Tia Blake
Christiana Elizabeth "Tia" Wallman (April 13, 1952 – June 17, 2015), better known by her stage name Tia Blake, was an American singer-songwriter and writer. She was known for her 1971 debut album, Folk Songs & Ballads: Tia Blake and Her Folk-Group. Originally released only in France and selling very few copies, it was reissued in 2011 and has been described as a rediscovered lost album. The album gained cult status during the 1990s and 2000s, with comparisons being drawn to musicians such as Nick Drake and Nico.
Wallman was born in Columbus, Georgia, in 1952, and grew up in North Carolina. In 1960, during a custody dispute, Wallman and her siblings were kidnapped by her CIA-employed father, who was later arrested and fled the country. She later moved to Paris, where she formed "Her Folk Group" and recorded her debut album. Wallman performed once at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier with her group, in support of the album, and later recorded a set of demos and rehearsals. She subsequently relocated to Montreal where she recorded a selection of songs for CBC Radio, which were ultimately rejected, and provided backing vocals for a song by Daniel Lavoie.
Wallman later pursued a career as a freelance writer and editor, after graduating from Smith College in 1989. She shared her experiences through pieces published under the name Tia Wallman, including a memoir about searching for her father in Saigon during the Vietnam War in Granta. She co-wrote, with her mother, a comedy piece that was performed at the 2007 New York Fringe Festival. Wallman died at the age of 63 from breast cancer in 2015.
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