Joss Stone
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{{Infobox Band | band_name = Joss Stone | image = Image:Jstone.jpg | years_active = 2003–present | origin = Dover, Kent, England | music_genre = Soul, rhythm and blues | record_label = S-Curve }} Joss Stone (born Joscelyn Eve Stoker on April 11, 1987) is an English soul singer. She is also the head spokeswoman for Gap, replacing Sarah Jessica Parker. She is known for performing barefoot.
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Biography
Joss Stone was born in Dover, Kent, England in 1987 and spent her teenage years in Ashill, Devon. She grew up listening to American R&B and soul music performed by such artists as Aretha Franklin; as a result, she developed a throaty style of singing like her idols. At 14, she appeared on Star for a Night on BBC Television singing Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman". She told MTV News, "I kind of clicked into soul music more than anything else because of the vocals. You've got to have good vocals to sing soul music and I always liked it ever since I was little."
In 2002, she decided to back her ability by flying out from England for an audition in New York City with S-Curve CEO Steve Greenberg. She also signed a global music publishing deal with BMG Music Publishing in the UK.
Since then, she has performed with a number of legendary performers from Blondie to Gladys Knight. She was named as the spokesperson for the Mega-store GAP, although she was reportedly dropped because of rumours of her living with her (then) boyfriend, Beau Dozier - (son of legendary producer, Lamont Dozier who was and a musician on one of her albums) - while she was only 17 (i.e. under the age of consent in the United States).
She has two dogs, her poodle Dusty (named after Dusty Springfield, one of her many influences) and rottweiler Missy and was recently voted Dog Owner of the Year and Sexiest Vegetarian of the Year alongside Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin. She was also voted the 4th most eligible woman in the UK and won two Brit awards in 2005 for Best Female Solo Artist and Best Urban Artist.
The Soul Sessions
Image:Joss Stone - The Soul Sessions.jpg She then flew to Miami, Florida, to start work on her debut album, The Soul Sessions. She collaborated with people with solid credentials in the Miami soul scene such as Betty Wright, Benny Latimore, Timmy Thomas and Little Beaver. She also worked with contemporary acts Angie Stone and The Roots.
The album consists of classic soul tracks by Wright, Franklin, Laura Lee and Bettye Swann. Released in late 2003, it reached the top 5 in the UK Albums Chart, and also made the top forty of the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart. The lead single, "Fell In Love With A Boy", which was a reworking of The White Stripes' song "Fell In Love With A Girl", reached the top twenty of the UK Singles Chart. The second single, "Super Duper Love (Are You Diggin' On Me?)", also reached the top twenty.
Joss was already working on an R&B debut album when The Soul Sessions were recorded. Much of this R&B album was scrapped following the success of The Soul Sessions, which remains by far her biggest-selling album, even though it was recorded with the same criteria and in the same amount of time as most studio demos. She also played Angela the witch in Eragon.
Mind, Body & Soul
Image:Joss Stone - Mind, Body & Soul.jpg After achieving critical acclaim for The Soul Sessions, Stone recorded an album full of original songs in 2004 titled Mind, Body & Soul. It proved to be an even bigger success than her first album, as it debuted at #1 in the UK (breaking the record for the youngest female ever to top the albums charts there, a record previously held by Avril Lavigne) and just missed the top ten of the U.S. Billboard 200, after peaking at #11. The lead single, "You Had Me", became her first top ten in the UK. Follow-up singles "Right To Be Wrong" and "Spoiled" both made the top forty, and "Don't Cha Wanna Ride" the top twenty. "Spoiled" landed just outside of the top 50 of America's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks, peaking at #54.
