View source for Joan Osborne

{{Short description|American musician (born 1962)}}
{{for|the bowls international|Joan Osborne (bowls)}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| background        = person
| name              = Joan Osborne
| image             = Joan Osborne at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival (cropped 2).jpg
| alt               = Joan Osborne in front of TIFF stage backdrop, wearing a dark jacket with a blue-and-white boa necklace, smiling directly at camera
| caption           = Osborne in 2025
| image_size        = 
| birth_name        = Joan Elisabeth Osborne
| alias             = 
| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|1962|7|8}}
| birth_place       = [[Anchorage, Kentucky]], U.S.
| instrument        = {{hlist|Vocals|guitar}}
| discography       = [[Joan Osborne discography]]
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Rock music|Rock]]|[[Folk music|folk]]|[[country rock]]|[[blues]]|[[contemporary R&B|R&B]]}}
| occupation        = {{hlist|Musician|songwriter}}
| years_active      = 1989–present
| label             = {{hlist|[[Polydor Records|Polydor]]|[[Mercury Records|Mercury]]|[[Interscope Records|Interscope]]|[[PolyGram]]|[[Universal Music]]}}
| current_member_of = 
| past_member_of    = [[The Dead (band)|The Dead]], [[Trigger Hippy]]
| website           = {{URL|joanosborne.com}}
}}

'''Joan Elizabeth Osborne''' (born July 8, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and interpreter of music, having recorded and performed in various popular American musical genres including rock, pop, soul, R&B, blues, and country.<ref>Steve Pick, [http://blues.about.com/od/cddvdreview1/fr/Joan-Osborne-Bring-It-On-Home-2012.htm Review of Joan Osborne – Bring It On Home (2012)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130206190026/http://blues.about.com/od/cddvdreview1/fr/Joan-Osborne-Bring-It-On-Home-2012.htm |date=February 6, 2013 }}, About.com Blues, March 2012</ref> She is best known for her recording of the [[Eric Bazilian]]-penned song "[[One of Us (Joan Osborne song)|One of Us]]" from her debut album, ''[[Relish (album)|Relish]]'' (1995). Both the single and the album became worldwide hits and garnered a combined seven [[Grammy Award]] nominations. Osborne has toured with [[Motown Records|Motown]] sidemen [[the Funk Brothers]] and was featured in the documentary film about them, ''[[Standing in the Shadows of Motown]]'' (2002).

==Career==
{{BLP sources section|date=March 2021}}

Originally from [[Anchorage, Kentucky]], a suburb of [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]], Osborne moved to New York City in the late 1980s to study filmmaking at [[New York University]], where she had classes with legendary documentarian [[George C. Stoney|George Stoney]], among others. Osborne was paying her own way through college and taking time off to earn money for another semester when, by chance, she sang at an open mic night at the Abilene Café. The other musicians encouraged her to return, and she began singing weekly at the Abilene's open mic and at other blues open mics in NYC's East Village. She soon became immersed in NYC's live music scene, forming her own band and playing in nightclubs alongside groups like the Sweetones, [[Surreal McCoys]], [[Spin Doctors]], [[Blues Traveler]], and the [[Holmes Brothers]], and artists like [[Chris Whitley]], [[Frankie Paris]], and [[Jeff Buckley]].

In 1991, she formed her own record label, Womanly Hips, to release her first full-length album, ''[[Soul Show: Live at Delta 88]]'', and she began to tour around the Northeast, building a devoted regional following. She signed a recording contract with Rick Chertoff of [[Mercury Records]], and released her second (and first major label) album ''[[Relish (album)|Relish]]'' (1995), which became a hit on the strength of the single "[[One of Us (Joan Osborne song)|One of Us]]". "Right Hand Man" and "[[St. Teresa (song)|St. Teresa]]" were minor hits, and "Spider Web" also received radio play. Osborne wrote and directed the second music video for "St. Teresa".

Osborne was a co-headliner for the [[Lilith Fair]] in 1997.

In 2001, Osborne produced an album for her friends the [[Holmes Brothers]], ''Speaking in Tongues'', engineered by Grammy winner [[Trina Shoemaker]] and featuring backing vocals from [[Catherine Russell (singer)|Catherine Russell]], [[Debbie Taylor|Maydie Miles]], and Osborne. The album was released by Alligator Records.

In 2001, Osborne appeared on ''[[Austin City Limits]]'', singing material mainly from ''[[Righteous Love]]''. In a brief interview segment at the end of the episode, Osborne reflects on her gladness to have gotten out of the limelight of her mid-1990s stardom. She was featured in the 2002 documentary film ''[[Standing in the Shadows of Motown]]'' and toured with [[Motown Records|Motown]] sidemen [[the Funk Brothers]]. She and her band accompanied the [[Dixie Chicks]] for a national tour in the summer of 2003, during which time she also joined veteran San Francisco jam-rockers [[The Dead (band)|The Dead]] as a vocalist, and released her fourth album, titled ''How Sweet It Is'', a collection of classic [[rock and roll|rock]] and [[soul music|soul]] [[cover version|covers]].

