Nedra Johnson
Nedra Johnson (born July 27, 1966) is an American rhythm and blues and jazz singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She has performed internationally at jazz, blues, pride and women's music festivals as a solo artist, a tuba player, and vocalist.
Nedra Johnson | |
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Born | July 27, 1966 |
Instrument(s) | guitar, bass, tuba |
Labels | Big Mouth Girl Records |
Website | Official website |
Early life
Johnson was born in New York City in 1966. She is the daughter of jazz performer Howard Johnson.
Career
Johnson has performed in internationally in cities including Paris, Nîmes, Berlin, Vienna, Kassel, Munich, Leverkusen, Los Angeles, New York, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Oakland, Cleveland, Madison, Chicago, and New Caledonia. She has also performed with her father Howard Johnson and his group, Gravity.
For many years, she performed as a professional bassist and continues with solo acoustic performances with an R&B flair.
Johnson, a lesbian, is a performer of women's music.[1][2] On her first album, Testify, she recorded the black lesbian feminist poet Pat Parker's 1978 poem "Where Will You Be?"[3] In 2005, Johnson released her own version of "Amazon Women Rise" as a tribute to the lesbian songwriter Maxine Feldman, a founding figure in women's music.[4]
Awards
Her self-titled release received a 2006 OUTMUSIC Award for Outstanding New Recording-Female.[5]
Notable performances
- Michigan Womyn's Music Festival, Wahalla, MI: 2014,[7] 2005, 2003, 2001, 1999, 1998, 1996, 1992
- Queer Is Folk Festival, Chicago, IL: 2005[8]
- National Queer Arts Festival, San Francisco, CA: 2003, 2002
- Femme Funk Festival, Nouméa, New Caledonia: 2002, 1999[9]
- National Women's Music Festival, Muncie, IN: 1998, 1996
References
- Anderson, Jamie (April 22, 2008). "Women's Music 101". AfterEllen. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
- Morris, Bonnie J. (July 29, 2016). The Disappearing L: Erasure of Lesbian Spaces and Culture. SUNY Press. p. 46.
- Morris, Bonnie J. (January 15, 2001). "Women's Festival on the Front Lines". Out in the South. Temple University Press. p. 70. ISBN 9781566398138.
- Hayes, Eileen M. (February 26, 2010). Songs in Black and Lavender: Race, Sexual Politics, and Women's Music. Illinois: University of Illinois Press. p. 114. ISBN 978-0252035142.
- "Go Magazine". Go Magazine. Archived from the original on April 4, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
- "Nedra Johnson: Discography". All Music. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
- "Michigan Womyn's Music Festival". Michigan Womyn's Music Festival. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
- "Windy City Media Group". Windy City Media Group. 18 May 2005. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
- "Femmes Funk Festival". New Caledonia TV. Retrieved March 7, 2015.