Born in El Paso, TX, Jen’s been singing since she was knee-high to tumbleweed. Her grandparents, who raised her, bought Jen a piano when she was 6 years old. She started piano lessons at age 7, and grew up playing for church services and school choir shows. In high school, she won first chair at a regional voice competition, and began voice lessons, paid for by a generous, but anonymous benefactor.
Fleeing the hot dusty deserts of El Paso for the mountains of Colorado, she earned a degree in vocal performance at The University of Denver. However, Jen suffered from performance anxiety and knew she’d have to make a living somehow. Since music was the only thing she knew, she decided to go to Colorado State University, where she earned a masters degree in music therapy.
An internship brought her to Houston, where she stayed on at a hospital that treats brain-injured patients. She used the rhythm in music to guide a patient’s abnormal gait pattern into normal walking. For those who had trouble talking, Jen sang familiar songs with patients to help them produce words. Unfortunately, nobody knew about music therapy, and Jen always felt like a fish out of water.
Jen always dreamed of performing. With the help of her husband, and a little maturity, she began to sing at open mic’s all around Houston. Amidst a sea of guitar-picking folkies, Jen was the lone keyboardist in the crowd, playing an eclectic range of tunes from humorous to girl angst music. She was a misfit again.
But this time Jen prevailed. The guitarists admired her talent and she was welcome at every open mic she attended. With increased confidence, Jen entered The National Singer/Songwriter Auditions in 2003. This time, the uniqueness of being a keyboardist set her apart from the other zillions of guitar players. She won the auditions.
The prize was a trip to Nashville to play at the famous Bluebird Café. Some well-known music industry professionals made it out to see her, and one well-known producer, Hall of Famer, Robert Metzgar, snatched her up on his label, Platinum Plus Universal.
With his guidance, Jen explored the realm of jazz cabaret and blossomed. Her knew CD, “Coffee, Chocolate & Men,” offers a salacious mix of humor and sexual innuendo.
Jen lives in Houston with her husband, three cats, a turtle, and a fish.
Jen Rathbun - Join us in congratulating record producer Kim Copeland for her work on the Rachel Williams album, Lonely At The Bottom. Check this great review by R.K. Oermann with Music Row Magazine on Rachel's current single, The Only Thing Harder Than Leaving.
"She has the goods. This creeps up on you with cat’s paws. The languid pace, echoing instruments, spacious production and her hushed, aching delivery are all immensely seductive. The lyric of leaving home is full of terrific details. And her falsetto leaps in the bridge are like little daggers to the heart. A mini masterpiece. This, by the way, is the third single in a row that I have raved about from this performer. "
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