My two favorite musical artist are Nanci Griffith and Suzanne Vega (yes, I'm a little bit country and a little bit urban folk). When my wife told me a few days ago that Nanci had died, I didn't have to ask "Nanci who?"  I wasn't surprised by her death. She had stopped performing years ago and I had heard rumors suggesting that she was in rough shape for a while now. Still, the news hit me hard. Prince's death, the only thing I can compare, was shocking because it was so sudden and unexpected. Both Nanci and Prince meant a lot to me during some of the formative years of my life, but Prince's death felt like something that effected everyone because he was so famous and so widely revered. Nanci, though she surely has many, many fans, always felt like she belonged to me more--not just because she wasn't quite as famous, but mainly because her songs themselves have such an intimacy to them. She can take you to places that feel so private, and you can relate...