Colin Meloy

Colin Patrick Henry Meloy (born October 5,1974) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and author. He is best known as the lead vocalist and primary songwriter of the indie folk-rock band the Decemberists. Meloy is recognized for his literary songwriting style, often incorporating historical themes,nautical imagery, and narrative-driven lyrics into his music.  

Meloy was born in Helena, Montana and raised in various parts of the Pacific Northwest. Music was a prominent part of his early life, with his inspirations being Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, and Leonard Cohen.^[1] Additionally, he was influenced by The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper Feast. ^[2]His biggest book inspirations were Piers Anthony and the Elfquest series of comic books. ^[3]He also wrote a letter to Ray Bradbury informing him that he “considered himself an author too.” when he was ten.^[4]

In middle school he was inspired to write music thanks to his uncle, who would send him mixtapes.^[5] These mixes would prove effective to turn Meloy towards sounds not well known in the 1980s such as R.E.M. and Hüsker Dü and English pop acts XTC and Squeeze. ^[6]He would learn to play guitar and attend Helena High School in Helena, Montana.^[7] While in high school he was also the frontman of the band Happy Cactus, an indie/folk-leaning group that played locally while in high school. ^[8]He would also take up an interest in high school drama productions, acting in plays.^[9]

However, despite picking the path of a musician his father hoped he would become an electrician. ^[10]In a speech he spoke at his high school he mentions his grandfather, Pete Meloy, a judge in Helena. He would make his family follow a religion of his own creation. Meloy reflects on this as he was stating “He brought up my family to follow a religion of his own creation: the Great Western Religion. The sanctity of the American West, of Montana in particular. He also pronounced that all Meloys, should they leave Montana, will make their way back here. Eventually.^[11]”

Meloy attended the University of Oregon for English/ theater before transferring to University of Montana, graduating in 1998 with a degree in Creative Writing.  While attending the University of Montana he was a part of a band called Tarkio and served as lead singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter. The band’s lineup included Gibson Hartwell (guitar/banjo), Louis Stern (bass), Brian Collins (drums), and later Kevin Suggs on pedal steel. ^[12]Tarkio played alt‑country/indie rock, drawing comparisons to bands like Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, and The Waterboys, and built a regional following across Montana with help from rehearsal space provided by Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament.^[13]​

Tarkio self‑released a 1997 EP (often called self‑titled), then the full-length I Guess I Was Hoping for Something More on Barcelona Records, followed by the EP Sea Songs for Landlocked Sailors (1999). The latter included “My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist,” which Meloy later re-recorded with The Decemberists, making it a clear bridge between his college work and his later band. Tarkio dissolved around 1999 when Meloy finished school and decided to relocate to Portland; a 2006 retrospective on Kill Rock Stars revived interest in the band’s catalog.^[14]​

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.'"^[15]

The Decemberists formed in 2000 after Meloy met Nate Query, who introduced him to keyboardist Jenny Conlee, and the three scored a silent film together. Meloy had met multi-instrumentalist Chris Funk, who was a fan of Tarkio, at a solo show prior to meeting Conlee and Query. Since its formation, Meloy has served as the band's singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter. His work with the Decemberists thus far entails eight studio albums, ten EPs, twenty-two singles, two compilations, and two live albums.

In 2003 Meloy contributed vocals to the track "The Lady From Reims" on Reclinerland's The Ideal Home Music Library. Meloy also contributed vocals on the tracks "Cemetery Row" and "Twilight Distillery" on The Minus 5's 2006 Yep Roc release. Meloy covered the Elliott Smith song "Clementine" for a compilation of Portland, Oregon artists to support a children's charity, and in mid-2006, he contributed the track "Lazy Little Ada" on the Kill Rock Stars compilation, The Sound the Hare Heard. In 2007, Meloy lent his voice to an episode of Lil' Bush. He appeared with Charlie Salas-Humara in the music video for "A Pillar of Salt" by The Thermals.

The band’s popularity grew throughout the 2000s and 2010s with several albums charting on the Billboard 200 and appearances at major music festivals.  The band would however go on hiatus after Meloy initiated it to prioritize family,citing the birth of his second son Milo in 2013 and writing Under Wildwood (2012) and Wildwood Imperium (2014). ^[16]He downplayed its length, noting four years between albums was standard and allowed low pressure songwriting for “his own enjoyment” without tour expectations. During the break Meloy would tour solo in 2013, announcing the band’s return while promoting cover EPs.

The hiatus ended on March 5th 2014, ^[17]with Crystal Ballroom shows in Portland playing Castaways and Cutouts in full-their first performances in three years. Other members formed Black Prairie, releasing albums from 2010-2014, showing the pause was collaborative.

In 2005, Meloy went on his first solo tour to support the self-released six-song EP, Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey, consisting of six Morrissey covers. Only 1000 copies of the album were made and they were sold only on this tour. Meloy did a second solo tour in January 2006, playing with Laura Veirs and Amy Annelle. On this tour, he sold an EP featuring covers of British folk artist Shirley Collins. 2006 tour performances were recorded for a live release.

