Rebecca Johnson, also credited as Rebekah and Rebecca Jordan, is an American singer-songwriter and actress from

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. She wrote the song "Beautiful Disaster" for

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne (born Kelly Brianne Clarkson, April 24, 1982), known professionally as Kelly Clarkson, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Rising to fame after winning the American Idol season 1, first season of ''Ameri ...

. Her own music is a mix of pop, jazz, soul, and Americana. She composes on both piano and guitar.

Early life

Johnson grew up in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, Ohio. She got her start singing in church.

Career

In 1998, Johnson recorded ''Remember to Breathe'' for Elektra, the radio singles were "Sin So Well" (No. 80 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart) and "Hey Genius". Johnson sought and was eventually granted a release from the label due to creative differences. She then signed with Clive Davis'

J Records J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG's record labels in late 2008 at the end of their merger. It was distribut ...

, but did not complete an album, and after 3 years requested a release. "Beautiful Disaster", written by Johnson and Matthew Wilder, was recorded and released twice by

, on her album "Thankful" in 2003 and as a special live recording on "Breakaway" in 2004. In 2005, as Rebekah Jordan, Johnson produced and released an EP through her own Tea Party Records. The 6 song EP, titled ''The Trouble With Fiction'' included 5 original songs and a signature interpretation of the

Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasing the album ...

classic, "

Dreams A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5–20 minutes, althou ...

". The featured musicians were: Butch Norton

Lucinda Williams Lucinda Gayl Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and a solo guitarist. She recorded her first two albums, ''Ramblin' on My Mind (Lucinda Williams album), Ramblin' on My Mind'' (1979) and ''Happy Woman Blues'' (198 ...

The Eels,

Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded eleven studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical opera ...

Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter, widely known for her hit singles " Fast Car" (1988) and " Give Me One Reason" (1995). She was signed to Elektra Records by Bob Krasnow in 1987. The following year she rel ...

) on drums and percussion, John Ballinger on guitar and clarinet, and Jessica Catron on cello. In 2006, Butch, John Ballinger, Jessica Catron, and Johnson formed a new band, "Dreaming Ferns". They made a limited edition EP titled ''You're A Spark'', which was only available at live shows. In 2007, she guest-starred on an episode of ''

Jack's Big Music Show ''Jack's Big Music Show'' is an American musical children's television series produced for the Noggin channel. It was created and executive produced by David Rudman, Todd Hannert, and Adam Rudman through their company Spiffy Pictures. The pre ...

''. In 2009, Johnson relocated to Brooklyn, New York. She began writing with

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He began his musical career working behind the scenes for other artists, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Every ...

and

Alice Smith Alice Smith (born November 30, 1977) is an American singer and songwriter, her style anchored in rock, R&B, blues, jazz and soul. Life and career Raised between Washington, D.C., and a farm in Georgia, Smith spent part of her schooling at Ge ...

, and in 2010 was given the Abe Olman Award by the

Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work represent and maintain the heri ...

. Johnson's ''Souvenir'' EP was nominated for an Independent Music Award in 2011. Johnson was featured as a guest vocalist and songwriter on the 2011

Wax Poetics ''Wax Poetics'' is a global music platform for music collectors, with its roots as a music magazine dedicated to vintage and contemporary jazz, funk, soul, Latin, hip-hop, reggae, blues, and R&B in the crate-digger tradition; the name of the ...

release

Adrian Younge Adrian Younge (born May 7, 1978) is an American composer, arranger and music producer based in the Los Angeles area. Background Younge grew up in Fontana, California, United States. His father is a lawyer and Younge himself earned a Juris Doct ...

Presents Venice Dawn, on the songs "Midnight Blue", "First Step on the Moon", and "It's Me". Johnson was also featured as a vocalist and writer on the

Rockie Fresh Donald Howard Pullen (born April 16, 1991), known professionally as Rockie Fresh, is an American rapper. He was signed to Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group and Atlantic Records. Pullen is known for his alternatively influenced style of hip-hop, and ...

mixtape ''Driving 88'' on the song "No Worries" and on The KickDrums ''Follow The Leader'' mixtape on the song "Lights" in 2012. In 2013, Johnson was invited to perform at The Kennedy Center for the

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...

Foundation's Contemporary Composer Series. In 2013 Alice Smith released "She", featuring 6 songs co-written with Johnson and producer

Syience Reginald "Reggie" Perry, better known as Syience, is a Grammy Award-winning American songwriter, record producer and musician from Flint, Michigan. He has worked with a number of recognizable and respected artists, including Beyoncé, Cheryl Col ...

: "Be Easy", "Cabaret", "The One", "With You", the title track "She", and "Another Love".

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

and

3rdeyegirl 3rdeyegirl, stylized as 3RDEYEGIRL, is an American funk rock band and was Prince's backing band from his 2014 return to Warner Music until his death in 2016. It is a trio consisting of the American drummer Hannah Welton, Canadian guitarist Do ...

reinterpreted and recorded "Another Love", for their 2014 album

Plectrumelectrum ''Plectrumelectrum'' is the thirty-sixth studio album by American recording artist Prince, and the only to feature his backing band 3rdeyegirl. It was released on September 26, 2014 by NPG Records under a renewed license to Warner Bros. Records ...

Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American comedian, actor, and filmmaker. He first gained prominence for his stand-up routines in the 1980s in which he tackled subjects including race relations, human sexuality, and obse ...

's 2014 film

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, Johnson is featured in the musical score, singing a cover of Nu Shooz "I Can't Wait". Johnson has had major acting roles in two films,

Barry Levinson Barry Lee Levinson (born April 6, 1942) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Levinson won the Academy Award for Best Director for '' Rain Man'' (1988). His other best-known works are ''Diner'' (1982), '' The Natural'' (1984 ...

's ''

Liberty Heights ''Liberty Heights'' is a 1999 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Barry Levinson. The film is a semi-autobiographical account of his childhood growing up in Baltimore in the 1950s. The film portrays the racial injustices experienc ...

'' and in the 2003 gay

romantic drama Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...

Latter Days ''Latter Days'' is a 2003 American Romance film, romantic comedy drama film about the relationship between a Coming out#Closeted, closeted Mormon missionary and his openly gay neighbor. The film was written and directed by C. Jay Cox and stars ...

'' where she sings three songs: "More", "Another Beautiful Day" and "Tuesday 3:00am".

Discography

*''Remember to Breathe'' (1998) *''The Trouble With Fiction'' (2005) *''You're A Spark'' (2007) *''Souvenir'' (2011) *''Asphalt Heart'' (2015)

Filmography

*'' Ruby Jean and Joe'' (1996) *''

As Good as It Gets ''As Good as It Gets'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by James L. Brooks from a screenplay he co-wrote with Mark Andrus. It stars Jack Nicholson as a misanthropic, bigoted and obsessive–compulsive novelist, Helen Hunt ...

'' (1997) *''

'' (1999) *''

'' (2003)

References

External links

American Songwriter's interview with Rebekah
*http://www.afropunk.com/profiles/blogs/video-premiere-singer-songwriter-rebecca-jordan-explores-identity?xg_source=activity // AFROPUNK Video Premiere, Oct 2015 *https://www.rebeccajordansmith.com // website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Rebekah Living people African-American actresses African-American women singer-songwriters American women singer-songwriters 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers Singers from Cleveland 21st-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century American women singers 21st-century African-American women singers Year of birth missing (living people)