Joan Armatrading

Joan Armatrading's entry onto the U.K. charts in 1976 heralded the arrival of a distinctive artist whose uncompromising attitude would propel her throughout a career of remarkable consistency that has traversed multiple genres from rock to jazz and blues. Initially coming out of the folk-oriented singer/songwriter scene of the early '70s, she enjoyed a period of mainstream success on the back of her Glyn Johns-produced hit "Love and Affection." Reinventing herself in the early '80s as a hard-edged new wave and pop act, she remained a chart staple with rock hits like "My Myself...