TWO LEGENDS RETURN :: Infidels, Alta Moda, jazz chanteuse, Juno winner, early AIDS activist (she’s raised over $6 million for the cause), Queens Jubilee Medal and Officer of the Order of Canada recipient, radio host, loving loud-mouth, mother, wife. And that hair. Canadian treasure Molly Johnson cannot be kept in a box. September 9 she busts out of another one: Because Of Billie, her sixth studio album via Universal Music Canada, sees another twist in the incredible journey of an icon.
“For years, people have said to me, ‘You are so much like Billie Holiday,’” Johnson says. “My response has been ‘No, I am because of Billie.’”
Classics like ‘God Bless The Child’, ‘Strange Fruit’ and ‘Lady Sings The Blues’ were recorded for the deeply personal project in Toronto with producers John Bailey and Mike Downes, Johnson insisted she prepare the songs emotionally and technically so her smokey, gritty sound could be recorded in one take.
As Holiday and her generation were the civil rights movement, Johnson will pay homage to Holiday’s childhood struggles by donating a portion of album sales to the Boys and Girls Clubs Of Canada that provide programs to underprivileged youth and families.
We can’t wait. In the meantime, enjoy two of our favourite Molly Johnson blasts from the past:
