Prudence Johnson is an American folk and jazz singer.

Early life and education

Johnson grew up in a musical family in Moose Lake, Minnesota. She earned a bachelor's degree in international studies from

Hamline University Hamline University ( ) is a private university in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1854, Hamline is the oldest university in Minnesota, the first coeducational university in the state, and is one of five Associated Colleges of th ...

Career

In the early 1970s, Prudence was a co-founder with

Tim Sparks Tim Sparks (born October 31, 1954) is an American Steel-string guitar, acoustic guitar player, singer, arranger and composer. Life Raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, he was given his first guitar when a bout of encephalitis kept him out of ...

of the vocal jazz group Rio Nido. The group recorded three albums and performed extensively, most often in the

Minneapolis–Saint Paul Minneapolis–Saint Paul is a metropolitan area in the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States centered around the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi, Minnesota River, Minnesota, and St. Croix River (Wisconsin–Minnesota), ...

area. After her time with Rio Nido, she recorded three solo albums for

Red House Records Red House Records is an independent folk and Americana record label in St. Paul, Minnesota. The label was founded in 1983 by Bob Feldman after seeing a performance by Iowa folk singer Greg Brown. Origin The label is named for a farmhouse in I ...

: ''Vocals'', ''Songs of Greg Brown'', and ''Little Dreamer'', the latter a collection of children's lullabies from around the world which earned Johnson a 1992

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

nomination. She was awarded a McKnight Fellowship to record ''Moon Country'', a collection of

Hoagy Carmichael Hoagland Howard "Hoagy" Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, actor, author and lawyer. Carmichael was one of the most successful Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s and 1940s, a ...

songs. She collaborated with four Minnesota composers to create ''A Girl Named Vincent'', a presentation of the poetry of

Edna St. Vincent Millay Edna St. Vincent Millay (February 22, 1892 – October 19, 1950) was an American lyric poetry, lyrical poet and playwright. Millay was a renowned social figure and noted Feminism, feminist in New York City during the Roaring Twenties and beyond. ...

set to music. In 2005, Johnson produced, directed, and performed in a musical production about the sinking of the '' Edmund Fitzgerald'' titled '' Ten November''. The production featured Claudia Schmidt, Ruth McKenzie,

Kevin Kling Kevin Kling is an American storyteller and a commentator for National Public Radio. Life and career Kling grew up in Osseo, Minnesota, and graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre. He began his career i ...

and

Peter Ostroushko Peter Ostroushko (August 12, 1953 – February 24, 2021) was an American violinist and mandolinist. He performed regularly on the radio program ''A Prairie Home Companion'' and with a variety of bands and orchestras in Minneapolis–Saint Paul an ...

. She produced the album.New Music Arts.
The production tells the story of the sinking of the ship from the point of view of crew members, local sailors, and the wives of crew members. She has been a guest on the radio program ''

A Prairie Home Companion ''A Prairie Home Companion'' was a weekly radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor that aired live from 1974 to 2016. In 2016, musician Chris Thile took over as host, and the successor show was eventually renamed ''Live from He ...

''. Johnson's film credits include

Robert Redford Charles Robert Redford Jr. (born August 18, 1936) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received numerous accolades such as an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, as well as the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1994, the ...

's '' A River Runs Through It'' in a role as a singer and

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer, producer. He is considered an enduring figure from the New Hollywood era, known for directing subversive and sat ...

's ''

'' as herself.

Discography

Solo

* ''Little Dreamer'' ( Red House, 1984) * ''Vocals'' (Red House, 1987) * ''Dick King Classic Swing and Prudence Johnson: King Swings, Pru Sings'' (1998) * ''Songs of Greg Brown'' (Red House, 1991) * ''Moon Country'' (Sleeper, 2002) * ''S' Gershwin'' with Dan Chouinard (Sleeper, 2004) * ''Gales of November'' (Sleeper, 2005) * ''Peru'' (Sleeper, 2006)

With Rio Nido

* '' I Like to Riff'' (1978) * '' Hi Fly'' (1983) * '' Voicings'' (1986)

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Prudence American jazz singers American folk singers American women jazz singers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from Moose Lake, Minnesota Singers from Minneapolis Jazz musicians from Minnesota Red House Records artists 21st-century American women Hamline University alumni