Jewel's Filmography · The Nick & Jessica Variety Hour (2004) (TV) (as Jewel) .... Herself · 2003 Radio Music Awards (2003) (TV) .... Herself - Performer · 100% NYC: Tribeca Film Festival (2003) (TV) · VH1 Divas Duets (2003) (TV) (as Jewel) .... Performer · The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch (2002) (TV) .... Interviewee · Pantene Pro-Voice Featuring Jewel (2001) (TV) (as Jewel) .... Herself

· Crossover (2001) (TV) (as Jewel) .... Herself · MTV Video Music Awards 2001 (2001) (TV) (as Jewel) .... Herself - Presenter · A SHeVery Merry Christmas with SHeDAISY (2000) (TV) (as Jewel) .... Herself · Woodstock '99 (1999) (TV) .... Herself · The Ghosts of Christmas Eve (1999) (TV) .... Herself · Christmas in Rockefeller Center (1998) (TV) .... Herself · Goodwill Games Opening Celebration (1998) (TV) .... Herself IMDB

Jewel's Biography

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, UT, she was raised in remote Homer, AK, 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 nine-to-five 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 Collection. Chasing Down the Dawn was issued in fall 2000.

About this time Jewel met local singer/songwriter Steve Poltz and his band, The Rugburns. The two later co-wrote "You Were Meant For Me" and Steve appears in the video with Jewel.

Along with other local songwriters - including Poltz, John Katchur, Gregory Page, Frank Lee Drennen, Joy Eden Harrison and Lisa Sanders - Jewel practiced her craft at local clubs and improvisational "house jams" where the musicians would share songs and collaborate.

"It was incredible, just a brilliant environment," Jewel recounted. "I'd go out to cafes and I'd feel like it was Paris in the '20s. We all were starving and no one was recognized, but here were all these talented, brilliant writers. I just felt so honored to be around them and writing with them."

Eventually, Jewel landed a regular Thursday night gig at the InnerChange Coffee House in Pacific Beach. For $3 (later it cost $5), patrons listened to four-hour sets of mostly original material interspersed with little stories about her life. By this time, Jewel had composed more than 100 songs.

By July 1993, Jewel's local following had grown large enough to attract the attention of Los Angeles record executives.

"A bunch of limos started coming down and I'd get flown off to New York," Jewel remembered. "I'd be eating carrot sticks and peanut butter in my van, then fly off to New York and have these huge dinners, and then be plopped back in my pumpkin bus."

Jewel signed with Atlantic Records in late 1993. With an advance from the company, she rented a house with Lenedra and bought a used Volvo and a new guitar.

Recording "Pieces Of You"

Jewel chose Ben Keith (Neil Young and James Taylor) to produce her first album. She began recording in 1994 at Neil Young's Redwood Digital Studio in Woodside, California. Young's longtime band, the Stray Gators, backed Jewel on five songs along with Steve Poltz.

But to capture Jewel's strong audience connection, Atlantic Records suggested a live recording. A sound crew set up at The InnerChange Coffee House to record three sets of Jewel singing to her regulars.

First Album "Pieces Of You" Goes 11X Platinum

The public heard Jewel's first album, "Pieces Of You," in 1995. After a slow start and relentless touring, "Who Will Save Your Soul," "You Were Meant For Me" and "Foolish Games" became hit singles.

"POY" earned Jewel an American Music Award for Best New Artist. In 1999, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified "POY" with its prestigious Diamond Award for U.S. sales exceeding 10 million units. The album – which hit #4 on the Billboard 200 -- is certified at more than 11 million units. This makes "POY" one of the top five best-selling albums of all time by a female artist.

Jewel Posters