Janis Ian

In her fifth decade of writing songs and performing, Janis Ian won her second Grammy Award of nine total nominations over the years in eight categories! Her 2013 Grammy, presented at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony, is for Best Spoken Word Album for her audio book "Society's Child” (Audible.com). She had stiff competition -- President Bill Clinton, First Lady Michelle Obama, Rachel Maddow and Ellen DeGeneres. Janis’ audio book was produced by Grammy Award winner Stefan Rudnicki, producer of over 1,000 audio books, who has also been honored with Grammy nominations, Audie Awards and AudioFile Earphones Awards. Like most everything she does, “We did the entire thing live, including the singing and playing. No edits, no overdubs, no recording studio.” When she won, she sincerely considered it to be a “stunning upset.” With her inimitable sense of humor, she went on to say "There must be a joke in here somewhere. An ex-president, a First Lady and three lesbians go into a bar..."
On a more serious note, she said, "We artists are the last alchemists, pulling your dreams, your hopes, your deepest desires out of thin air, and turning them into something you can hear, and play, and sing. My first Grammy nomination came when I was 15 years old. For better and for worse, I have watched my business become an industry - but one thing will never change. We don't sell music. We sell dreams."
Janis Ian began her mostly stellar, sometimes stormy, professional life at the age of 12 when she wrote her first song and was published by Broadside Magazine. That led to her first “real” show, at New York’s venerable Village Gate, where she shared a stage with Tom Paxton (with whom she recently toured the east coast of the U.S.), Lou Gossett Jr., Judy Collins, Phil Ochs, and a host of other singer-songwriters.
Music and lyrics are about life experiences and, as Janis’ life has been full and colorful, so have her songs as evidenced by her multiple awards, Grammy and Dove Award nominations and commendations. Her songs have been recorded by singers as diverse as Cher, John Mellencamp, Celine Dion, Hugh Masakela, Nana Mouskouri, Charlie Daniels and Roberta Flack.
Always one to follow her heart and her beliefs, Janis was one of the first celebrities to come out publicly. She and her partner of 23 years were married in Canada in 2003, the only place where gay marriage was legal at the time. Her roller coaster ride has taken her to Nashville, her home this past quarter-century, where she thrives with new product on her own Rude Girl Records label, ongoing touring, and perpetual and prolific songwriting.