Molly Johnson
, O.C., is a Canadian Juno Award-winning singer-songwriter of pop and jazz.
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MOLLY JOHNSON TICKETS
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Biography
Johnson began as a child performer, receiving formal training from the
National Ballet School and the
Banff School of Fine Arts.
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,
Clark Johnson, were tapped by 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.
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 one million dollars 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.
Molly 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
.
Johnson's brother Clark, an actor and director, and sister
Taborah, an actor and singer, are also noted Canadian performers.
In 2007, she was made an Officer of the
Order of Canada.
[1]
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".
Discography
- Molly Johnson
(2000)
- Another Day
(2003)
- Messin' Around
(2006)
- If You Know Love
(2007) (French release of Messin' Around
)
- Lucky
(2008)
References
- Title Unavailable