Biography
Who could have predicted that crippling stage fright would eventually give way to captivating live shows, a debut release, three major music awards, and more than six additional nominations? Certainly not the voice instructor at Ohio State University, who assigned Janine Wilson an emphatic “F” in the singing course she needed to complete her music degree. That assessment proved mistaken. Wilson pushed past her fear and emerged as an energetic, much-admired presence on the Washington, D.C., blues circuit. In 2001 the Washington Area Music Association presented her with three honors—Best Debut Recording, Best Blues Album, and Best Blues Female Vocalist—sharing the first of those prizes in a tie with Carey Colvin. WAMA further recognized Wilson with six straight nominations for Best Female Vocalist in the Traditional R&B and Blues and Roots categories, while her band earned consecutive nods for Best Duo/Group. She remains a steady participant in Baltimore’s Night of 100 Elvises and the city’s annual blues festival, and she has taken the stage in New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and Austin. Among the artists with whom she has shared bills are Marcia Ball, Coco Montoya, Little Charlie & the Nightcats, Omar & the Howlers, Angela Strehli, Barrence Whitfield & the Savages, Danny Gatton, John Mooney, and Lou Ann Barton. Wilson also appeared on volumes two through four of the holiday compilation series A Holiday Feast.
Albums