Molly Johnson
Encyclopedia
Molly Johnson, OC
is a Canadian
Juno Award
-winning singer-songwriter
of pop
and jazz
.
, an actor and director (Homicide: Life on the Street
, The Wire
), and sister Taborah Johnson
, an actor and singer, are also noted Canadian performers.
The child of a white mother and a black father, Johnson's career started in the mid-1960s when as a young grade schooler, she and her brother, were tapped by legendary Toronto producer Ed Mirvish
to appear in Porgy and Bess
at the Royal Alexandra Theatre
. In time Porgy and Bess was followed by South Pacific
, Finian's Rainbow
and other musicals. The budding child star was soon enrolled the National Ballet School as she desired to become a choreographer. By the age of seventeen, Molly was fronting a disco band named A Chocolate Affair. The group lasted just over a year.
Although she has performed as a jazz singer throughout her career, she did not release a jazz album until her self-titled solo debut in 2000. She was lead vocalist for two rock
bands, Alta Moda
and Infidels
in the 1980s and 1990s, as well as frequent contributor to Big Sugar
, who also became a prominent Canadian band in the 1990s. Both of her bands had notable hits in Canada (Alta Moda's "Julian" and Infidels' "100 Watt Bulb" and "Celebrate"), but both bands broke up (for different reasons) after just one album each. Also in the mid- to late-eighties, she performed with popular Toronto group Breeding Ground, most notably on their hits Happy Now I Know and Ceremony of Love, both of which received consistent college radio airplay, and even had rotation on MuchMusic
. She also performed with them live whenever her commitments with Alta Moda weren't in conflict. In 1989 she performed the song "The Best We Both Can Be" for the film Babar: The Movie
, and also provided voice work for Babar and the Adventures of Badou
in 2010.
In the mid-1990s, Johnson also organized an annual concert series, the Kumbaya Festival
, as a benefit for Canadian charities working around HIV
and AIDS
. She helped to raise over $1 million for people living with AIDS/HIV. From 1992 to 1995 Kumbaya was broadcast live by MuchMusic, and featured Canada's best talent from Rush
to the Tragically Hip, from Barenaked Ladies
to Sarah McLachlan
.
Johnson went on to release her self-titled debut Molly Johnson in 2000, and Another Day (2003). Both albums were well received at home and went on to be successful in France
, where she continues to tour. In 2006 she released her third solo album Messin' Around.
She made history at the Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival
, becoming the first Canadian female vocalist in the festival's 17-year-history to sell out a show on the mainstage
. She has even regaled royalty
during a private command performance aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia
before the Prince
and late Princess of Wales
, as well as having performed for Nelson Mandela
and Quincy Jones
. She has been the subject of numerous feature stories in various media, such as Adrienne Clarkson Presents
, June Callwood
's National Treasures, and Bravo!'s Live at the Rehearsal Hall.
In 2007, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
.
Johnson became weekend host of CBC Radio 2's Radio 2 Morning
in September 2008.
On November 11, 2008, Johnson released her fourth full-length album, a record of standards entitled Lucky, via Universal Music Canada and Universal Music France. In March 2009 Lucky took home the Juno Award
for "Vocal Jazz Album of the Year
".
She lives in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
. She is currently working on The Black History Project: Canada - an initiative she has started to update Canadian history to include its impact and involvement with regards to black history and the Underground Railroad
.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
-winning singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
of pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
.
Biography
Johnson began as a child performer, receiving formal training from the National Ballet School and the Banff School of Fine Arts. Johnson's brother Clark JohnsonClark Johnson
Clark Johnson , sometimes credited as Clark 'Slappy' Jackson, Clarque Johnson, and J. Clark Johnson, is an American actor and director who has worked in both television and film.-Early years:...
, an actor and director (Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
, The Wire
The WIRE
the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
), and sister Taborah Johnson
Taborah Johnson
Taborah Johnson , also known as Tabby Johnson, is a Canadian singer and actor. She is the sister of actor Clark Johnson and rock and jazz singer Molly Johnson....
