Joan Armatrading Biography

The British singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading was born in 1950 in Basseterre on the island of Saint Kitts in the Caribbean. Armatrading grew up in Birmingham, England, where as a teenager she began writing her own music. Young Joan became a self-taught guitarist and pianist, but her aspirations for a music career were initially cut short when she went to work to help support the family at the age of fifteen.

When she wasn’t working, though, Armatrading began performing around the Birmingham area whenever possible in local clubs. A chance meeting with a lyricist in the early 1970’s led to Joan recording her first album, Whatever’s for Us, which was released in 1972. The album was only a moderate success, but it brought her some recognition, and Armatrading began to appear in performance on television shows and radio programs, eventually garnering the attention of A&M Records.

With A&M, Joan Armatrading released the album Back to the Night in 1975. Again, the album was only moderately successful, but Joan’s sophomore effort with A&M led to her breakthrough. On the strength of the top ten single, “Love and Affection,” Joan Armatrading rose into the top twenty on the charts and set the stage for a career which has since lasted well into the new millennium.

Since that time, Joan Armatrading has released the albums: Show Some Emotion (1977), To the Limit (1978), Me Myself I (1980), Walk Under Ladders (1981), The Key (1983), Secret Secrets (1985), Sleight of Hand (1986), The Shouting Stage (1988), Hearts and Flowers (1990), Square the Circle (1992), and What’s Inside (1995), all of which rose into the top forty on the R&B charts. In addition to “Love and Affection,” Joan Armatrading scored additional hits with the singles: “Rosie,” “Me Myself I,” “No Love,” and “Drop the Pilot,” to name a few.

Most recently, Joan Armatrading announced plans for a last major solo tour, although she plans to continue to record and perform in the future.