Joan Osborne Biography

Joan Osborne was born in 1962 in the town of Anchorage, KY. Early on in her career, she moved to New York to form her own label in the late 1980’s, but eventually Osborn signed with Mercury to release her debut album, Soul Show, Live at Delta 88 (1991.) The album experienced moderate success, but it would be the album’s follow-up that would give Osborne her major breakthrough.

Joan Osborne’s next album, Relish, produced the smash track "One of Us" in 1995, occupying the number one spot on the U.S. singles chart for two weeks. Further tracks "Right Hand Man" and "St. Teresa" were minor hits following “One of Us,” but Joan Osborne still managed to connect with a large and appreciative audience, especially during Osborne’s involvement in the 1997 edition of Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair tour. Joan Osborne also received numerous Grammy nominations in both 1996 and 1997. ??

Joan Osborne’s interest in causes such as “Rock the Vote” led her to cover "I'm Just a Bill" as a duet with Isaac Hayes on the 1998 Schoolhouse Rocks the Vote! benefit album. Osborne also worked with music industry greats such as Stevie Wonder, Melissa Etheridge, Taj Mahal, Luciano Pavarotti, Spearhead, Bob Dylan, and the Chieftains. September 2000 marked the release of Joan Osborne's next studio album, Righteous Love. Osborne was also featured in the documentary film Standing in the Shadow of Motown in 2002 and toured with the Funk Brothers that same year. In 2003, after touring with the Dixie Chicks, Osborne released How Sweet It Is, a collection of covers that leaned heavily on classic soul and R&B tunes from the 1960s and '70s.

After performing on numerous occasions with Phil Lesh and Friends during 2005 and 2006, Joan Osborne released a country-tinged effort called Pretty Little Stranger. It was followed in 2007 by an appearance on the Grand Ole Opry in February, and the release of Osborne’s next album shortly after that, Breakfast in Bed, featuring covers of “Heatwave” and “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted.” Osborne’s next album, Little Wild One, was released in 2008, followed by Bring it on Home in 2012, which brought her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Blues Album.

Joan Osborne continues to perform and record. She is currently a member of the collaborative rock group Trigger Hippy with Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman, singer/songwriter Will Kimbrough, singer/songwriter Jackie Greene and bassist Nick Govrick. The group released their debut album in 2014. Earlier that year, Osborne released her next solo album, Love and Hate.