[[File:Phil Lesh, Joan Osbourne and Bob Weir - June 17, 2003.jpg|thumb|left|Phil Lesh, Osborne, and Bob Weir playing in Virginia Beach, Virginia, June 17, 2003]]
During 2005 and 2006, Osborne performed on numerous occasions with [[Phil Lesh and Friends]]. Her vocals were featured prominently on the album ''[[Live at the Warfield (Phil Lesh and Friends album)|Live at the Warfield]]''. She continues to make appearances with the band.

In February 2007, she appeared on the ''[[Grand Ole Opry]]''. In May 2007, she issued ''[[Breakfast in Bed (album)|Breakfast in Bed]]'', produced by [[Tor Hyams]], a return to the soul music that she had covered on ''How Sweet It Is''. ''Breakfast in Bed'' also featured the two songs ("[[(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave|Heatwave]]" and "[[What Becomes of the Brokenhearted]]") that she had covered for the film ''[[Standing in the Shadows of Motown]]''. The same year, Osborne appeared as a featured guest in the third season of the ''[[Transatlantic Sessions]]'' television series, performing "Saint Teresa", "Holy Water", and "Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends".

Osborne sang lead vocals on the cover of the [[Willie Dixon]]-penned "[[Spoonful]]" on [[Vivian Campbell]]'s 2005 solo album, ''Two Sides of If''. She also provided vocals for "Wayfaring Stranger" on [[Michael Franti|Spearhead]]'s 1997 album, ''[[Chocolate Supa Highway]]''. She interpreted "[[On Raglan Road|Raglan Road]]" for [[the Chieftains]] 1999 album, ''[[Tears of Stone (album)|Tears of Stone]]'', and she covered [[Dolly Parton]]'s "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" on the 2003 tribute album ''[[Just Because I'm a Woman: Songs of Dolly Parton]]''. She is featured on the Holmes Brothers 2007 collection ''State of Grace'' performing "[[Those Memories of You]]", an old Alan O'Bryant [[bluegrass music|bluegrass]] tune.

Osborne released the studio album ''[[Little Wild One]]'' in September 2008. She performed as a guest vocalist on ''[[Sgt. Pepper Live]]'', the 2009 album and DVD by [[Cheap Trick]]. In 2010, she was awarded the Woman of Achievement Award from [[Women's Project Theater]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wptheater.org/special-events/award-recipients/ |title=Women of Achievement Honorees |website=Women's Project Theater |access-date=October 7, 2014}}</ref> She performed with [[The Waybacks]] at [[Merlefest]], 2011, during the Hillside Album hour, featuring [[The Allman Brothers]]' ''Eat a Peach''.

In 2010, Osborne again produced an album for the [[Holmes Brothers]] on Alligator Records, ''[[Feed My Soul]]'', which featured contributions from keyboard player [[Glenn Patscha]].

Her album ''Bring It On Home'' was released on March 27, 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bring It On Home|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/bring-it-on-home-mw0002293873|publisher=All Music|access-date=June 16, 2013}}</ref> It is a collection of vintage blues and soul covers, and it received a [[2013 Grammy Awards]] nomination for ''Best Blues Album''. In September 2012, Osborne was featured in a campaign called "30 Songs / 30 Days" to support ''[[Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide]]'', a multi-platform media project inspired by [[Nicholas Kristof]] and [[Sheryl WuDunn]]'s book.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.halftheskymovement.org/blog/entry/30-songs-30-days-for-half-the-sky1 |title=30 Songs / 30 Days for Half the Sky &#124; Half The Sky |publisher=Halftheskymovement.org |date=August 30, 2012 |access-date=December 21, 2012 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014103757/http://www.halftheskymovement.org/blog/entry/30-songs-30-days-for-half-the-sky1 |archive-date=October 14, 2012 }}</ref>

Osborne was a member of [[Trigger Hippy]], along with [[Steve Gorman]], [[Tom Bukovac]], [[Jackie Greene]], and [[Nick Govrik]]. The band released their debut album on September 30, 2014.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.popmatters.com/post/185874-trigger-hippy-trigger-hippy-album-stream-premiere/ |title=Trigger Hippy – "Trigger Hippy" (album stream) (Premiere) |magazine=PopMatters |access-date=November 15, 2015}}</ref> She announced her departure from the group on her blog in October 2018.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.joanosborne.com/news/10-29-18/dear-trigger-hippy-fans |title=Dear Trigger Hippy Fans |publisher=Joanosborne.com |date=October 29, 2018 |access-date=July 24, 2019 |archive-date=July 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724174515/https://www.joanosborne.com/news/10-29-18/dear-trigger-hippy-fans |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[File:Joan Osborne (2018) (cropped).jpg|thumb|170px|alt=Osborne smiling|Osborne in 2018]]