, an actor and singer, are also noted Canadian performers.
The child of a white mother and a black father, Johnson's career started in the mid-1960s when as a young grade schooler, she and her brother, were tapped by legendary Toronto producer Ed Mirvish
Ed Mirvish
Edwin “Honest Ed” Mirvish, OC, CBE was a Canadian businessman, philanthropist and theatrical impresario who lived in Toronto, Ontario...
to appear in Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess is an opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward. It was based on DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy and subsequent play of the same title, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward...
at the Royal Alexandra Theatre
Royal Alexandra Theatre
The Royal Alexandra Theatre is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada located near King and Simcoe Streets. Built in 1907, the Royal Alex is the oldest continuously operating legitimate theatre in North America.-History:...
. In time Porgy and Bess was followed by South Pacific
South Pacific (musical)
South Pacific is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The story draws from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific, weaving together characters and elements from several of its...
, Finian's Rainbow
Finian's Rainbow
Finian's Rainbow is a musical with a book by E.Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy, lyrics by Harburg, and music by Burton Lane. The 1947 Broadway production ran for 725 performances. Several revivals and a 1968 film version followed. A Broadway revival ran from October 8, 2009 until January 17, 2010...
and other musicals. The budding child star was soon enrolled the National Ballet School as she desired to become a choreographer. By the age of seventeen, Molly was fronting a disco band named A Chocolate Affair. The group lasted just over a year.
Although she has performed as a jazz singer throughout her career, she did not release a jazz album until her self-titled solo debut in 2000. She was lead vocalist for two rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
bands, Alta Moda
Alta Moda
Alta Moda were a Canadian funk-rock band in the 1980s.Formed in 1979 in Toronto, Ontario, the band originally consisted of singer Molly Johnson and guitarist Norman Orenstein. Drummer Steven Gelineau and bassist Etric Lyons were added in 1982 and 1983 respectively.The band eventually signed to CBS...
and Infidels
Infidels (band)
Infidels were a Canadian funk-rock band in the 1990s.The band formed in 1990 when Molly Johnson reunited with Norman Orenstein, her partner in the short-lived 1980s band Alta Moda. They added Washington Savage, Jeff Jones and Owen Tennyson to the lineup, and released a self-titled album in 1991 on...
in the 1980s and 1990s, as well as frequent contributor to Big Sugar
Big Sugar
Big Sugar is a Canadian blues-rock band, they were active from 1991 to 2004 and again since April 2010. The band has sold more than half a million albums in Canada.-History:...
, who also became a prominent Canadian band in the 1990s. Both of her bands had notable hits in Canada (Alta Moda's "Julian" and Infidels' "100 Watt Bulb" and "Celebrate"), but both bands broke up (for different reasons) after just one album each. Also in the mid- to late-eighties, she performed with popular Toronto group Breeding Ground, most notably on their hits Happy Now I Know and Ceremony of Love, both of which received consistent college radio airplay, and even had rotation on MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
. She also performed with them live whenever her commitments with Alta Moda weren't in conflict. In 1989 she performed the song "The Best We Both Can Be" for the film Babar: The Movie
Babar: The Movie
Babar: The Movie is a 1989 drawn-animated film made by Canada's Nelvana Limited and France's Ellipse Programme, and distributed by New Line Cinema. It is based on the characters of Jean de Brunhoff's eponymous children's books, and was a follow-up to the first season of the HBO TV series...
, and also provided voice work for Babar and the Adventures of Badou
Babar and the Adventures of Badou
Babar and the Adventures of Badou is a 3D animated TV series that premiered in 2010 based on the characters created by Jean and Laurent de Brunhoff. The series has created new characters to the Babar universe, including Badou, who is Babar's 8-year-old grandson and the central character of the series...
in 2010.
