A contemporary folkie renowned for her expressive, crystalline voice, singer/songwriter Jewel was among the most successful female performers to dominate 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, Jewel issued her debut LP, Pieces of You, in early 1995. The record was a slow starter, not even breaking into the Billboard pop charts until some 14 months after its release; however, the single "Who Will Save Your Soul" eventually became a major hit, and soon the album was a best-seller as well. Two other high-charting singles, "You Were Meant for Me" and "Foolish Games," followed. Pieces of You eventually sold more than 12 million copies, making it one of the highest-selling debut albums of all time. Jewel responded to such unexpected success by releasing 1998's Night Without Armor, a collection of her own spoken word poetry, before unveiling her hotly anticipated second album, Spirit. The record yielded another Top Ten hit, "Hands," and enjoyed multi-platinum sales. A seasonal album entitled Joy: A Holiday Collection followed in late 1999, while Chasing Down the Dawn -- a spoken word album featuring unabridged selections from the book of the same name -- was issued in fall 2000.

This Way appeared one year later and featured such standout singles as "Standing Still;" it also hinted at Jewel's growing fondness for dance music, as a remixed version of "Serve the Ego" wound up topping the American dance/club charts in 2002. Even so, fans and critics were shocked when the singer's next release, 0304, turned out to be a slick dance-pop album. Just as unexpected was Jewel's decision to allow the Schick company to use her album's hit single, "Intuition," for an advertising campaign introducing a new razor. Her new image didn't last long, however, and Goodbye Alice in Wonderland -- released in May 2006 -- marked a return to the warm sound of the singer's earlier work. Although it debuted in the Billboard Top Ten, the album failed to go platinum and marked the end of Jewel's association with Atlantic Records. Working with producer John Rich of Big & Rich, Jewel subsequently refashioned herself as a country singer for 2008's Perfectly Clear, which debuted atop the country albums charts.

Near You Always(1997)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knt4jV_hm9k
Near You Always(2006)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhuQIW529ec&feature=related

Little Sister(2006)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5Rjfyc7Gnc&feature=related

Nicotine Love http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI5SjHFpaVQ

Grey Matter(2006) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRYxCBBHh9I

The New Wild West(2006)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6mCH7k_WKE&feature=related

<3~An Ode of Jewel Kilcher~<3

A stunningly beautiful girl was born in Payson,Utah
This angel of God would later become a musical star
Her brilliant mind graced with a sweet angelic voice
Hard scrabbled farm land provided her with no choice

Soiled hands lent her such a wise perception of life
While her greedy record label carved profits w/knife
I stand in awe as I read her long accomplished list
Some hypocrites mock her creativity w/ shaking fists

Learning from her Father in cold,rugged Alaskan land
A passionate voice,yodeling,with her guitar in hands
Born poverty stricken bearing a Swiss-German decent
With steadfast faith & hope her will had never bent

Through years scores of musicians have come & gone
I'm forever grateful the day Jewel Kilcher was born
A model of perseverance for her home was once a van
Earnestly seeking for the betterment of mortal Man

Her sweet melodic voice resonating smooth & serene
Feeling naked from waves of water washing me clean
Shedding of a hardened skin so I may honestly feel
She presented some cleavage for prerequisite appeal

Hollywood's demanding cold tyrants with greedy fists
A widened gate leading towards some hell bound abyss
Oh! pathetic stick figures from malnourished refrain
While those CEO's tally sales margins & Corp. gains

I am but a mere Poet hoping that my words may stand
Jewel is carving a new direction for women and land
Countless are souls who have been brow beaten down
Open thy mind,she provides hope w/ meaningful sound

These years so consuming,leading me closer to death
She's lying deeply entrenched until my final breath
The time draws closer Jewel to return to your roots
Frolic among-st dandelions with your cowgirl boots

Written by CyPoet aka Cybear 3/23/09
Your humbled and loyal fan forever.Love,Steven xo
Jewel Kilcher

Again & Again(Live Acoustic)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGSNyBPPG_E

Who Will Save You Soul(Live Acoutic)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dawVmXN_Myg&feature=related

Foolish Games(Live2006)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjlw1-F-WCY&feature=related

Hands(Live Acoustic)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFLPwv6b3lI&feature=related

Down So Long(Live1999)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOsnB2z1yrM

Life Uncommon(Live2006)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHbQjLc7GXc&feature=related

Passing Time(Live2006)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74Sd_7uJQb0

Jewel Kilcher and her longtime boyfriend, rodeo champion Ty Murray, eloped to the Bahamas and exchanged vows in a private ceremony Thursday night, her rep tells PEOPLE exclusively. The wedding took place at The Cove Atlantis."She wore a traditional wedding gown, while Ty wore his favorite blue jeans, white shirt and cowboy hat," says Jewel's rep. "The couple is very happy and look forward to enjoying their honeymoon.

The pair, who never announced an engagement, have been together for ten years and share a 2,200-acre ranch in Stephenville, Texas. Murray, 38, who hosted Ty Murray's Celebrity Bull-Riding Challenge on CMT last year, currently stars in the video for his wife's new country single, "I Do." At a charity event in Nashville days before the wedding, Jewel, 34, said of marriage, "It's something that needs to be taken seriously.Just last year, she told PEOPLE that she and Murray were in no rush to wed.

"We don't know if there's a point we've asked our friends who've gotten married and divorced, she explained. "We probably would if we had kids. we're just not sure we want them yet. But we've had something really special already.Jewel sure knows how to pull off a hush-hush wedding.Without family, friends (or paparazzi!) knowing, the singer and rodeo star Ty Murray eloped to the Bahamas on Aug. 7. "To pull off the wedding quietly made it magical," Jewel told PEOPLE the following day.

Held at The Cove Atlantis resort in the Bahamas, the very private affair included just two guests: Jewel's former keyboard player Jason Freese, who officiated (the couple found out he had been ordained online) and his wife Amy.At sunset, as Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long" played from their private cabana, Jewel, 34, (in Monique Lhuillier) met her groom (in jeans and cowboy boots) in the sand to recite their handwritten vows. "I said that I'll try to make our lives the best piece of art I've ever done," she said.

Murray, 38, secretly proposed to the singer on her birthday, May 23, and the couple decided to elope since "we feel that's what marriage is just me and her," he said. After their "I dos" the newlyweds called their families to break their happy news and enjoyed a surprise fireworks display from the resort. "It felt," said the groom, "like we were the only ones in the world.Perhaps not for long: Jewel told PEOPLE that she and Murray are "ready to start a family. In fact, her new husband added, "We're going to start working on that tonight!";)

1,000 Miles Away(Live2006)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCODAwjqTI8&feature=related

Goodbye Alice in Wonderland(Live2006)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwsvH2lyfNM

You Were Meant For Me(Live2006)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVOFRZsdKeo&feature=related

Sometimes It Be That Way(Live2006)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTyiUq2u4hY

Get Ready Boy(Live2006)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjZnxwb7RAg&feature=related