Joan Osborne

2022 Recipient of the John Lennon Real Love Award

Since bursting onto the scene in 1995, Joan Osborne has left an indelible mark on contemporary music as one of the most gifted vocalists of her generation. 

Upon learning that she was this selected as the 2022 John Lennon Real Love Award Honoree, Joan wrote: “John Lennon’s songs showed me that music is a way for us to tell our deepest truths – to ourselves, to each other and to the wider world. I am deeply honored by Theatre Within and I am thrilled to be recognized by Yoko Ono, who has always been a heroine to me.”

Joan was born in 1962 in the small town of Anchorage, Kentucky. After leaving home at 17, she graduated high school and went to Louisville to study theater. However, Joan was captivated by the immediacy of music. 

One night Joan found herself at an open mic singing Billie Holiday’s “God Bless The Child.” Asked to return for a weekly jam session, she immersed herself in the music of R&B greats. Her breakthrough came with the release of Relish, featuring the classic #1 hit “One Of Us.” 

In the 1980s Joan volunteered as a clinic escort for Planned Parenthood, helping women get past anti-choice demonstrators who harassed them.  As a passionate pro-choice advocate, Joan always invited Planned Parenthood to staff a table at her shows. 

In 1997, while headlining Lilith Fair with Sarah McLachlan at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Texas, the venue banned Planned Parenthood from the grounds, citing a policy prohibiting organizations espousing “contentious issues.” Joan was among the artists who pushed back and the venue relented, allowing Planned Parenthood access but strictly prohibiting artists from acknowledging their presence.

That night Joan performed wearing a Planned Parenthood t-shirt and from the stage urged the audience to visit the organization’s table and support its mission. For that defiance she was banned from ever appearing at the venue again. Joan remains an outspoken proponent of women’s rights to health care and self-determination. 

Joan has appeared in benefit concerts for the Seva Foundation, which provides eye care to underserved communities, the Blue Rose Foundation, which awards pre-school scholarships to low income families, and Ben’s Lighthouse, a non-profit inspired by the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which provides programs to help kids develop empathy and social connection. 

In addition, Joan is a longtime supporter of Theatre Within’s mission of providing ongoing free workshops in creative expression, including the John Lennon Real Love Project, to communities in need. 

About Joan, Yoko Ono wrote: “For many years Joan Osborne’s beautiful voice has touched our hearts and brought us joy. I am in great admiration of Joan’s support of charities that provide health care for women, assistance for children impacted by war and so many others.”