In the mid-1990s, Johnson also organized an annual concert series, the Kumbaya Festival
Kumbaya Festival
The Kumbaya Festival was an annual Canadian music festival in the 1990s.It was organized by Molly Johnson as a benefit for Canadian charities and groups doing work around HIV and AIDS, and was broadcast annually on MuchMusic....
, as a benefit for Canadian charities working around HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
and AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. She helped to raise over $1 million for people living with AIDS/HIV. From 1992 to 1995 Kumbaya was broadcast live by MuchMusic, and featured Canada's best talent from Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
to the Tragically Hip, from Barenaked Ladies
Barenaked Ladies
Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian alternative rock band. The band is currently composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart. Barenaked Ladies formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, then a suburban municipality outside the City of Toronto...
to Sarah McLachlan
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2006, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four...
.
Johnson went on to release her self-titled debut Molly Johnson in 2000, and Another Day (2003). Both albums were well received at home and went on to be successful in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where she continues to tour. In 2006 she released her third solo album Messin' Around.
She made history at the Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival
Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival
The Toronto Jazz Festival is a jazz event in Toronto and takes place in June and July. Unlike the Toronto Beaches Jazz Festival, most of the events are indoors and located throughout the downtown core. Formerly known as the DuMaurier Jazz Festival until the ban on tobacco advertising by the federal...
, becoming the first Canadian female vocalist in the festival's 17-year-history to sell out a show on the mainstage
Mainstage
Main stage theatre is that which falls between studio theatre and large-scale events. It is usually performed in a proscenium theatre or on a thrust stage. Main stage is also used to describe the performance space with the largest audience capacity at a performing arts festival or other venues.-...
. She has even regaled royalty
Royal family
A royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning...
during a private command performance aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia
HMY Britannia
Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia is the former Royal Yacht of the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. She was the 83rd such vessel since the restoration of King Charles II in 1660. She is the second Royal yacht to bear the name, the first being the famous racing cutter built for The Prince of Wales...
before the Prince
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
and late Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
, as well as having performed for Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
and Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
. She has been the subject of numerous feature stories in various media, such as Adrienne Clarkson Presents
Adrienne Clarkson Presents
Adrienne Clarkson Presents was a Canadian cultural entertainment series broadcast on CBC Television beginning in 1988. The series ended in 1999, the year host Adrienne Clarkson was appointed Governor General of Canada....
, June Callwood
June Callwood
June Rose Callwood, was a Canadian journalist, author and social activist. She was born in Chatham, Ontario and grew up in nearby Belle River.-Early life and career:...
's National Treasures, and Bravo!'s Live at the Rehearsal Hall.
In 2007, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
.
Johnson became weekend host of CBC Radio 2's Radio 2 Morning
Radio 2 Morning
Radio 2 Morning is the morning program on CBC Radio 2 in Canada, launched September 2, 2008. The program features a cross-genre selection of Canadian and international music....
in September 2008.
On November 11, 2008, Johnson released her fourth full-length album, a record of standards entitled Lucky, via Universal Music Canada and Universal Music France. In March 2009 Lucky took home the Juno Award
Juno Awards of 2009
The Juno Awards of 2009 honoured music industry achievements in Canada in the latter part of 2007 and in most of 2008. These ceremonies were held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada during the weekend ending 29 March 2009....
for "Vocal Jazz Album of the Year
Juno Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year
The Juno Award for "Vocal Jazz Album of the Year" has been awarded since 1977, as recognition each year for the best vocal jazz album in Canada. It was previously known as other names including Best Jazz Album and the award categories for Best Mainstream Jazz Album and Best Contemporary Jazz Album...
".
She lives in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. She is currently working on The Black History Project: Canada - an initiative she has started to update Canadian history to include its impact and involvement with regards to black history and the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
.
Discography
- Molly Johnson (2000)
- Another Day (2003)
- Messin' Around (2006)
- If You Know Love (2007) (French release of Messin' Around)
- Lucky (2008)