Joan Osborne

Joan Osborne

Joan Osborne is an American singer and songwriter from Anchorage, United States. Born in 1963, she works across rock, pop, soul, R&B, blues, country, folk, blues rock and country rock, and she is also described as an interpreter of songs. Her work spans original albums, cover versions and collaborations with a wide range of artists.

Early career and breakthrough

Osborne relocates to New York City in the early 1990s to study at New York University’s film school, and she begins taking singing seriously after performing Billie Holiday’s “God Bless the Child” at an open mic night. She cites Billie Holiday, Etta James and Ray Charles as major influences. Rather than waiting for a major-label deal, she sets up her own label, Womanly Hips, which issues early releases including the live recording Soul Show.

She later signs to Mercury Records, which releases Relish in 1995. The album becomes her breakthrough, led by her recording of Eric Bazilian’s “One of Us”. The single becomes a major chart success in the United States, and the album sells widely. Relish and “One of Us” receive a combined seven Grammy nominations, and Osborne also receives further Grammy recognition in 1996 and 1997.

Albums and recordings

After Relish, Osborne releases Early Recordings, a compilation that gathers her early material including Live at Delta ’88 and Blue Million Miles. Her second studio album of all-new material, Righteous Love, follows in 2000. In 2002 she issues How Sweet It Is, a covers album centred on classic soul and R&B songs from the 1960s and 1970s. A career retrospective, One of Us, appears in 2005.

She releases Pretty Little Stranger in 2006, which she describes as a Nashville album, and Breakfast in Bed in 2007, a return to soul material and a release that includes versions of “Heatwave” and “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted”, songs she had previously covered for Standing in the Shadows of Motown. Bring It On Home follows in 2012 and collects vintage blues and soul covers; it is nominated for Best Blues Album at the 2013 Grammy Awards. Osborne then releases the original album Love and Hate in 2014 and Songs of Bob Dylan in 2017.

Collaborations and live work

Osborne performs with a broad range of musicians and projects. She studies briefly with qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and appears alongside artists including Stevie Wonder, Melissa Etheridge, Taj Mahal, Luciano Pavarotti, Spearhead, Bob Dylan and the Chieftains. She sings lead vocals on Vivian Campbell’s version of “Spoonful” and provides vocals on Spearhead’s “Wayfaring Stranger”. She also features on The Holmes Brothers’ State of Grace, singing “Those Memories of You”.

In 1998 she records “I’m Just a Bill” as a duet with Isaac Hayes for the Schoolhouse Rocks the Vote benefit album. She also supports Rock the Vote and Planned Parenthood, and is named an honorary member of Planned Parenthood’s Board of Advocates. Osborne appears in the 2002 film Standing in the Shadows of Motown, performing with the Funk Brothers and taking part in interview segments. She tours with the Dixie Chicks in 2003, performs at the Grand Ole Opry in 2007, and contributes to numerous live and collaborative projects.

Bands and memberships

Osborne is a member of Trigger Hippy from 2012 to 2018. She also performs with the Dead and with Phil Lesh and Friends, and is associated with the We Are Family Collective. Her membership and guest appearances place her within rock, jam-band, blues and country contexts as well as her solo recording career.

Style and significance

Osborne’s catalogue includes original songs and interpretive recordings across several American roots styles. She is best known for “One of Us”, but her wider discography shows a continuing interest in soul, blues, country and classic songwriting, both in studio recordings and in live collaboration.