Joan Elizabeth Osborne was born on July 8, 1962 is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her song "One of Us."

Osborne's audience grew significantly with her appearance at Lilith Fair, which placed her in the same school of female singer-songwriters as Tori Amos and Sarah McLachlan. Her third studio album was Righteous Love, a long-delayed release, which fell off the charts quickly.

Osborne was featured in the 2002 documentary film Standing in the Shadows of Motown and toured with legendary Motown sidemen the Funk Brothers. She and her band accompanied the Dixie Chicks for a national tour in the summer of 2003, during which time she also joined veteran San Francisco jam-rockers the Dead as a vocalist, and released her fourth album, titled How Sweet It Is, a collection of classic rock and soul covers.

During 2005 and 2006, she performed on numerous occasions with Phil Lesh and Friends. In February 2007, she appeared on the Grand Ole Opry.

In November 2006, Osborne released Pretty Little Stranger, her self-described "Nashville album."

In May 2007, Osborne issued Breakfast in Bed, a return to the soul music that she had covered on How Sweet It Is. Breakfast in Bed also featured the two songs ("Heatwave" and "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted") that she had covered for the film Standing in the Shadows of Motown.