Description: Singer/Songwriter
Comparisons: For her ability to span the musical spectrum from Folk to Jazz, the closest comparisons to Janis Ian are
Joni Mitchell or
Ani Difranco. Other folks that come to mind include Joan Armatrading and Tracy Champan.
Trivia Fact: The name Janis was born with was Janis Eddy Fink. She changed it to Janis Ian when she was just a child.
Quote from Janis Ian: "I really am amazed that anyone at all would come to my shows. That they'd know some of the songs is just icing on the cake!"
Janis Ian Biography: Janis Eddy Fink (
Janis Ian) was born on a farm in south Jersey in 1949. By the time she was three, she had begun playing the piano. By the age of ten, she had moved on to guitar. At 15, she released her first single,
"Society's Child" (a song about an inter-racial relationship among teenagers) to incredible controversy and praise. The buzz surrounding her first single not only landed her on several television programs, but also scored a Grammy nomination the following year.
In the 1970s, Ian's career continued with great vivacity as she released three albums in a row that met large critical acclaim. The release of her second most popular single "At Seventeen" provoked five Grammy nominations, including two Grammy awards.
During the 1980s, she took some time off to study ballet and acting. The break lasted for nearly the entire decade.
But in 1993, Ian returned with the release of Breaking Silence. Rather than risk losing artistic control to her record company, she took out a second mortgage on her home to fund the record. It paid off as Breaking Silence was nominated for a Grammy for Best Folk Album.
Since then, Janis has continued to tour rigorously and release records. She started the Pearl Foundation to offer scholarships for college. She has worked with artists including Dolly Parton, Willy Nelson, and Ani Difranco.
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