I was was born April 7, 1951, a month and day shared with Billie Holiday. Wrote my first song at 12, was published at 13, made a record at 14, had a hit at 15, and was a has-been at 16. I took a break for 3 years shortly thereafter, and moved to Philadelphia to write and find out if I really could be a great songwriter. "Came back" in 1973 with an album called Stars, and was fortunate enough to have a second career. I've been lucky enough to have ten Grammy nominations in eight different categories, and two Grammys - most recently for the spoken word edition of my autobiography, "Society's Child". I love writing - articles, speeches, stories, songs, books. I love reading. For years, my fans brought me used books on tour in lieu of flowers or jewelry. I'm 63 going on 64 and thinking about "retirement", trying to call it "transitioning" instead. Less time on the road, more time to write. If you want to reach me please email through the contacts page of my website (below). I don't check email on Goodreads very often! Thanks for reading. Janis