Jewel Kilcher
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1
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Jewel Kilcher learned guitar at 16 and in 1997 won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video for ‘You Were Meant for Me’, co-written with Steve Poltz. Her 1995 debut album Pieces of You sold over 12 million copies. She acted in films including Ride with the Devil 1999 and published a poetry collection A Night Without Armor in 1998. She married bull rider Ty Murray in 2008; they divorced in 2014. She has a son, Kase Townes Murray.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Jewel — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Jewel by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Jewel — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
After her parents divorced, Jewel lived with her mother Lenedra in a VW bus in San Diego, where she started writing songs. She was born on May 23, 1974 in Payson, Utah. Her father Attila Kuno Kilcher taught music in elementary schools, and her paternal grandfather helped draft the Alaska state constitution. At 16, she learned to play guitar and later attended the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan on a scholarship.
Jewel’s 1995 debut album Pieces of You became a multi-platinum success, driven by singles like Who Will Save Your Soul and You Were Meant for Me. The latter, co-written with boyfriend Steve Poltz, won the 1997 MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video. She released her poetry book A Night Without Armor in 1998 and made her film acting debut in 1999’s Ride with the Devil. In 2007, she appeared in the comedy Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. She has also performed as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live and served as a guest judge on American Idol.
Jewel dated musician Steve Poltz for three years; they co-wrote You Were Meant for Me. She later began a relationship with professional bull rider Ty Murray, whom she married in the Bahamas in 2008 after ten years together. Their son Kase Townes Murray was born on July 11, 2011 in Texas. They filed for divorce in July 2014. In 2002, she broke her collarbone and rib after being thrown from a colt at Murray’s Texas ranch. In 2011, a fire truck rammed her car in Stephenville, Texas.
Her candid lyrics and yodeling style defined 1990s folk-pop. Her debut album Pieces of You remains one of the best-selling debut albums by a female artist. In 2002, VH1 ranked her #45 on its 100 Sexiest Artists. Her star Jewel of the North was registered with the International Star Registry.
Browse the complete filmography of Jewel — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
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Every award, honor, and recognition received by Jewel — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
Jewel's bibliography — every authored, edited, and co-written book, ranked by edition count.
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A wall of memorable lines from Jewel — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
Cynicism Isn’t Smarter; It’s Only Safer. There’s Nothing Fluffy About Optimism.
We Are Each Others Angels in the Way That We Answer Each Others Prayers and We Can Also Make Each Others Lives Miserable.
What We Call Human Nature in Actuality Is Human Habit.
We Are Loved Beyond Our Ability to Comprehend.
In Silence You Hear Who You Are Becoming. You Create Yourself.
The Things You Fear Are Undefeatable Not by Their Nature but by Your Approach.
People Think I’m Some Kind of Hippie. I Don’t Even Recycle.
I Rather See the World from Another Angle.
Find Pleasure in Common Things. Whether It’s Just the Way the Sunlight Is Streaming in the Window or How an Orange Tastes When You’re Really Hungry, You’ll Find You Get Little, Happy Lifts Throughout the Day.
I Was Renee Zellweger’s Fat Doppelganger. If She Ever Played in a Movie Where She Needed to Be Fat, Apparently I Could Be Her Stunt Double.
Little-known facts about Jewel — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
Her grandfather helped draft the Alaska state constitution.
Lived in a VW bus in San Diego with her mother before her music career started.
Her father taught music in elementary schools.
Gave birth to her first child at age 37, a son Kase Townes Murray on July 11, 2011 in Texas, weighing 7 lbs 6 oz. The child’s father is her ex-husband, Ty Murray.
Can speak some Swedish, learned from a Swedish boyfriend named Musse when she was 18. She also wrote him a lullaby song in Swedish.
Attended the Interlochen Arts Academy, an exclusive boarding school in Interlochen, Michigan.
On behalf of the Everyday Angels, The International Star Registry designated star Ursa Minor 15h38m42s 75°58’37’ to the name Jewel Kilcher Jewel of the North.
Father’s name is Atz Kilcher and mother’s Lenedra Carroll.
Had to cancel several tour dates following the death of her bassist, Terome T-Bone Hannon on September 12, 2003.
Recovered after a fire truck rammed her car in Stephenville, Texas on March 11, 2011.
Learned to play guitar at age 16.
Ranked #45 on VH1’s 100 Sexiest Artists.
Her paternal grandparents were Swiss of Swiss-German origin. Her mother has English, German, and Scottish ancestry.
Married professional bull rider Ty Murray in the Bahamas in 2008 after a 10-year relationship. They filed for divorce after 6 years of marriage in July 2014.
Friends with actor Sean Penn, who directed an early version of a music video for You Were Meant For Me in 1995.
Broke collarbone and rib when a colt threw her at Ty Murray’s Stephenville, Texas ranch on April 24, 2002.
Second cousin of actress Q’orianka Kilcher, Xihuaru Kilcher, and actor Kainoa Kilcher.
Dated musician Steve Poltz for 3 years; they co-wrote her 1997 hit You Were Meant For Me.
Ranked #92 in Stuff magazine’s 102 Sexiest Women In The World 2002.
In 1998, she was interviewed by Kurt Loder on MTV after releasing her poetry book A Night Without Armor. Loder pointed out a misuse of the word casualty, and apologized 20 years later.
Joined Music United For A Strong Internet Copyright in October 2002.
First cousin of Saskia Genet-Oulicky.
Ex-sister-in-law of Kim Murray.
Ex-daughter-in-law of Butch Murray and Joy Murray.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Jewel.
Celebrities similar to Jewel — same craft, ranked by reach.
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