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Singer-songwriter Jewel was raised
in Homer, Alaska, but left her home at the age of 16 to study opera in
Michigan, Illinois. She then joined her mother in her Volkswagen van
mobile home in San Diego, California. At that time Jewel first began to
sing professionally at the Innerchange coffee shop, an establishment
serving the local surfing community. These concerts quickly attracted a
strong local following, and inevitably drew the attendance of several
major label A&R staff.
Warner Brothers Records won her signature, leading to the release of her
February 1995 debut album, Pieces Of You. A low-key release, Jewel
promoted it with a tour of west coast coffee houses and the release of the
album's strongest track, "Who Will Save Your Soul", as a single. Her first
major exposure followed in May with an appearance on the syndicated Late
Night With Conan O'Brien television show. She subsequently made frequent
appearances in the tabloid gossip columns through her on-off relationship
with Sean Penn. Penn, keen to launch himself as a director, later directed
the video to Jewel's second single release, "You Were Meant For Me", which
became one of the most successful singles in US chart history. As the
album's sales profile began to increase, Jewel was offered the lead in a
TNT benefit production of The Wizard Of Oz. Later, a tour with former
Bauhaus singer Peter Murphy was less well-received ("I wanted to kill
myself after every show", she later told Rolling Stone magazine). She also
performed one show in Detroit where the assembled audience were convinced
they were there to see the similarly-named Death Row Records rapper,
Jewell. Despite this, further television exposure on programmes such as
The Tonight Show With Jay Leno and Entertainment Tonight ensured that
Pieces Of You eventually achieved multi-platinum status. She also signed a
$2 million dollar publishing deal with Harper Collins. Her book of poetry,
A Night Without Armor, sold over two million copies in America alone.
The singer's eagerly awaited follow-up, Spirit, was recorded with veteran
producer and Madonna collaborator, Patrick Leonard. The album debuted at
US number 3 in December 1998, and included the Top 10 single "Hands". The
following year the singer made her big screen debut in Ang Lee's acclaimed
civil war drama, Ride With The Devil. Jewel's third studio album, This
Way, appeared in 2001, and demonstrated a lighter-hearted approach both
musically and lyrically. If This Way was a surprise, then 0304, a dance
pop album light years away from the sensitive singer-songwriter fare of
her early material, came completely out of left-field. |
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"Fast Cars and Superstars: The
Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race" (2007) TV Series
"Las Vegas" (1 episode, 2006)
- Father of the Bride Redux (2006) TV Episode (as Jewel)
"The Lyon's Den" .... Jennifer Matthews (1 episode, 2003)
- Ex (2003) TV Episode (as Jewel) .... Jennifer Matthews
Ride with the Devil (1999/I) (as Jewel) .... Sue Lee Shelley
"Saturday Night Live" .... Musical Guest (2 episodes, 1997-1998)
... aka NBC's Saturday Night (USA: first season title)
... aka SNL (USA: informal title)
... aka SNL 25 (USA: alternative title)
... aka Saturday Night (USA: second season title)
... aka Saturday Night Live '80 (USA: sixth season title)
- Joan Allen/Jewel (1998) TV Episode (as Jewel) .... Musical Guest
- John Goodman/Jewel (1997) TV Episode (as Jewel) .... Musical Guest
The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True (1995) (TV) (as Jewel)
.... Dorothy
... aka The Wizard of Oz in Concert (USA: short title)
"Crossroads" (1994) TV Series .... Performer |
