Janiva Magness – Detroit Michigan
Born: January 30, 1957 (age 58), United States of America
Albums: Stronger for It, What Love Will Do, Original……
Record labels: Northern Blues Music, Alligator Records
Janiva Magness celebrated her birthday on Friday, January 30th. If you do not know about her,Janiva is a blues superstar. She was named the Blues Foundation’s B.B. King Entertainer of the Year in 2009, becoming only he second woman, after Koko Taylor, to be so honored. She was also named the Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year in that same year! She had won that award in both 2006 and 2007. In 2012 she was nominated for that award again. All total since 2006, she has had 22 similar nominations! In 2013 Janiva won the Blues Music Award: for Contemporary Artist of the Year again and her song “I Won’t Cry” was song of the Year!! This year (2015)Janiva is nominated for the following Blues Music Awards
Song of the Year “Let Me Breathe”
Contemporary Blues Album: Original
Contemporary Blues Female Artist
Now I knew that Janiva was a great blues singer Her 2010 release The Devil is an Angel too… is in my music library. what I didn’t know was that this Detroit native lost both her parents to suicide before she reached her mid-teens and was placed in a series of a dozen foster homes. At seventeen she became pregnant and gave her baby up for adoption. Now she is a national spokesperson for Casey Family Programs, promoting National Foster Care Month and she has reconnected with her daughter! From Wikipedia:
Casey Family Programs is the nation’s largest operating foundation entirely focused on foster care. Since 1966, they have worked to provide and improve—and ultimately prevent the need for—foster care in the United States. As advocates for change, they are committed to their 2020 Strategy – an ambitious yet attainable goal to safely reduce the number of children in foster care and improve the lives of those who remain in care.
They state that decades of front-line experience make them exceptionally qualified to identify various improvements in child welfare practices, and help states and counties implement them. The foundation, established by UPS founder Jim Casey, is headquartered in Seattle, Washington Read More
Here’s what some folks say about Janiva:
“Janiva Magness always knocks me out because she has such style and poise on stage
and she hits every note she sings just right, perfect every time.” Charlie Musselwhite
“Magness nails every performance, seamlessly shifting from dark to light. It’s that
dichotomy that brings the tension and release, edging her a little further from the typical
R&B territory that is only a starting point for her dynamic talent.” – AllMusic Guide
“Sista Janiva’s robust and soulful voice is showering each cut with determination to
make us all fall in love. Her delivery is as always, sincere and straight from the heart.
Sweet Soul Music is alive and kickin’…” – Mavis Staples
Discography
1997 It Takes One to Know One Fathead Records
1999 My Bad Luck Soul Blues Leaf Records
2001 Blues Ain’t Pretty Loose Leaf Records
2003 Use What You Got Blues Leaf Records
2004 Bury Him at the Crossroads NorthernBlues Music
2006 Do I Move You? NorthernBlues Music
2008 What Love Will Do Alligator Records
2010 The Devil is an Angel Too Alligator Records
2012 Stronger for It Alligator Records
2014 Original Fathead Records
Links For Further Explorations of the Music of Janiva Magness
Janiva’a website:
Wikipedia
All Music Guide
Blues Foundation: Join and Vote
Amazon
Casey Family Programs
So let’s wish Janiva a Happy Belated Birthday and thank her for the music and her charity work!! And let’s go “into the night” and the Supr Bowl with a live performance of :”The Devil is an Angel too….”