On October 31, 2015, Osborne and [[Mavis Staples]] performed in Washington, D.C. at The George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium as part of their Solid Soul Tour.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gwtoday.gwu.edu/mavis-staples-and-joan-osborne-bring-soul-campus|title=Mavis Staples and Joan Osborne Bring Soul to Campus - GW Today - The George Washington University|website=Gwtoday.gwu.edu|access-date=June 23, 2017}}</ref>

Osborne has a long history of political activism, in particular with [[Planned Parenthood Federation of America]]. She began volunteering as a PPFA clinic escort in NYC in the 1980s, has organized benefit concerts for the group, and was honored as a PPFA "Woman of the Year" in 1997 after she promoted Planned Parenthood from the Lilith Fair stage in Houston, TX, despite being expressly forbidden to do so by the arena's owners, who then blacklisted her from the venue.<ref>{{cite web|title=Building a Mystery: An Oral History of Lilith Fair |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2019/09/an-oral-history-of-lilith-fair |website=vanityfair.com |date=September 30, 2019 |access-date=March 23, 2021}}</ref>

Osborne released the original album ''[[Love and Hate (Joan Osborne album)|Love and Hate]]'' in 2014 and followed up in 2017 with ''[[Songs of Bob Dylan]]'', another cover album. In 2020, she published ''[[Trouble and Strife]]'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Joan Osborne Gets Political in 'Trouble And Strife' |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/09/19/914715454/joan-osborne-gets-political-in-trouble-and-strife |website=npr.org |date=September 19, 2020 |access-date=March 23, 2021}}</ref> and in 2022, she issued the live compilation ''[[Radio Waves (Joan Osborne album)|Radio Waves]]''. In 2023, Osborne released the studio album ''[[Nobody Owns You]]''.

==Personal life==
Originally from [[Anchorage, Kentucky]], a suburb of [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]], Osborne moved to New York City in the late 1980s. She has stated that she feels an attachment to the city, particularly the [[Borough (New York City)|borough]] of [[Brooklyn]]. Her interest in the culture, history, and society of her [[Boerum Hill]] neighborhood<ref name="ALucente">{{cite news |last1=Lucente |first1=Adam |title=Joan of arts: Singer curates a women's music series |url=https://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/41/8/24-joan-osborne-curates-hip-women-show-at-bric-2018-02-23-bk.html |access-date=February 21, 2019 |newspaper=Brooklyn Paper |date=February 21, 2018}}</ref> has influenced her music. She has also expressed admiration for [[American poetry]], especially the works of [[Walt Whitman]], cited as a major inspiration for her [[songwriting]].<ref name=Beliefnet/>

Raised a [[Roman Catholic]], Osborne distanced herself from that institution after childhood, specifically after telling her parents that she wished to [[Ordination of women|become a priest]], only to learn that the [[Ordination of women and the Catholic Church|Church does not allow women to do so]]. As an adult, she regards herself as skeptical of large-scale [[organized religion]] and identifies as a "[[Spirituality|spiritual person]]" influenced by both [[Buddhism]] and Christianity.<ref name=Beliefnet>{{cite web|url=http://www.beliefnet.com/entertainment/music/2008/12/joan-osborne-interview.aspx?p=2|title=Joan Osborne: Finding a Spiritual Space in an Ordinary World|website=beliefnet.com|access-date=June 23, 2017}}</ref>

Osborne has a daughter, born in December 2004.<ref>{{cite web|last=Christiano-Mistretta|first=Maryanne|title=Joan Osborne Brings it on Home to Maplewoodstock|url=http://thealternativepress.com/articles/joan-osborne-brings-it-on-home-to-maplewoodstock|publisher=TheAlternativePress.com|access-date=December 30, 2013|date=July 11, 2013}}</ref>

