Joan Osborne facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joan Osborne
Osborne performing in 2009
Background information
Birth name	Joan Elisabeth Osborne
Born	(1962-07-08) July 8, 1962 (age 62) Anchorage, Kentucky, U.S.
Genres	Rock folk country rock blues R&B
Occupation(s)	Musician songwriter
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Years active	1989–present
Labels	Polydor Mercury Interscope PolyGram Universal Music

Joan Elizabeth Osborne (born July 8, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter. She has performed many types of music, including rock, pop, soul, R&B, blues, and country.

Joan is most famous for her song "One of Us". This song was on her first big album, Relish, released in 1995. Both the song and the album became very popular around the world. They even received seven Grammy Award nominations! Joan also toured with the famous Motown musicians, the Funk Brothers. She was in a movie about them called Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002).

Becoming a Musician

Joan Osborne grew up in Anchorage, Kentucky. This is a town near Louisville. In the late 1980s, she moved to New York City. She planned to study filmmaking at New York University.

While in college, Joan needed to earn money. She decided to sing at an open mic night at a place called Abilene Café. Other musicians there really liked her voice. They told her to come back and sing more. Soon, she was singing every week at open mic nights. She also sang at other blues clubs in New York City.

Joan quickly became a part of the city's live music scene. She started her own band. They played in nightclubs alongside other popular groups. Some of these bands included the Spin Doctors and Blues Traveler.

First Albums and Big Hits

In 1991, Joan started her own record label. She called it Womanly Hips. Through this label, she released her first full album, Soul Show: Live at Delta 88. She began touring around the Northeast. This helped her gain many loyal fans in that area.

Later, she signed a record deal with Rick Chertoff from Mercury Records. In 1995, she released her second album, Relish. This was her first album with a major record label. The song "One of Us" made the album a huge success. Other songs like "Right Hand Man" and "St. Teresa" also became minor hits. Joan even directed the music video for "St. Teresa".

In 1997, Joan was one of the main performers at the Lilith Fair. This was a popular music festival that featured many female artists.

Later Career and Collaborations

In 2001, Joan helped produce an album for her friends, the Holmes Brothers. The album was called Speaking in Tongues. That same year, Joan appeared on the TV show Austin City Limits. She sang songs from her album Righteous Love. In an interview on the show, she said she was happy to be out of the intense spotlight of her earlier fame.

Joan was also in the 2002 movie Standing in the Shadows of Motown. She toured with the legendary Motown musicians, the Funk Brothers. In 2003, she toured with the Dixie Chicks. During this time, she also joined the band The Dead as a singer. She released her fourth album, How Sweet It Is. This album featured classic rock and soul covers.

Phil Lesh, Joan Osborne, and Bob Weir playing music together in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 2003.

From 2005 to 2006, Joan often performed with Phil Lesh and Friends. Her singing was a big part of their album Live at the Warfield. She still performs with them sometimes.

In 2007, Joan released Breakfast in Bed. This album went back to her soul music roots. It included songs she had covered for the movie Standing in the Shadows of Motown. That same year, she was a guest on the TV show Transatlantic Sessions. She performed some of her songs there.

Joan has also sung on other artists' albums. She sang "Spoonful" on Vivian Campbell's 2005 album. She also sang "Wayfaring Stranger" on Spearhead's 1997 album. She covered "Raglan Road" for the Chieftains and "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" for a Dolly Parton tribute album.

In 2008, Joan released the album Little Wild One. She also sang on Cheap Trick's 2009 album and DVD, Sgt. Pepper Live. In 2010, she received the Woman of Achievement Award.

Joan produced another album for the Holmes Brothers in 2010. It was called Feed My Soul. Her album Bring It On Home came out in 2012. This album was a collection of old blues and soul songs. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Blues Album in 2013.

In 2012, Joan was part of a campaign called "30 Songs / 30 Days". This campaign supported a project called Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.

Joan was a member of the band Trigger Hippy. The band released their first album in 2014. She left the group in 2018.

Osborne smiling in 2018

In 2015, Joan performed with Mavis Staples in Washington, D.C. They were on their Solid Soul Tour.

Joan released her album Love and Hate in 2014. In 2017, she released Songs of Bob Dylan, which was another album of cover songs. Her album Trouble and Strife came out in 2020. In 2022, she released a live album called Radio Waves. Her newest studio album, Nobody Owns You, was released in 2023.

About Her Life

Joan Osborne moved to New York City in the late 1980s. She feels a strong connection to the city, especially the borough of Brooklyn. She is interested in the history and culture of her Boerum Hill neighborhood. This interest has even influenced her music. She also loves American poetry, especially the works of Walt Whitman. She says his poems have inspired her songwriting.

Joan was raised Roman Catholic. However, as an adult, she moved away from the church. This happened after she learned that women are not allowed to become priests. Now, she sees herself as a "spiritual person". She is influenced by both Buddhism and Christianity.

Joan has a daughter, who was born in December 2004.

Awards and Nominations

Grammy Awards

• "One of Us" was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Song of the Year. This award goes to the songwriter, Eric Bazilian.

Other Awards and Nominations

Discography

• Relish (1995)
• Early Recordings (1996)
• Righteous Love (2000)
• How Sweet It Is (2002)
• Christmas Means Love (2005)
• Pretty Little Stranger (2006)
• Breakfast in Bed (2007)
• Little Wild One (2008)
• Bring It On Home (2012)
• Love and Hate (2014)
• Songs of Bob Dylan (2017)
• Trouble and Strife (2020)
• Nobody Owns You (2023)

See also

In Spanish: Joan Osborne para niños

• List of 1990s one-hit wonders in the United States