Michelle Lynn Johnson
(born August 29, 1968 in Berlin, Germany), better known as Meshell Ndegeocello
, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, bassist, and multi-instrumentalist. Her music incorporates funk, soul, hip hop, reggae, R&B, rock, and jazz. She has received significant critical acclaim throughout her career, [1] [2] and has had ten career Grammy Award nominations. [3] She is often credited for having "sparked the neo-soul movement." [4]
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MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO TICKETS
EVENT | DATE | AVAILABILITY |
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Meshell Ndegeocello Tickets 1/17 | Jan 17, 2025 Fri, 7:30 PM | | Meshell Ndegeocello Tickets 1/18 | Jan 18, 2025 Sat, 3:00 PM | | Meshell Ndegeocello Tickets 1/18 | Jan 18, 2025 Sat, 7:30 PM | | Meshell Ndegeocello Tickets 1/19 | Jan 19, 2025 Sun, 7:00 PM | | Meshell Ndegeocello Tickets 1/22 | Jan 22, 2025 Wed, 8:00 PM | |
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Biography
Ndegeocello was born in
Berlin, Germany, to
army lieutenant and
saxophonist father Jacques Johnson and health care worker mother Helen. She was raised in
Washington, D.C. where she attended
Duke Ellington School of the Arts and
Oxon Hill High School. In early press releases from
Maverick Records her birth year was mistakenly listed as 1969. The 1968 birth date has been confirmed through a previous manager and lifelong friend.
Named Michelle Lynn Johnson at birth, Ndegeocello has had numerous
name changes. She adopted the surname Ndegeocello, which means "free like a bird". Some outlets also state her birth name as Mary Johnson.
[5] Meshell Ndegeocello is pronounced
Mee-shell N-deh-gay-o-chel-o
. Early pressings of
Plantation Lullabies
were stickered with the instructions. She has changed the spelling of this name a number of times during her career; however, the correct spelling of her stage name is now
Meshell Ndegeocello
, without apostrophes or any unusual capitalizations.
[6]
Personal life
Ndegeocello is
bisexual and previously had a relationship with
feminist author Rebecca Walker. She suffers from
photosensitive epilepsy and is susceptible to seizures induced by flash photography when she is performing live. Her son Askia was born in 1989.
[7]
Career
Ndegeocello honed her skills on the D.C.
go-go circuit in the late 1980s with the bands Prophecy, Little Bennie and the Masters, and
Rare Essence [8] She unsuccessfully tried out for
Living Colour's bassist position, vacated in 1992 by
Muzz Skillings. Going solo, she was one of the first artists to sign with
Maverick Records, where she released her debut album,
Plantation Lullabies
. This recording presented a distinctly
androgynous persona.
Her biggest hit is a duet with
John Cougar Mellencamp, a
cover version of
Van Morrison's "
Wild Night", which reached #3 on the
Billboard
charts. Her only other
Billboard Hot 100 hit besides "Wild Night" has been "If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)", which peaked at #73 in 1994. She had a Dance #1 in 1996 with a
Bill Withers cover called "
Who Is He (and What Is He To You?)" (briefly featured in the film
Jerry Maguire
) as well as Dance Top 20 hits with "Earth", "Leviticus: Faggot", "Stay" and the aforementioned "...Boyfriend". Ndegeocello sang
backing vocals on the song "I'd Rather be Your Lover" for
Madonna on her album
Bedtime Stories
.
Her music has been featured in a number of
film soundtracks including
How Stella Got Her Groove Back
,
Lost & Delirious
,
Batman & Robin
,
Love Jones
,
Love & Basketball
,
Talk To Me
,
The Best Man
,
Higher Learning
and
Down in the Delta
.
She has appeared on recordings by
Basement Jaxx,
Indigo Girls and
The Blind Boys of Alabama. On
The Rolling Stones' 1997 album
Bridges to Babylon
she plays bass on the song "Saint Of Me". On
Alanis Morissette's 2002 album
Under Rug Swept
she plays bass on the songs "
So Unsexy" and "You Owe Me Nothing in Return". On
Zap Mama's album "ReCreation" (2009) she plays bass on the song "African Diamond".
She can also be seen in the documentary movie
Standing in the Shadows of Motown
, singing
The Miracles' "You've Really Got A Hold On Me". In the late 1990s, she toured with
Lilith Fair. She also did a remake of the song, "
Two Doors Down" on the 2003 release,
Just Because I'm A Woman: The Songs of Dolly Parton
.
Ndegeocello was also a judge for the 2nd annual
Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.
[9]
Discography
- 1993: Plantation Lullabies
(Maverick)
- 1993: If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)
(Maverick)
- 1996: Peace Beyond Passion
(Maverick)
- 1999: Bitter
(Maverick)
- 2002: Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape
(Maverick)
- 2003: Comfort Woman
(Maverick)
- 2005: The Spirit Music Jamia: Dance of the Infidel
(Shanachie)
- 2006: The Article 3
EP (EmArcy)
- 2007: The World Has Made Me the Man of My Dreams
(EmArcy)
- 2009: Devil's Halo
(Downtown)
References
- Head, heart and soul
- Grammy Nominations For J J Cale, Bettye LaVette and Meshell Ndegeocello - Just Announced
- Meshell Ndegeocello to Perform at 'You Rock My Soul' GMHC Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall on November 11th
- Me'Shell Ndegeocello: One Tough "Cookie"
- The Feel: Meshell Ndegeocello
- FreeMyHeart.com
- http://www.iht.com/articles/1994/02/23/meshell.php
- Meshell Ndegeocello Breaks Step With Pop
- Independent Music Awards - Past Judges