Jo Davidson

New York singer/songwriter Jo Davidson reflects a soulful disposition as a solo artist, for writing has always been her passion. She's been playing piano since age four, and in the middle of classical training as youngster in her native Ohio, Davidson began writing her own songs at age 11. She was poetically in tune with what she wants as an artist and as an individual, and naturally pushed herself to become more involved in music. Davidson participated and won awards in the Billboard Nation Song Contest and John Lennon Songwriting Contest. The Midwest didn't seem to fit inside her big plans to become a full-time singer, so she left for Los Angeles in the early '90s. Music industry politics almost blindsided Davidson, therefore leading her to independently take charge of her career by starting her own publishing company and label, Fragile Tough Girl Records. By the end of the decade, she was posting songs via the Internet and such exposure was key. She toured with Susanna Hoffs in 1997 as keyboard player/backup vocalist, and a deal with Edel America Records panned three years later. Davidson remastered her debut, Kiss Me There, for major distribution. It was a personal, vulnerable record from the start, and a chance to release it on a broader level was everything Davidson was looking for. Her song "Mental Pollution" was featured in NBC movie Friends to the End, which featured Shannen Doherty singing the track. "Ghost Town" was also included on the soundtrack to the Melanie Griffith flick Forever Lulu. Kiss Me There was finally issued in spring 2001. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide