Joan Elizabeth Osborne is an American singer, songwriter, and music interpreter who has worked in various popular American musical genres, including rock, pop, soul, R&B, blues, and country. She is most known for singing "One of Us," written by Eric Bazilian on Relish's debut album (1995). Both the single and the album were international hits, receiving a total of seven Grammy Award nominations. Osborne has toured with the Funk Brothers and was included in the documentary film Standing in the Shadows of Motown about them (2002).
Joan Osborne was born on July 8, 1962, in Kentucky. She did not grow up aspiring to be a singer even though she had done a few punk rock performances at school. Even though Osborne liked music, Joan saw no hope of becoming a musician and thought it was just a pipe dream. Her interests shifted to acting, and she attended Reynolds Theater Acting School. In New York, her singing career took over after the performance at a local bar open-mike night.
Osborne was raised as a Roman Catholic, but she drifted away from the faith after telling her parents she wanted to be a priest, only to discover that tradition forbid it. Despite her scepticism of large-scale organised religion, she describes as a "spiritual person" directly impacted by Buddhism and Christianity as an adult. Osborne relocated to New York City in the late 1980s from Anchorage, Kentucky, a suburb of Louisville. She has indicated that she has a special connection to the city, specifically the borough of Brooklyn. Her interest influences her music in the culture, history, and society of her area, Boerum Hill. She has also professed respect for American poetry, notably Walt Whitman's works, and mentioned it as a significant source of inspiration for her songwriting.
The only part of Joan's married life known to the public is her daughter, born in December 2004.
Fate had a hand in changing Joan Osborne's direction from movies to singing and presenting the world with a rock singer. It all began with the Billie Holiday song sung at a night bar after a challenge, and things took on from there. She got together a group of musicians and formed a band. She amassed enough money to create her label, Womanly Hips, and released her songs to her growing number of fans.
Joan released the album, Relish in 1995. Her breakthrough with the track 'One of Us' was topping the charts for weeks. The album gave her seven Grammy nominations and profound recognition. Her bluesy voice, looks, and great attitude made her famous with a good fan base. Critics talked about the song's interpretation of God and religion. Her career setback after the Lilith Fair Tours ended in 1998, even though her fans tried to keep her in the limelight. She worked in the background with big names like Stevie Wonder and Sheryl Crow.
She later went on to self-financing her music; her album Righteous Love was released in 2000. Soul songs have been her speciality. 'Bring It on Home' was released in 2012 when she joined Jack Petruzzelli, a collection of classic blues and R&B covers. It received a Grammy nomination. She then became a member of Trigger Hippy.
Joan Osborne made her name in the women's charity and development works and was involved in the album 'Shout, Sister, Shout', a tribute album to the gospel star Sister Rosetta Tharpe. She has supported groups like Planned Parenthood and Rock the Vote.
| Birth Date: | 8 Jul, 1962 |
| Age: | 57 yrs |
| Citizenship: | United States of America |
| Birth Place: | Anchorage |
| Gender: | Female |
| Description: | US singer and songwriter |
| Twitter Id: | Joan_osborne |
| Net Worth 2021: | 5 million |
