Mary Johnson (writer)

Mary Johnson is a writer and director of A Room of Her Own Foundation. She worked and served with the Missionaries of Charity, the order of nuns founded by Mother Teresa, for twenty years before leaving the order. She is now a writer and a public speaker and a supporter of women's rights in the arts. She received her bachelor's degree in English from Lamar University and her MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College.

Family and early life

Johnson was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1958. The family moved to Beaumont, Texas when Johnson was 12. By this time, she was the eldest of seven children. In high school, Johnson was an accomplished member of the debate team and was voted "most likely to succeed" by her classmates.

Mother Teresa

In 1977, Johnson saw a picture of Mother Teresa on the cover of Time magazine. After reading the article she felt a call to join the Missionaries of Charity in their work on behalf of the poorest of the poor. At the age of 19, Johnson moved to the South Bronx in order to join the novitiate as an aspirant. In 1980, she committed herself to a life of chastity, poverty, obedience, and service to the poorest of the poor, taking final vows in 1986. While with the order, Johnson, or Sister Donata ("Freely Given") as she elected to be called by her sisters, studied theology at Regina Mundi at the Gregorian University in Rome, receiving a diploma in religious studies. While serving at the novitiate in Tor Fiscale in Rome, Johnson was assigned the confidential task of editing and revising the Constitutions, the governing documents of the Missionaries of Charity. For six years, Mother appointed her to serve in overseeing the formation of sisters preparing for vows. After falling in love with a sister and then later a priest, Johnson broke her vows and left the order in 1997.

Mary Johnson (cricketer)

Winifred Mary Johnson (born 7 November 1924) is an English cricketer of the 1940s and 1950s who played ten test matches for the England women's cricket team between 1948–49 and 1954.

Born in the East Yorkshire city of Kingston upon Hull, Mary Johnson, along with a good number of the other members on the England team, was a physical education teacher. Employed at the Arnold School for Girls, an independent institution in the Lancashire town of Blackpool, she played for England Women, Lancashire Women, North Women and Yorkshire Women, making her Test debut in the South Australian capital, Adelaide, during the 15–18 January 1949 match between Australia Women and England Women. Her last Test was the 24–27 July 1954 contest of England Women v New Zealand Women at the Oval in the London Borough of Lambeth. A right-arm fast bowler, she continued playing until 1956 with Rest of England Women.

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Lucky Lips

Lucky Lips is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was originally recorded by Ruth Brown in 1957, and was successfully covered by Cliff Richard in 1963.

Ruth Brown and early cover versions

The song was first recorded by R&B singer Ruth Brown for Atlantic Records in New York in September 1956, and was released as a single in early 1957. The song became only her second hit on the US pop chart – after "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean" in 1953 – and reached no. 25 on the pop chart and no. 6 on the Billboard R&B chart.

Ruth Brown's recording was covered by white singer Gale Storm, as the B-side of her single "On Treasure Island" on the Dot label. Storm's recording reached no. 77 on the Billboard pop chart. The song was also covered by Dottie Evans on Bell Records. In Britain, the song was recorded by Alma Cogan as the B-side of "Whatever Lola Wants", which reached no.26 on the UK singles chart, also in 1957.

Cliff Richard version

In 1963 the song was recorded by Cliff Richard, whose version went to number 4 in the UK. It was more successful internationally, reaching number 1 in Belgium, Denmark, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Netherlands, Norway, South Africa and Sweden. His version with German lyrics reached number 1 in West Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Mary Johnson (singer)

Mary Johnson (1900–1970) was an American classic female blues singer, accordionist and songwriter. Her most noted tracks were "Dream Daddy Blues" and "Western Union Blues." She wrote a number of her own tracks including "Barrel House Flat Blues", "Key To The Mountain Blues" and "Black Men Blues." Johnson variously worked with Peetie Wheatstraw, Tampa Red, Kokomo Arnold and Roosevelt Sykes, and was married to her fellow blues musician, Lonnie Johnson.

Biography

Born Mary Williams, in Yazoo City, Mississippi, United States, she ultimately recorded twenty two tracks between 1929 and 1936. These comprised eight songs in 1929, six in 1930, a couple more in 1932, four in 1934, and her final two recordings in 1936. Over that timespan her accompanists included Henry Brown, Judson Brown, Roosevelt Sykes, Peetie Wheatstraw, Ike Rodgers, Tampa Red, Artie Mosby, and Kokomo Arnold.

Prior to her recording career, Johnson relocated to St. Louis, Missouri in 1915, where in her teenage years she worked with several of that time's leading blues musicians. She married Lonnie Johnson, although their marriage only lasted from 1925 to 1932. Nevertheless, they had six children. Johnson worked in the St. Louis area until the mid-1940s. Her song, "Key To The Mountain Blues", was recorded in 1948 by Jesse Thomas (musician) as "Mountain Key Blues."