Libby Johnson | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Background information | |
Born | Germany |
Genres | Folk, Americana |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
Years active | 1983–present |
Labels | Zero Hour Records Universal Wrong Records |
Website | libbyjohnsonmusic.com |
Libby Johnson is an American singer-songwriter. She co-founded the indie folk band 22 Brides in 1992, and released her debut solo album, Annabella, in 2006.
Johnson was born on an army base in Germany. [1] She moved around on the East Coast of the United States and moved to Nairobi, Kenya, when she was 13. [1] [2] She started playing piano at age 7. She and her younger sister, Carrie Johnson, started singing together when they were children. They performed in Kenya, before returning to the United States while in high school. They went to the Berklee College of Music in Boston before moving to New York City in 1983. [1] [2]
In 1992, the sisters formed the indie folk duo 22 Brides, and in 1993 they put out the self-released eight-song CD Selling Fruit in Cairo. The band name 22 Brides comes from an Indian folk tale they heard when they were younger. After being spotted during one of their monthly gigs at CBGB's Gallery in New York, the duo signed with indie label Zero Hour Records in 1994. On June 22, 1994, they released their self-titled debut, consisting of remixed songs from their self-released effort plus four new songs. The album was produced by Daniel Wise, with additional production from Godfrey Diamond, and features Jonathan Mover on drums and Mark Bosch on guitar. [2]
On the year-long tour for 22 Brides, and in advance of their second album, Beaker , 22 Brides expanded into a four-member band with John Skehan (guitar, bass) and Ned Stroh (drums) joining Libby Johnson (bass, keyboards, vocals) and Carrie Johnson (guitar, vocals). [3] Produced by Adam Lasus, the album had a more highly produced feel than the folk influences of the band's debut. [4] Following a Zero Hour distribution deal with Universal Records, Beaker was released on Zero Hour / Universal. [5]
On September 9, 1997, Zero Hour released the 22 Brides EP Blazes of Light, which was a sampler of sorts, with songs from their first two albums, "Purified" from their upcoming third album, and a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah". [6]
The band's third LP, Demolition Day, was released in 1998, with a return to the more intimate sound of 22 Brides. In an effort to get back to their folk-pop harmonizing roots, the band worked again with Daniel Wise and recorded their vocal tracks live and switched to a trio formation, with Libby Johnson on bass and vocals, Carrie Johnson on guitar and vocals, and Bill Dobrow on drums. The first single from the album "Another Distant Light" debuted on WNNX (99X) out of Atlanta. [7] [6]
In October 1995, 22 Brides toured with Dick Dale. [3] 22 Brides played at the 1998 Lilith Fair, [8] and also opened for Ani DiFranco and Freedy Johnston. [1]
In 1996, Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti introduced characters based on Libby and Carrie Johnson in their comic book series Ash . They then created a four-book miniseries, 22 Brides, published by Event Comics, revolving around the characters based on the sisters. [9] Palmiotti later created a spinoff series, Painkiller Jane . The first issue, "The 22 Brides", was published on June 4, 2014. [10]
The band recorded a cover of the Graham Parker song "You Can't Be Too Strong" for the 2013 tribute album Piss & Vinegar: The Songs of Graham Parker. [11]
In 2006, after hearing Johnson's upcoming album, "Annabella", writer-director Bart Freundlich decided to use four of her songs in his film Trust the Man , starring David Duchovny, Billy Crudup, Julianne Moore and Maggie Gyllenhaal. He said that he re-edited scenes around her songs. Johnson also wrote a new song, "Indelible Mark", which plays over the film's end credits, and features Shawn Pelton on drums. The soundtrack and Johnson's solo debut, Annabella, were both released on September 5, 2006, on Wrong Records. [1] [12] [13] [14] [15] Annabella features Steve Jordan on drums, and guitarists Mark Bosch, Steve Conte and John Putnam. [16]
Johnson's solo follow-up, Perfect View, was released in 2010 on Wrong Records. It was produced by Daniel Wise, with Mark Boquist on drums, Mick Hargreaves on bass, and guitarists Mark Bosch and Jimi Zhivago, as well as appearances by Lucy Wainwright Roche and Garland Jeffreys. [17]
Johnson lives in New York City with her husband and their two children. [6] [18]
Year | Title |
---|---|
1993 | Selling Fruit in Cairo
|
1994 | 22 Brides
