Nellie McKay is hard to categorize. She’s done Brecht on Broadway, opened for Lou Reed at Carnegie Hall, sung Woody Allen movie songs at the Hollywood Bowl, performed on A Prairie Home Companion, played Hilary Swank’s sister on the big screen, paid tribute to Doris Day, and released seven wildly acclaimed albums. Her music is as tuneful and clever as the best of the Great American Songbook—part cabaret, part sparkly pop. But beneath the charming melodic surface is a wit that cuts, and a sharply tuned social conscience.
Nellie’s music has been heard on Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, Weeds, Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS, and Nurse Jackie, and she has made numerous radio appearances on NPR’s Mountain Stage, A Prairie Home Companion, and Marion McPartland’s Piano Jazz. A recipient of PETA’s Humanitarian Award and the Humane Society’s Doris Day Music Award in recognition of her dedication to animal rights, Nellie is a vocal advocate for feminism, civil rights, and other deeply felt progressive ideals.
