Janice Robinson

Born and raised in Garfield, NJ, Janice Robinson took to music at an early age. Shyness and loneliness caused by being one of the only African-American kids in a neighborhood of Polish and Italian families, coupled with the rebellion that almost naturally comes to daughters of Baptist preachers, kept her from seriously pursuing her talent until high school. She poured more energy into her craft at Adelphi University where she majored in theater but spent hours secretly composing songs in the music room. After leaving Adelphi, she continued to perform music, playing with a variety of bands from 1989 to 1995. For one year during that time she was on tour with a European dance music band, which taught her a lot about the strain of constant touring but also set her up with a host of international contacts. During one extended stay in Italy, she met Joe Vannelli, who would collaborate with her on some of her first songs, "Children" and "Sweetest Day of May."

In 1994, Robinson had her breakthrough hit, "Dreamer," which she performed with the Italian-based club group Livin' Joy. After that success, she returned to the U.S. and retreated to songwriting, penning songs for Wyclef Jean, Taylor Dayne, Soul Solution, Junior Vasquez, and David Morales-Robinson. A desire to receive more recognition for the hits that she was writing led her to resume her performance career. She was soon signed to Warner Brothers Records, and her first album with them was released in 1999, entitled The Color Within Me. The album showcased Robinson's unique vocal style, which crossed rock influences with R&B and also featured an impressive list of supporting musicians, including Jim Keltner, Waddy Wachtel, Ry Cooder, Steve Ferrone, Jimmy Johnson, Michael Landau, and Richard Page.