29 Facts About Joan Osborne

Joan Osborne is best known for her recording of the Eric Bazilian-penned song "One of Us" from her debut album, Relish.

Originally from Anchorage, Kentucky, a suburb of Louisville, Joan 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 Stoney, among others.

Joan 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 Cafe.

Joan Osborne 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.

Joan Osborne signed a recording contract with Rick Chertoff of Mercury Records, and released her second album Relish, which became a hit on the strength of the single "One of Us".

Joan Osborne wrote and directed the second music video for "St Teresa".

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

In 2001, Joan 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, Maydie Miles, and Joan Osborne.

In 2001, Joan Osborne appeared on Austin City Limits, singing material mainly from Righteous Love.

Joan Osborne was featured in the 2002 documentary film Standing in the Shadows of Motown and toured with Motown sidemen the Funk Brothers.

Joan Osborne and her band accompanied the Dixie Chicks for a national tour in the summer of 2003, during which time she joined veteran San Francisco jam-rockers The Dead as a vocalist, and released her fourth album, titled How Sweet It Is, a collection of classic rock and soul covers.

Joan Osborne's vocals were featured prominently on the album Live at the Warfield.

Joan Osborne sang lead vocals on the cover of the Willie Dixon-penned "Spoonful" on Vivian Campbell's 2005 solo album, Two Sides of If.

Joan Osborne provided vocals for "Wayfaring Stranger" on Spearhead's 1997 album, Chocolate Supa Highway.

Joan Osborne interpreted "Raglan Road" for the Chieftains 1999 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.

Joan Osborne is featured on the Holmes Brothers 2007 collection State of Grace performing "Those Memories of You", an old Alan O'Bryant bluegrass tune.

Joan Osborne released the studio album Little Wild One in September 2008.

Joan Osborne performed with The Waybacks at Merlefest, 2011, during the Hillside Album hour, featuring The Allman Brothers' Eat a Peach.

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

Joan Osborne's album Bring It On Home was released on March 27,2012.

Joan Osborne was a member of Trigger Hippy, along with Steve Gorman, Tom Bukovac, Jackie Greene, and Nick Govrik.

Joan Osborne announced her departure from the group on her blog in October 2018.

Joan Osborne has a long history of political activism, in particular with Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

Joan Osborne 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.

Joan Osborne released the original album Love and Hate in 2014 and followed up in 2017 with Songs of Bob Dylan, another cover album.

In 2023, Joan Osborne released the studio album Nobody Owns You.

Originally from Anchorage, Kentucky, a suburb of Louisville, Joan Osborne moved to New York City in the late 1980s.

Joan Osborne has stated that she feels an attachment to the city, particularly the borough of Brooklyn.

Joan Osborne has expressed admiration for American poetry, especially the works of Walt Whitman, cited as a major inspiration for her songwriting.