Editing Nanci Griffith (section)

== The Blue Moon Orchestra ==
Griffith called her backing band the Blue Moon Orchestra. With regard to the chosen stage name, she wrote:
{{Blockquote|During the Christmas holidays of 1986, I organized a band of musicians to work this road of touring and to pass effortlessly through mine fields of studio sessions. They chose their name, the Blue Moon Orchestra, from my third album, ''Once in a Very Blue Moon''. Some of them I had recorded and toured with prior to 1986: and some simply wandered into the Blue Moon Orchestra through this revolving open door of the road.|Nanci Griffith [https://web.archive.org/web/19970616135812/http://www.sover.net:80/~rschrull/ngriffith/gchpage.html in 1997]}}
The title selection of the ''Once in a Very Blue Moon'' album reached number 85 on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Hot Country Songs]] chart in 1986.<ref>"Griffith didn't write the title song from ''Once In A Very Blue Moon'', but she made the Pat Alger tune her own – so much so that the band she formed in the late 1980s, and toured with for 20 years, was called the Blue Moon Orchestra." in: [https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/remembering-nanci-griffith-she-was-just-a-good-good-good-songwriter/ "Remembering Nanci Griffith: 'She Was Just A Good, Good, Good Songwriter'"], by Shelly Brisbin, texasstandard.org, August 16, 2021</ref><ref>"From that point on, Griffith named every band she fronted, big or small, the Blue Moon Orchestra. The clear desire, I assume, was to honor and recall that album's familial spirit. The core of the band stayed with her for the long haul." in: [https://artsfuse.org/236802/music-remembrance-singer-songwriter-nanci-griffith-1953-2021/ "Music Remembrance: Singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith (1953-2021)"], by Daniel Gewertz, artsfuse.org, September 14, 2021</ref> In 1986, Griffith showcased tracks from her ''Lone Star State of Mind'' album on [[The Nashville Network]] TV show, ''New Country''.

;Final members
* Nanci Griffith &ndash; lead vocals, guitar
* Pat McInerney – drums, percussion
* [[Maura Kennedy]] – vocals, guitar
* [[Pete Kennedy]] – guitar, vocals

;Previous members
* [[James Hooker (musician)|James Hooker]] – piano, [[Hammond B-3|B-3]], keyboards, vocals
* Byrd Burton – guitar
* [[Frank Christian (singer-songwriter)|Frank Christian]] – guitar
* [[Philip Donnelly (musician)|Philip Donnelly]] – guitar
* [[Danny Flowers]] – guitar
* [[Clive Gregson]] – guitar, vocals
* [[Thomm Jutz]] – guitar, vocals
* Doug Lancio – electric guitar
* Lee Satterfield – vocals, rhythm guitar, [[mandolin]]
* Denny Bixby – bass, harmony vocals
* Ron De La Vega – [[double bass|bass]], cello
* Le Ann Etheridge – vocals, bass guitar, rhythm guitar
* Pete Gordon – bass
* Pete Gorisch – bass, cello
* Danny Milliner – bass
* J. T. Thomas – bass, vocals
* Fran Breen – drums
* Liam Genockey – drums
* Steve Smith – drums

;Guest backing vocalists
* [[Emmylou Harris]]
* [[Iris DeMent]]
* [[Lyle Lovett]]
* Denice Franke<ref>"From those early Kerrville campfires to her angelic harmonizing with Nanci Griffith and that classic unreleased tape with Mickie Merkens...to crowded folk venues from Texas to Switzerland, Denice Franke's music has always moved me. She's a deeply talented writer, singer, and guitarist. One of Texas' finest." --- Tom Russell  | Source: [http://www.denicefranke.com/presskit.html denicefranke.com]</ref>