Joan Osborne (born July 8, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter whose music draws from rock, pop, folk, soul, blues, R&B, country, and Americana. Known for her commanding voice and stylistic range, she became an international star in the mid-1990s with the song "One of Us," while continuing to build a career shaped as much by musical curiosity and live performance as by commercial success.
A native of Anchorage, Kentucky, Osborne moved to New York City in the late 1980s to study filmmaking at New York University. Her direction changed after she began performing Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child" at open-mic nights in the East Village. She soon became part of the city's roots and blues scene, sharing stages with performers including Blues Traveler, the Holmes Brothers, Chris Whitley, and Jeff Buckley. Her early influences included Holiday, Etta James, and Ray Charles, and their impact remained evident in her expressive phrasing and blues-centered approach to popular song.
In 1991, Osborne founded the independent label Womanly Hips and released Soul Show: Live at Delta 88, a live album that documented her developing presence on the New York club circuit. She later signed with Mercury Records, which issued her major-label debut, Relish, in 1995. The album combined rock, folk, blues, and soul with vivid songwriting and adventurous arrangements. Its breakthrough single, "One of Us," written by Eric Bazilian, became a worldwide hit and earned Osborne broad radio and television exposure. "St. Teresa" and "Right Hand Man" also received attention, while Relish established her as an unusually distinctive voice in 1990s adult alternative music. The album and its songs brought her several Grammy nominations.
Osborne did not follow the most predictable path after her breakthrough. Her second major studio album, Righteous Love (2000), explored darker and more atmospheric material but did not equal the commercial impact of Relish. She subsequently moved freely between original material and interpretations of older songs. How Sweet It Is (2002) emphasized classic soul and R&B, while Pretty Little Stranger (2006) explored country and Americana. Breakfast in Bed (2007) returned to soul, and Little Wild One (2008) presented another set of original songs.
Her interest in American musical history also led to prominent collaborative work. Osborne appeared in the documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown and toured with the Funk Brothers, the studio musicians associated with Motown's classic recordings. She performed with Phil Lesh and Friends and the post-Jerry Garcia edition of the Grateful Dead, sang alongside artists such as Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Luciano Pavarotti, Patti Smith, and Mavis Staples, and joined the 1997 Lilith Fair tour as a co-headliner. She was also a member of the roots-rock group Trigger Hippy before returning her main focus to her solo career.
Osborne produced albums for the Holmes Brothers and continued to emphasize classic blues and soul on Bring It on Home (2012), which received a Grammy nomination for Best Blues Album. On Love and Hate (2014), she and producer Jack Petruzzelli presented a more personal collection in which Osborne wrote or co-wrote every song. She followed it with Songs of Bob Dylan (2017), Trouble and Strife (2020), and Nobody Owns You (2023), records that combined social commentary, personal reflection, and roots-oriented songwriting. Her continuing work with Dylan's repertoire has also produced the live release Dylanology Live, reinforcing her reputation as a versatile interpreter and an enduring live performer.