Born in Bar Harbor, Maine, Jude Johnstone began writing songs at about age 8. At 18, she was "discovered" by E-Street Band saxophonist, Clarence Clemons. After spending some time in New York and New Jersey under his wing, in 1979, she moved to Los Angeles, where her songs quickly became sought after by other artists. She has been covered by Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Bette Midler, Johnny Cash, Stevie Nicks, Jennifer Warnes, and Trisha Yearwood including a #1 song for Yearwood's debut album called "The Woman Before Me" which earned her a BMI award. She also penned the title track to Johnny Cash's Grammy winning album "Unchained." Having enjoyed songwriting for some years, in 2002, she and longtime manager Bob Burton decided to release her own debut CD "Coming of Age" on BoJak Records. The album received critical acclaim leading to an interview on NPR's Morning Edition and reached #6 on Amazon's Best Seller's List. It also featured guest vocals by Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Trisha Yearwood, Jennifer Warnes and Valerie Carter. Her sophomore cd "On A Good Day" generated impressive media buzz which led to a performance on CBS's "The Early Show." It also featured memorable guest vocals from Rodney Crowell & Julie Miller among others. Her third and fourth cds ("Blue Light" and "Mr. Sun") were primarily jazz/blues projects recorded LIVE in the studio with some of LA's top session musicians. Her new cd, "Quiet Girl" includes guest appearances by Emmylou Harris, Jimmy LaFave, Clarence Clemons, J.D. Souther, Maxayn Lewis and John and Susan Cowsill, among others.
All five CDs are available at CD Baby.com and Amazon.com with physical distribution at all retail stores by Burnside Distribution, www.bddistribution.com and digital distribution through IODA.
