A contemporary folkie renowned for her expressive, crystalline voice, singer/songwriter Jewel was among the most successful of the many new female performers who dominated the pop charts throughout the 1990s. Born Jewel Kilcher on May 23, 1974 in Payson, Utah, she was raised in remote Homer, Alaska, and began her music career at the age of six, regularly performing alongside her singer/songwriter parents in local Eskimo villages and tourist attractions. After her parents' divorce, she remained with her father, touring with him for the next seven years.
While attending Michigan's Interlochen Fine Arts Academy, Jewel began writing her first songs; upon graduating, she joined her mother in San Diego, suffering through a series of short-lived day jobs before deciding to flee the 9-to-5 world for good, at which time she moved into her van and began focusing on a career in music. Her first regular gig was at the Innerchange, a coffeehouse in Pacific Beach; word quickly spread, and by 1993 she was the subject of a rabid local cult following. After signing to Atlantic, in early 1995 Jewel issued her debut LP, Pieces of You; the record was a slow starter, not even breaking into the Billboard pop charts until some 14 months after its release, but eventually the single "Who Will Save Your Soul" became a major hit, and soon the album was a best-seller as well. Two other hits, "You Were Meant for Me" and "Foolish Games," followed.
In 1998 Jewel returned with Night Without Armor, a collection of her spoken-word poetry; her hotly-anticipated second album Spirit followed later that year, as did the seasonal collection Joy: A Holiday Celebration. Chasing Down the Dawn was issued in fall 2000. -- Jason Ankeny
