Molly Johnson

Emerging from Toronto’s evolving scene of the 1960s and 1970s, Canadian singer-songwriter Molly Johnson is rooted in the vocal jazz tradition while maintaining ties to rock, soul and pop. Born in Toronto in 1959, Johnson began performing as a child in musical theatre and on television, gaining early practical experience on stage and in the studio. In the mid-1980s she moved beyond jazz alone, singing with the rock-funk group Alta Moda and later with Infidels in the early 1990s, exploring an electric, hybrid sound that left a lasting mark on her writing. From the late 1990s she returned to jazz and launched a solo career with the album “Molly Johnson” (2000), which blends standards and original compositions, followed by “Another Day” (2003), “Messin’ Around” (2006) and “Lucky” (2008). She later dedicated “Because of Billie” (2014) to the repertoire associated with Billie Holiday, before presenting “Meaning to Tell Ya” (2018), which points toward a more contemporary songwriting approach. Johnson’s style is built on a rich, low timbre and flexible phrasing, favoring spare arrangements in which jazz converses with blues, soul and song. On record and onstage she surrounds herself with musicians from Canada’s jazz and pop scenes and has collaborated with producer Larry Klein. Her club and festival concerts, at home and abroad, alternate between standards from the jazz songbook and original material from her discography, while her charity work and appearances on radio and television extend Molly Johnson’s presence in the Canadian cultural landscape.