|
1995 | Beaker
|
1997 | Blazes of Light EP
|
1998 | Demolition Day
|
Year | Title |
---|---|
2006 | Annabella
|
2010 | Perfect View
|
Year | Song | Artist | Album |
---|---|---|---|
1994 | "Visions of You" | 22 Brides | 22 Brides |
1995 | "Lullabye" | 22 Brides | Beaker |
1998 | "Another Distant Light" | 22 Brides | Demolition Day |
2013 | "You Can't Be Too Strong" | 22 Brides | Piss & Vinegar: The Songs of Graham Parker |
Year | Song | Artist | Film/TV show | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1996 | "No Enemies" | 22 Brides | No Way Home | |
2006 | "Indelible Mark" | Libby Johnson | Trust the Man | |
"Don't Mean You Lost Your Love" | Libby Johnson | |||
"Rain" | Libby Johnson | |||
"Every Broken Curve" | Libby Johnson | |||
2008 | "Don't Mean You Lost Your Love" | Libby Johnson | The Riches (FX) | Season 2, episode 4 |
"Under the Gate" | Libby Johnson | Smallville (The CW) | Season 8, episode 10 | |
2009 | "Mi La Vie" | Libby Johnson | Steven Seagal: Lawman (A&E) | Season 1, episode 2; season 1, episode 10; season 2, episode 7 |
Son Volt is an American rock band formed in 1994 by Jay Farrar after the breakup of Uncle Tupelo. The band's current line-up consists of Farrar, Andrew DuPlantis, John Horton (guitar), Mark Patterson (drums), and Mark Spencer. In addition to playing alternative rock, the band is considered a staple of the alternative country rock movement of the 1990s. The band's sound also is rooted in folk rock and Americana. The band went on an indefinite hiatus in 2001, before reforming in 2004.
Blackfoot is an American Southern rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed in 1969. Though they primarily play with a Southern rock style, they are also known as a hard rock act. The band's classic lineup consisted of guitarist and vocalist Rickey Medlocke, guitarist Charlie Hargrett, bassist Greg T. Walker, and drummer Jackson Spires.
Remy Zero was an American alternative rock band from Birmingham, Alabama, formed in 1989. It was composed of August Cinjun Tate, Shelby Tate, Cedric LeMoyne (bass), Jeffrey Cain, and Louis Schefano (drums), who was later replaced by Gregory Slay.
BR549 was an American country rock band founded in 1993. It originally consisted of Gary Bennett, Don Herron, "Smilin'" Jay McDowell, Chuck Mead, and "Hawk" Shaw Wilson. Bennett and McDowell left the band in 2001, with Chris Scruggs and Geoff Firebaugh respectively replacing them. Both Firebaugh and Scruggs later left the band as well; Mark Miller has become the band's third bassist. The name of the band is taken from a mangled phone number from Hee Haw comedian Junior Samples' car salesman skit.
A Liturgy, a Legacy, & a Ragamuffin Band is the seventh album by American singer and songwriter Rich Mullins, released in 1993. The album was very well received, and received the third place in the book CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music (2001).
Too Low for Zero is the seventeenth studio album by English musician Elton John. Released in 1983, the album marked a comeback for John, whose previous four albums had failed to yield many enduring international hit singles, and had disappointing sales compared to his string of hit records released during the first half of the 1970s.
Some Hearts is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Carrie Underwood, released in the United States on November 15, 2005, by Arista Nashville. The album contains the number one country singles "Jesus, Take the Wheel", "Don't Forget to Remember Me", "Wasted", and "Before He Cheats". The North American version contains the Billboard Hot 100 number one single, "Inside Your Heaven", as a bonus track.
Mermaid Kiss is an English band formed in Kington, Herefordshire, England, in 2000, with influences ranging from contemporary folk music to progressive rock.
Hillbilly Deluxe is the ninth studio album by American country music duo Brooks & Dunn, released in 2005 on Arista Nashville. Certified Platinum in the United States by the RIAA, the album produced four singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. The duo produced the majority of the album with Tony Brown.
The Time Has Come is the debut studio album by American country music artist Martina McBride, released in 1992. The album rose to the #49 position on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. It includes the singles "The Time Has Come", "Cheap Whiskey" and "That's Me", all of which charted on the Billboard country charts. "The Time Has Come" was the highest-peaking of the three, reaching #23. "When You Are Old" was later recorded by Gretchen Peters on her 1996 album The Secret of Life.