==Awards and nominations==
===Grammy Awards===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="6" align="center"| [[Grammy Awards]]
|-
! Year
! style="width:200px;" | Work
! style="width:300px;" | Award
! width="65" | Result
! width="20" | Ref
|-
| rowspan="5" | [[38th Annual Grammy Awards|1996]]
| Herself
| [[Best New Artist]]
| {{nom}}
| rowspan=5 align="center"|<ref name="www.grammy.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/joan-osborne/13529|title=Joan Osborne |website=grammy.com|access-date=April 21, 2025}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Relish (album)|Relish]]''
| [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2" | "[[One of Us (Joan Osborne song)|One of Us]]"
| [[Grammy Award for Record of the Year|Record of the Year]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Best Female Pop Vocal Performance]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| "[[St. Teresa (song)|St. Teresa]]"
| rowspan="2" | [[Best Female Rock Vocal Performance]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[39th Annual Grammy Awards|1997]]
| "Spider Web"
| {{nom}}
| align="center"|<ref name="www.grammy.com"/>
|-
| [[55th Annual Grammy Awards|2013]]
| ''[[Bring It On Home (album)|Bring It On Home]]''
| [[Grammy Award for Best Blues Album|Best Blues Album]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center"|<ref name="www.grammy.com"/>
|-
{{end}}

*"[[One of Us (Joan Osborne song)|One of Us]]" was also nominated for the [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year]]. The nomination is credited to the songwriter, [[Eric Bazilian]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/eric-bazilian/1669|title=Eric Bazilian|website=grammy.com|access-date=April 21, 2025}}</ref>

===Other awards and nominations===
{| class=wikitable
|-
!scope="col"| Year
!scope="col"| Awards
!scope="col"| Work
!scope="col"| Category
!scope="col"| Result
!scope="col"|Ref.
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1996
| [[MTV Europe Music Awards]]
| rowspan="2" | Herself
| Best Female
| {{nom}}
| align="center"|<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0004793/1996/1/|title=MTV Europe Music Awards (1996)|website=IMDb.com|access-date=April 19, 2023}}</ref>
|-
| Žebřík Music Awards
| Best International Female
| {{nom}}
| align="center"|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.anketazebrik.cz/historie/1996-1992/|title = 1996-1992 – Anketa Žebřík|website=Anketazebrik.cz}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1997
| rowspan="2" | [[Brit Awards]]
| rowspan="2" | Herself
| [[Brit Award for International Female Solo Artist|International Female Solo Artist]]
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="2" align="center"|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.brits.co.uk/history/shows/1997|title=History|website=Brits.co.uk|access-date=April 19, 2023|archive-date=August 13, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813211621/http://www.brits.co.uk/history/shows/1997|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| [[Brit Award for International Breakthrough Act|International Breakthrough Act]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| 2010
| [[Women's Project Theater]]
| Herself
| Woman of Achievement Award
| {{won}}
| align="center"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/The-Womens-Project-Honors-Laurie-Anderson-Joan-Osborne-Suzanne-Vega-in-Concert-38-20100308 |title=The Women's Project Honors Laurie Anderson, Joan Osborne & Suzanne Vega in Concert, 3/8 |website=Broadwayworld.com |access-date=May 26, 2020}}</ref> 
|-
{{end}}

==Discography==
{{Main|Joan Osborne discography}}
* ''[[Relish (album)|Relish]]'' (1995)
* ''[[Early Recordings (Joan Osborne album)|Early Recordings]]'' (1996)
* ''[[Righteous Love]]'' (2000)
* ''[[How Sweet It Is (Joan Osborne album)|How Sweet It Is]]'' (2002)
* ''[[Christmas Means Love]]'' (2005)
* ''[[Pretty Little Stranger]]'' (2006)
* ''[[Breakfast in Bed (album)|Breakfast in Bed]]'' (2007)
* ''[[Little Wild One]]'' (2008)
* ''[[Bring It On Home (album)|Bring It On Home]]'' (2012)
* ''[[Love and Hate (Joan Osborne album)|Love and Hate]]'' (2014)
* ''[[Songs of Bob Dylan]]'' (2017)
* ''[[Trouble and Strife]]'' (2020)
* ''[[Nobody Owns You]]'' (2023)

==See also==
* [[List of 1990s one-hit wonders in the United States]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{sister project links|d=Q232193|c=Category:Joan Osborne|q=no|s=no|m=no|mw=no|wikt=no|species=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|n=no}}
* {{Official website}}
* {{Discogs artist|Joan Osborne}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0651674|name=Joan Osborne}}

{{Joan Osborne|state=expanded}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Osborne, Joan}}
[[Category:1962 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American women pop singers]]
[[Category:American country singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American women country singers]]
[[Category:American women rock singers]]
[[Category:American feminist musicians]]
[[Category:Interscope Records artists]]
[[Category:Musicians from Louisville, Kentucky]]
[[Category:Mercury Records artists]]
[[Category:Vanguard Records artists]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from Kentucky]]
[[Category:Country musicians from Kentucky]]
[[Category:Guitarists from Kentucky]]
[[Category:Women musicians from Kentucky]]
[[Category:21st-century American women singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American guitarists]]
[[Category:People from Boerum Hill, Brooklyn]]
[[Category:Universal Music Group artists]]
[[Category:21st-century American singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:20th-century American women guitarists]]