Joan Armatrading facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joan Armatrading CBE
Armatrading performing in Germany, 2007
Background information
Birth name	Joan Anita Barbara Armatrading
Born	(1950-12-09) 9 December 1950 (age 74) Basseterre, Saint Christopher and Nevis, British Leeward Islands
Origin	Birmingham, England
Genres	Rock pop folk rock blues
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals guitar keyboards bass guitar
Years active	1972–present
Labels	Curb A&M RCA Universal EMI Savoy Jazz BMG

Joan Anita Barbara Armatrading (born 9 December 1950) is a famous English singer-songwriter and guitarist. She is known for her unique voice and heartfelt songs. Joan started her music career in the early 1970s. Her albums Joan Armatrading (1976) and Show Some Emotion (1977) helped her become very popular. She has been nominated for many awards, including three Grammy Awards. She also won an Ivor Novello Award in 1996 for her amazing songs. Joan still performs live and records new music today.

Early Life and Music Journey

Joan Anita Barbara Armatrading was born in 1950 in Basseterre. This town is in Saint Christopher and Nevis, which was a British colony back then. She was the third of six children. When Joan was three, her parents moved to Birmingham, England. Joan stayed with her grandmother on the island of Antigua.

In 1958, at age seven, Joan joined her parents in Birmingham. Her father used to play in a band. He did not let his children touch his guitar. Around age 14, Joan started writing songs. She used a piano her mother bought as furniture. Later, her mother bought her a guitar from a pawn shop for £3. Joan taught herself to play the guitar.

Joan left school at 15 to help her family. She lost her first job as a typist. This happened because she played her guitar during breaks at work.

Music Career Highlights

Starting Out in the 1970s

Armatrading performing in Dublin, early 1980s

Joan first performed at University of Birmingham when she was about 16. She only knew her own songs. But her brother asked her to play a song the audience would know. She chose "The Sound of Silence". After that, she played her own songs locally with a school friend. She also played bass and rhythm guitar in local clubs.

In 1968, Joan joined the musical Hair. In 1970, she met lyricist Pam Nestor. They worked together on Joan's first album, Whatever's for Us. It came out in 1972. Pam wrote most of the lyrics. Joan wrote the music, sang, and played many instruments. Even though they worked together, the record company saw Joan as the main star. This caused problems, and their partnership ended.

Joan appeared on the BBC Radio 1 John Peel Show several times. In 1973, her first single, "Lonely Lady," was released. It did not become a hit. Joan then signed with A&M Records in 1975. Her album Back to the Night was released.

A big push in 1976 helped her next album, Joan Armatrading, become a success. It reached the Top 20 charts. The album also had her first Top 10 hit song, "Love and Affection". This album mixed acoustic sounds with jazz influences. She continued this style with her next albums, Show Some Emotion (1977) and To the Limit (1978). These albums included popular songs like "Willow" and "Down to Zero". Joan also wrote "The Flight of the Wild Geese" for the 1978 film The Wild Geese.

By the end of the 1970s, Joan Armatrading became the first Black British female singer-songwriter to have international success. She even performed on NBC's Saturday Night Live in 1977.

Success in the 1980s and 1990s

In 1980, Joan changed her music style. She released Me Myself I, which had a harder rock and pop sound. This album became her highest-charting album in both the UK and the US. The song "Me Myself I" was her second UK Top 40 hit. Her albums Walk Under Ladders (1981) and The Key (1983) were also very popular. The Key included the hit single "Drop the Pilot".

To celebrate her success, A&M Records released a best of album called Track Record in 1983. In 1985, Joan performed at a sold-out concert in Denver. She then released her album Secret Secrets. She started producing her own albums, including Sleight of Hand (1986), The Shouting Stage (1988), and Hearts and Flowers (1990). These albums did well in the UK.

In 1989, Joan was a guest on the radio show Desert Island Discs. She talked about her favorite songs and books. In 1991, a new collection, The Very Best of Joan Armatrading, brought her back to the Top 10. Her last album for A&M was Square the Circle in 1992. After almost 20 years, she left A&M and signed with RCA. Her 1995 album What's Inside did not sell as well. In 1998, she released Lullabies with a Difference. This album helped a charity for children with cerebral palsy.