Trent Summar & The New Row Mob is an American country music group from the state of Tennessee. Its membership comprises Trent Summar, Ken McMahan (guitar), Dan Baird (guitar), Dave Kennedy (drums), and Michael "Supe" Granda. Granda is a founding member of Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Baird is a former member of the Southern rock band The Georgia Satellites, and Summar previously fronted a band called Hank Flamingo. To date, Trent Summar & The New Row Mob have recorded two studio albums and a live compilation, in addition to charting one single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros is an American folk rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2005. The group is led by singer Alex Ebert. The band's name is based on a story Ebert wrote in his youth, about a messianic figure named Edward Sharpe. Drawing from roots rock, folk, gospel, and psychedelic music, the band's image and sound evoke the hippie movement of the 1960s and 1970s. The group's first show was played July 18, 2007, at The Troubadour in West Hollywood, California. Their first studio album, Up from Below, was released on July 7, 2009, on Community Records and featured the popular single "Home". The group released their second full-length album, Here, on May 29, 2012, and third album, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, on July 23, 2013. Their fourth studio album, PersonA, was released in April 2016.
Monsters of Folk was an American supergroup, consisting of Jim James from My Morning Jacket, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis from Bright Eyes, Will Johnson from Centro-matic and M. Ward, solo artist and half of She & Him. The band was formed in 2004 when the members were on tour with their respective bands and solo projects. After playing together both on-stage and backstage, they started working together on various material. Due to the members' main projects, Monsters of Folk did not finish their first album until 2009, and it was released on September 22 on Rough Trade. It debuted at No. 143 on the Billboard 200 and peaked at 15. It also reached No. 3 on Top Independent Albums, No. 8 on Top Rock Albums, No. 7 on Top Digital Albums, and No. 6 on Top Alternative Albums.
The Head and the Heart is the first studio album by folk rock band The Head and the Heart, released on April 19, 2011, on Sub Pop. A deluxe edition of the album was released in August 2011 and included 'Chasing A Ghost' (live), 'Josh McBride' (Live) and 'Rivers and Roads' (live). Initially, the band had self-released the album in June 2009, selling it at concerts, by word of mouth, and through local record stores. In the ensuing months the album sold 10,000 copies. Their music plays heavily on the trio of vocal harmonies, piano and violin melodies, and prominent drums and percussion. It was the top-selling album of the year 2010 for the independent Sonic Boom Records in the band's home neighborhood of Ballard, Seattle. The song "Rivers and Roads" was used in the series finale of NBC's Chuck, in the 16th episode of the seventh season of CBS's hit comedy How I Met Your Mother, also at the season finale of the fourth season of Fox's series New Girl, and also in The Good Doctor.
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros is the third album by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. It was released on July 23, 2013 in North America and was released on July 29, 2013 around the world through Vagrant Records, Rough Trade Records and Communion Records. Frontman Alex Ebert stated that "These songs mean everything to me - It's the rawest, most liberated, most rambunctious stuff we've done."
New Demons is the fourth studio album by American electronicore band I See Stars, released on October 22, 2013 through Sumerian Records. The album was originally set for release on August 13, before being pushed back to September 17, and again to October 22 for unknown reasons. The album marks a progression of the sound in their previous album Digital Renegade, with Zach Johnson having a much bigger vocal role, as well as having a much more prominent EDM sound. The song "Violent Bounce" was the first single to be released. It was uploaded to YouTube via the Sumerian Records channel. "Murder Mitten" and the title track, "New Demons", were to follow. The band did performances of the song "Ten Thousand Feet" to give fans a taste of what is going to be on the rest of the album before its release. Klayton of Celldweller, Mutrix, and Razihel all provided additional programming for some of the tracks.
Bad Suns is an American rock band from Woodland Hills, California, formed in 2012. The band currently consists of Christo Bowman, Gavin Bennett, and Miles Morris. All of the band members are from Los Angeles, California. The group has been signed to Vagrant Records, where they released their debut album Language & Perspective in 2014. The band's sound is inspired from 1970s and 1980s post-punk pioneers like The Cure and Elvis Costello. Their second album was released on September 16, 2016, titled Disappear Here. Their third album, Mystic Truth, was released on March 22, 2019. Their fourth album, Apocalypse Whenever, was released on January 28, 2022.
Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys is the 12th studio album and first tribute album by American country band Asleep at the Wheel. Recorded at studios in Austin, Texas and Nashville, Tennessee, it was produced by the band's frontman Ray Benson and released on October 25, 1993 by Liberty Records. The collection features recordings of songs made popular by Western swing group Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, a major influence on Asleep at the Wheel.
Beaker is the second album by the American alternative rock band 22 Brides. It was released in 1995.
Angel in the Dark is a 2001 album from American singer-songwriter Laura Nyro, released after her death and made up of recordings from 1994 and 1995.