In addition to his work with the band, Meloy has released solo music, including acoustic EPs and folk covers. His solo performances tend to focus on traditional folk music and stripped-down arrangements of original material.^[18]

Solo tours:

Meloy has conducted several solo tours and performances in the 2020s, often promoting books or as intimate acoustic sets separate from Decemberists dates. Key events include a 2022 solo show streamed live on December 10th from his home setup with VIP options benefiting Fair Fight Action, and a December 17th hometown performance at Astoria’s Liberty Theater. ^[19]In 2025, he added a second solo show at the same venue on August 31st due to demand, plus December dates like December 17th and December 19th at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles.^[20]    

Meloy contributed an online bonus track for Lavender Diamond on their Imagine Our Love album, performing a solo version of "Oh No".

Meloy began another solo tour in April 2008. This coincided with the release of his debut solo album, Colin Meloy Sings Live!, on the Kill Rock Stars label. Singer-songwriter Laura Gibson was the supporting act for the full tour. As with previous EPs, Meloy sold an EP only available on this run: Colin Meloy Sings Sam Cooke, a collection of five Sam Cooke songs, arranged and performed by Meloy, with Gibson singing harmonies.

Meloy appeared in the 2013 documentary film Another Day, Another Time: Celebrating the Music of "Inside Llewyn Davis", which detailed a one-off concert in New York City honoring traditional American folk music in preparation for the release of the Coen brothers' film Inside Llewyn Davis. The concert, organized by T Bone Burnett, featured several notable musicians representing multiple generations; Meloy performed a cover of Jackson C. Frank's "Blues Run the Game" as well as a version of "Joe Hill" alongside Joan Baez and Gillian Welch.^[21]

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

Meloy published his first book, the 33 1/3 series entry on The Replacements' Let It Be in 2004. The book received mix reception, praised as a heartfelt coming-of-age memoir but criticized for limited focus on the album itself. In addition to this, he would expand into children's fantasy with Wildwood (2011, a New York Times bestseller illustrated by his wife Carson Ellie. The trilogy concluded with Wildwood Imperium (2014), followed by The Whiz Mob and the Grenadine Kid (2017) and The Stars Did wander darkling (2022). Picture books The Golden Thread (2018) and Everyone's Awake (2020) further disputed his output. His family influence is his sister Maile Meloy for his literature. For his book The Stars did Wander Darkling, he stated his biggest inspirations were Ray Bradbury and Stephen King. He was inspired to create this story after seeing older kids dress up as pennywise on Halloween night 2017. He reflects on it by stating in an interview-style article by publishers weekly stating "It was Halloween 2017, and I was out on the street with my kids, and my youngest at the time was four. The new movie adaptation of It had just come out, and there were all these Pennywise the clowns walking around, and it was kind of horrifying to see these older kids dressed up as him."^[22] He states in that same article he also draws inspiration from his own childhood and obsessions from that time in his life. He also goes on to mention that he is drawn to write for middle schoolers because there are fewer rules applied for writing for that age group. He also felt that novels can exist outside of that genre by stating, "I feel like middle grade novels can exist outside of genre, that there's no real genre ghetto for them, that they dance in and out of the various kinds of stories. There are fewer rules about what middle grade is supposed to look like and what it's supposed to do." He states he balances being both a musician and author by stating, "They both satisfy an itch I have as a creative person. I find that if I'm stuck with songwriting, I'll be drawn to a book idea and vice versa. If I'm feeling frustrated or overburdened by the idea of writing, sometimes just sitting down and working on songs can be the right change of pace." Meloy felt nervous when writing his other book Wildwood because he stopped writing for a while however he felt comfortable writing it. He was also working on another book called Cascadia, which was slated for release in 2025 but it has not been released as of 2025.^[23]

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.^[24]

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.^[25] Meloy's son Hank has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)^[26][27] On March 14, 2013, Ellis gave birth to another child, Milo Cannonball Meloy.^[28]

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.

See: The Decemberists 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)

Musical style and influences

Meloy’s music is heavily influenced by traditional folk music, indie rock, and classic storytelling songwriters. His lyrics frequently reference history,mythology, and classic literature. His vocal style is characterized by a clear tenor voice and expressive phrasing, often paired with acoustic guitar. This is one of the instruments he plays along with 12 string guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bouzouki,harmonica, and percussion.  

Recent and Notable events

Solo releases include live albums like Colin Meloy Sings Live! (2008) and cover EPs, plus collaborations such as the 2013 documentary, Colin Meloy Sings Joan Baez.  

Discography with the Decemberists:

Debut Castaways and Cutouts (2002,reissued 2003); Her Majesty the Decemberists (2003); Picaresque (2005)

Major label:

The Crane wife (2006); the hazards of Love (2009); The King is Dead (2011)

Other albums:

What a terrible world, What a beautiful world (2015), I’ll be your girl (2018); As it ever was, So it will be Again (2024)

Reception:

I'll Be Your Girl (2018) drew praise for its ironic "exuberant nihilism" and gerne shifts, including synth-driven tracks like "Severed," making a bold, self-critical, pivot from fold tales to apocalyptic pop. ^[29]

As it Ever Was, So It Will Be Again (2025) is hailed as a career-spanning double-album, blending folk, prog monoliths, and Joan of Arc retellings in a "psychedelic sound bath" that summarizes the band's playful disruptions. ^[30]

In his music career Meloy has been a Grammy nominee three times. Twice in 2012 for best rock performance and best rock song for the song "Down By The Water." He would receive it once more in 2018 for best folk album for "The Queen of Hearts". ^[31]

As far as his literary career goes none of his books received any other bestseller status or awards aside from Wildwood being a New York Times bestseller.

• Official website
• Colin Meloy at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• Colin Meloy at AllMusic
• Colin Meloy discography at Discogs