Colin Meloy

Colin Patrick Henry Meloy (born October 5, 1974) is an American musician, singer-songwriter and author best known as the frontman of the Portland, Oregon, indie folk rock band the Decemberists. In addition to vocals, he performs with an acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bouzouki, harmonica and percussion instruments.

Early life and education Meloy was born in Helena, Montana. He attended the University of Oregon in Eugene for two years, studying English and theatre, before "a longing to be back in Montana" led him to study creative writing at the University of Montana in Missoula. After graduating in 1998 he left Montana again for Oregon.

Musical career While in high school, Meloy was in the band Happy Cactus, and when in college, in Missoula, he was the lead singer and songwriter for Tarkio. Both were indie/folk/alternative country bands. Soon after graduation, he left Tarkio and moved to Portland with the hope of establishing himself among the city's music scene. There, Meloy worked in a pizza parlor to pay rent while starting his musicianship anew by performing at various open mics, sometimes with no one listening except for the bartender. He later reflected in an interview with The Montanan that this experience helped to develop his musical style in the long run: When I was in that position, with nobody to appeal to or scare away, I thought, 'I might as well do whatever I want to do'...And that created a new thing.

Meloy has jokingly described himself as "the King of Sad Sap Poets" in reference to his often somber lyrics.

Literary career In 2004, Meloy wrote a 100-page book about The Replacements' third album, Let It Be, released as part of the 33 1/3 series.

In 2010, Meloy wrote a short story, The Grievous Demise of Mr. Whitley Rackham, illustrated by his wife, Carson Ellis, and published as a limited (200 copies), numbered letterpress edition.

Meloy made his debut as a children's writer with Wildwood, also illustrated by Ellis. He kicked off the book tour as the keynote of the AJC Decatur Book Festival on September 2, 2011. Meloy released a sequel, Under Wildwood, in 2012, and the third book in the series, Wildwood Imperium, was released in 2014.

In October 2017, Meloy released his fourth children's book, The Whiz Mob and the Grenadine Kid, also illustrated by Ellis.

In September 2022, Meloy released his fifth children's book, The Stars Did Wander Darkling.

Meloy has also released two picture books, The Golden Thread: A Song for Pete Seeger (2018), illustrated by Nikki McClure, and Everyone's Awake (2020).

Television In the 2014 two-part episode of Parks and Recreation entitled "Moving Up: Part 1" and "Moving Up: Part 2", Meloy made a cameo appearance as himself with the rest of the Decemberists at the Unity Concert along with other notable artists such as Jeff Tweedy, Ginuwine, and Yo La Tengo.

Personal life On February 24, 2006, Carson Ellis, Meloy's wife, gave birth to a son, Henry "Hank" Meloy. Ellis shares her birthday with Meloy, and produces much of the Decemberists' album and promotional artwork. Meloy's son Hank has autism spectrum disorder (ASD). On March 14, 2013, Ellis gave birth to another child, Milo Cannonball Meloy.

Meloy's sister is Maile Meloy, a fiction writer often published in The New Yorker and The New York Times, and his aunt is Ellen Meloy, who was also a writer.

Work with the Decemberists See: The Decemberists discography

Solo discography Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey (2005) Colin Meloy Sings Shirley Collins (2006) Colin Meloy Sings Live! (2008) Colin Meloy Sings Sam Cooke (2008) Colin Meloy Sings The Kinks (2013)