On 14 November, 2004 Stone joined Band Aid 20 to benefit Sudan's troubled Darfur region. The group, consisting of such luminaries as Chris Martin and U2 lead singer Bono, re-recorded the 1984 song "Do They Know It's Christmas?", written by Band Aid organizers Bob Geldof and Midge Ure. Stone, born 2 years after the release of the original single, wasn't initially aware who Bob Geldof was.[1] The media gleefully reported that she repeatedly referred to him as Bob Gandalf.[2] Despite some criticism of the single, though not of Stone herself, the single became the UK's biggest seller of 2004 as well as the Christmas Number 1.[3][4]
In February 2005, Stone was nominated for three Brit Awards, of which she won two; Best Female and Best Urban Act. She was also nominated three times at the 2005 Grammy Awards, where she sang barefoot on stage with rock legend Melissa Etheridge, in tribute to blues rock singer Janis Joplin. Their performance of "Cry Baby"/"Piece Of My Heart" was released as a single, and, through the aid of strong digital downloads, became Stone's first top forty U.S. hit when it debuted at #32 (where it ultimately would peak) on the Billboard Hot 100. In July of 2005 she lent her vocal talents to the Fantastic Four soundtrack, singing the title song "What Ever Happened To The Heroes", written by Pink, billymann, and Christopher Rojas.
In July 2005, Joss performed at the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park, London, and did a duet with R&B/soul singer James Brown on UK chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. On February 5, 2006, she joined John Legend and Stevie Wonder at the Super Bowl XL pre-game show in performing a medley of Wonder's hits and on the night of the Grammys 2006, she helped perform a medley of hits by the reclusive soul/funk singer Sly Stone.
Discography
Albums
| Title | The Soul Sessions | Mind, Body & Soul | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peak Position | Sales Certificate | Peak Position | Sales Certificate | |
| United States | #39 | Gold | #11 | Platinum |
| United Kingdom | #4 | 3xPlatinum | #1 | 3xPlatinum |
| Germany | #4 | Gold | #7 | Platinum |
| France | #29 | - | #9 | Gold |
| Canada | - | Platinum | - | - |
| Australia | 16 | Platinum | - | Gold |
| Brazil | - | - | - | Gold |
| Europe | - | Platinum | - | Platinum |
Sales Certificate Key
| Key | Europe (IFPI) | UK (BPI) | USA (RIAA) | Australia (ARIA) | Canada (CRIA) | Germany (IFPI.De) | Brazil (ABPD) | France |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platinum | 1million | 300,000 | 1million | 70,000 | 100,000 | 200,000 | 125,000 | 300,000 |
| Gold | -- | 100,000 | 500,000 | 35,000 | 50,000 | 100,000 | 50,000 | 100,000 |
- Sales certificates are issued in relation to the amount of copies that are shipped to music stores - NOT actual sales
- Please note that individual European countries, such as UK, Germany and France all issue sales certificates for sales within their country. However, "Europe" sales certificates are issued by the IFPI and includes sales/shipments made over the whole continent. When trying to calculate global sales, do not get confused and count both the "Europe" sales certificate and individual countries certificates.
Singles
| Year | Title | Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Singles | US Hot 100 | |||
| 2004 | "Fell In Love With A Boy" | #18 | #68 | The Soul Sessions |
| 2004 | "Super Duper Love (Are You Diggin' On Me?)" | #18 | #89 | The Soul Sessions |
| 2004 | "You Had Me" | #9 | #44 | Mind, Body & Soul |
| 2004 | "Right To Be Wrong" | #29 | #100 | Mind, Body & Soul |
| 2005 | "Spoiled" | #32 | - | Mind, Body & Soul |
| 2005 | "Don't Cha Wanna Ride" | #20 | - | Mind, Body & Soul |
| 2005 | "Cry Baby"/"Piece Of My Heart" (with Melissa Etheridge) | #12 | #32 | Mind, Body & Soul |
References
Sales certificates: Europe | American | British
See also
- Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen
- Herbie Hancock: Possibilities
- Come together now
- Fantastic Four Soundtracks
- Chicken Little Soundtracks
- Les Paul & Friends : American Made, World Played
- Desperate Housewife Soundtracks