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Biography

Joscelyn Eve Stoker was born on April 11, 1987, in the pastoral country of Dover, England. She spent her teen years in the rural town of Devon, where she bought her first album, Aretha Franklin's Greatest Hits, which inspired her to become a singer. At the age of 14, she auditioned for a popular BBC show, Star for a Night. Therein, Joscelyn thought that she could do better than the indistinguishable flock of pop star wannabes, who were mangling the popular classics.



Once onstage, the audience expected another squeaky blonde cutie to sort of entertain them; but out of this giggly teenager came a vocal reincarnation of Gladys Knight rolled up with Janis Joplin and a dash of Dusty Springfield, as she performed Aretha Franklin's classic "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman." She was signed to an agent right away. Anticipating her impending career as a singer, Joscelyn and her mother, Wendy, changed her name to the catchier and sultrier Joss Stone. They then flew to New York to meet with Steve Greenberg, CEO of S-Curve Records (known for popularizing Hanson and the Baha Men's "Who Let the Dogs Out"). Entranced by her soulful power, Greenberg signed her on and hired Miami soul legend Betty Wright to refine her singing.



Greenberg and Wright teamed her up with a Miami soul dream team, including guitarist Little Beaver, organist Timmy Thomas and keyboardist Latimore. In just four days they recorded a suite of lost soul gems and a cover of The White Stripes' "Fell In Love With a Girl" (renamed "Fell In Love With a Boy") with hip-hop heavyweights The Roots. The result was her debut album, The Soul Sessions, which came out on September 16, 2003, to the delight of critics and to the horror or Britney and her candy-pop cohorts. Joss' mother manages the young diva's shows and tours. In her very short career, she has performed at such noted venues as Joe's Pub in New York and The Troubadour in Los Angeles. She has also appeared on the Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, Ellen, and in People magazine. She even finished a tour in which she opened for Simply Red; Chicago's House of Blues was among the venues.