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

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. She wrote the song "Beautiful Disaster" for

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...

. Rebecca's own music is a mix of pop, jazz, soul, and americana. Rebecca composes on both piano and guitar.

Early life

Johnson grew up in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, 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. It was distributed through the RCA Music Gro ...

, 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, and producer 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, releasi ...

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 to 20 minutes, alth ...

". The featured musicians were: Butch Norton

Lucinda Williams Lucinda Gayle Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and a solo guitarist. She recorded her first two albums: '' Ramblin' on My Mind'' (1979) and '' Happy Woman Blues'' (1980), in a traditional country and blues style ...

The Eels Eels (often typeset as eels or EELS) is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1991 by singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mark Oliver Everett, known by the stage name E. Band members have changed over the years, bot ...

Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded 10 studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical operas and set ...

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

) 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 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, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Ever ...

and

Alice Smith Alice Smith (born 30 November 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, she sang in ''Moomtez'' and ''Black Rock ...

, 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 her ...

. 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 quarterly American 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 magazine is itself an allusion to vinyl rec ...

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. His father is a lawyer and Younge himself earned a Juris Doctor degree fr ...

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 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, broadca ...

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. Th ...

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 was 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 first (and only) to feature his backing band 3rdeyegirl. It was released on September 26, 2014 by NPG Records under a renewed license to Warner Bros. ...

Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Known for his work in comic film, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best come ...

'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 filmmaker, comedian and actor. Levinson's best-known works are mid-budget comedy drama and drama films such as '' Diner'' (1982); ''The Natural'' (1984); ''Good Morning, Vietnam'' (1987); ' ...

'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. Portrayed are the racial injustices experienced bot ...

'' and in the 2003 gay

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

Latter Days ''Latter Days'' is a 2003 American romantic comedy-drama film about a gay relationship between a closeted Mormon missionary and his openly gay neighbor. The film was written and directed by C. Jay Cox and stars Steve Sandvoss as the missionary ...

'' 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 A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sap ...

'' (1996) *''

As Good as It Gets ''As Good as It Gets'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by James L. Brooks, who co-wrote it with Mark Andrus. The film 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 20th-century African-American women singers Singers from Cleveland 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century African-American women singers Year of birth missing (living people)