=2017-03-16|language=en}}</ref>|[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]}}

{{blockquote|The whole album brims with that kind of realist sentimentality—ten-cent yellow hat, rotten fruit kicked off a path, groundhog eating the lettuce right out of the ground, idly thinking about going to see a jazz band in town. Its styles range smoothly from jazz-standard (cello, clarinet) to bluegrass and folk (banjo, fiddle, harmonica) and beyond. Paramount are Sproule's voice and a mood of homespun authority, happiness laced with a hint of pain, leavened with humor.<ref name=":2" />|[[The New Yorker]]|''Keep Your Silver Shined''}}

== Instrument == Sproule performs on a 1954 [[Gibson ES-125]].

== Personal == Sproule married musician, singer-songwriter, and [[Record producer|music producer]] [[Paul Curreri]] in 2005. They live together in Charlottesville. Their daughter Ray Lee Curreri was born in August 2016.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news|url=http://www.dailyprogress.com/entertainment/singer-devon-sproule-tugs-on-the-thread-of-connectivity/article_0addd570-366c-11e7-849d-331f6e5c6c3c.html|title=Singer Devon Sproule tugs on the thread of connectivity|last=SATHE|first=JANE DUNLAP|work=The Daily Progress|access-date=1 May 2018|language=en}}</ref>

==Discography== [[File:Devon sproule.JPG|thumb|Hoxton Square Bar, London, UK, 2013]] *''Devon'' (1999) on Three Word Records. *''Long Sleeve Story'' (2001) on Three Word Records. *''Upstate Songs'' (2003) on City Salvage Records. *''Keep Your Silver Shined'' (2007) on Waterbug Records. *''Don't Hurry for Heaven'' (2009) on Tin Angel Records. *''Live in London'' (2010) on Tin Angel Records. *''I Love You, Go Easy'' (2011) on Tin Angel Records. *''Colours'' (2013) with [[Mike O'Neill (musician)|Mike O'Neill]] on Tin Angel Records. *''The Gold String'' (2017) on Tin Angel Records.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tinangelrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-gold-string|title=The Gold String, by Devon Sproule|website=Tin Angel Records|access-date=17 March 2017}}</ref>

==Distinctions and awards== [[File:Devon Sproule.jpg|thumb|Devon Sproule at the Southern Cafe in Charlottesville VA February 8, 2025]] *''Upstate Songs'' (City Salvage Records) was included in ''[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]'s'' Critics Top Albums of 2003.<ref name=":6" /> * Her future husband, singer-songwriter [[Paul Curreri]] dedicated his 2003 ''Songs for Devon Sproule'' CD on Tin Angel / City Salvage to her. *''Best Solo Music Act'' "Sweet, breathy vocals; a fetching, gentle stage presence; local roots with a capital 'L'; talent that just won't quit. You love Belmont-based songstress Devon Sproule the best, but with the success of her second record, Keep Your Silver Shined (she calls it her "getting married" album), she sure does travel a lot, so keep your calendars shined for her next local gig."<ref>[http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1991707071061361&ShowVenueID=11431108071420559 "Best of C-Ville" 2007] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017210621/http://c-ville.com/index.php?cat=1991707071061361&ShowVenueID=11431108071420559 |date=17 October 2007}} ''[[C-Ville Weekly]]''.</ref> — ''Best of C-Ville'' 2007. *She taught songwriting at the Third Annual [[NewSong Academy]] in August 2007 [[Shepherdstown, West Virginia]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newsongfestival.com/2007/academy/index.htm |title=Third Annual NewSong Academy • Susan Werner, Devon Sproule, Paul Reisler, Jason Blume & Craig Bickhardt |access-date=25 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071209094325/http://www.newsongfestival.com/2007/academy/index.htm |archive-date=9 December 2007 }}</ref> * She was nominated in the Emerging Artist category of the third annual Folk Alliance awards show broadcast 20 February 2008 from [[Memphis, Tennessee]] (simulcast on [[XM]]). * She was one of six 2008 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk winning songwriters picked from 32 finalists who performed during the 2008 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Concerts 24 & 25 May.<ref>{{cite web |title=History of Grassy Hill New Folk Songwriting Contest {{!}} Kerrville Folk Festival |url=https://www.kerrvillefolkfestival.org/history-of-newfolk |website=kerrvillefolkfest |access-date=21 December 2024 |language=en}}</ref> *She shared the prestigious [[ASCAP Foundation]] [[Sammy Cahn]] Award for 2009 with [[Oren Lavie]]. She joins previous winners [[John Mayer]], [[Josh Ritter]], [[Lori McKenna]], [[Nicole Atkins]], and [[John Francis (musician)|John Francis]].<ref name=":0" /> {{Clear}}

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

==External links== {{Commons category}} * [http://www.devonsproule.com/ Official Website] Devon Sproule. * [https://www.patreon.com/c/DevonandPaul Patreon] Devon Sproule and Paul Curreri * [https://web.archive.org/web/20081027235806/http://waterbug.com/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=Devon+Sproule&x=0&y=0 Waterbug Records] Devon Sproule recordings.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sproule, Devon}} [[Category:1982 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American women singer-songwriters]] [[Category:American folk guitarists]] [[Category:American folk singers]] [[Category:American people of Canadian descent]] [[Category:Canadian people of Irish descent]] [[Category:Guitarists from Virginia]] [[Category:Musicians from Charlottesville, Virginia]] [[Category:Musicians from Kingston, Ontario]] [[Category:Singers from Ontario]] [[Category:Singer-songwriters from Virginia]] [[Category:21st-century American women singers]] [[Category:21st-century American guitarists]] [[Category:Waterbug Records artists]] [[Category:21st-century American women composers]] [[Category:21st-century American singer-songwriters]] [[Category:21st-century American women guitarists]] [[Category:Black Hen Music artists]]