2000s and Beyond

In 2003, Joan released Lovers Speak. In 2004, she released a live album from her tour. Her 2007 album Into the Blues was a big hit. It reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Blues Chart. This made her the first UK female artist to do so. Into the Blues was also nominated for a Grammy Award. This made her the first female UK artist nominated in the Grammy Blues category.

In 2007, Joan appeared on Live from Abbey Road and Later... with Jools Holland. In 2008, she joined Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Tour. On 29 March 2010, she released This Charming Life. It reached No. 4 on the US Billboard Folk Albums chart. She toured to promote it. A live album from her concert at the Royal Albert Hall was released. In 2012, she released Starlight.

Joan has always supported new musicians. For her 2012 Starlight tour, she invited 56 singer-songwriters to open for her. She also hosted a radio series called Armatrading's Singer-Songwriters on BBC Radio 2.

In 2014 and 2015, Joan went on her "Me Myself I Tour." This was her first tour where she performed solo on stage. A CD/DVD album of this tour was released in 2016. In 2016, she wrote music for a play of William Shakespeare's The Tempest. She released an album of these songs. In 2018, she signed with BMG. Her album Not Too Far Away came out that year. In 2021, she released her album Consequences.

TV and Radio Appearances

Joan has toured a lot and played at big concerts. These include "The Picnic at Blackbushe" in 1978 with Bob Dylan. She also appeared in the film The Secret Policeman's Third Ball in 1987. She has been on many TV shows like The Old Grey Whistle Test.

Joan hosted two radio series on BBC Radio 4. They were called Joan Armatrading's Favourite Guitarists (2009) and Joan Armatrading: More Guitar Favourites (2011). In these shows, she talked to guitarists about their music. She also appeared on Later... with Jools Holland and The Graham Norton Show. In 2019, a documentary about her life, Me Myself I, aired on BBC Four. Joan is a fan of comics. She even appeared as herself in a 1983 edition of The Beano comic book.

Music Style

Joan Armatrading has a deep, rich singing voice. Her music mixes many styles. These include rock, folk, jazz, blues, soul, and reggae.

Her songs are often described as very personal and emotional. But Joan says her songs are not about her own life. She says they are about love and the feelings people go through. She writes about what she sees others experiencing. Joan also says she is an optimistic person. Many of her song lyrics do not say if the person in the song is a boy or a girl. She often uses the word "you."

Guitars She Plays

Joan plays both six-string and twelve-string guitars. She uses acoustic and electric guitars. Since 1973, she has played Ovation acoustic guitars. She likes them because they have a powerful sound. She also plays Fender Stratocaster and Gibson electric guitars. For her recent tours, she has used Ovation, Stratocasters, and custom-made Tom Anderson guitars.

Personal Life and Other Work

Joan Armatrading likes to keep her personal life private.

Besides music, Joan studied history for five years. In 2001, she earned a degree from the Open University. She is now a trustee for the university. From 2005 to 2010, she was president of the Women of the Year Lunches. She has also been a trustee for The Prince's Trust since 2020.

In 2011, Joan entered into a civil partnership with artist Maggie Butler. A civil partnership is a legal union. Joan lives in Surrey, England. She has her own recording studio there called Bumpkin Studios. She has recorded many of her albums there.

Her younger brother, Tony Armatrading, was an actor. He passed away in 2021. In 2023, Joan was a guest at the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla.

Music Collaborations

Joan Armatrading has worked with other artists.

• In 1986, she sang on the song ""Don't Lose Your Head"" for the band Queen.
• In 1997, she appeared on the charity single "Perfect Day".
• Her song "In These Times" was on the album Songs for Tibet: The Art of Peace in 2008.

Awards and Recognition

Armatrading performing in Dublin, Ireland, in the early 1980s

Joan Armatrading has been nominated for many awards. She was nominated three times for a Grammy Award. She was also nominated twice for a Brit Award as best female singer. In 1996, she won an Ivor Novello Award for her outstanding songs.

She has received honorary degrees from several universities. These include the University of Birmingham and the Open University. In 2001, she was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). In 2020, she became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). These honors are for her services to music, charity, and equal rights.

In 2011, she received a BASCA Gold Badge Award for her contribution to music. In 2012, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Acoustic Festival of Britain. In 2016, she won another Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. This was for her influence on other singer-songwriters. In 2022, she became an Honorary Fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge.

Discography

See also

In Spanish: Joan Armatrading para niños