Jewell grew up in Boise, Idaho and attended St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

[3] Jewell began her musical career busking on the streets of Santa Fe while attending college.

[1] In December 2005, Jewell recorded a "live demo" album called Nowhere in Time and later recorded the album Boundary County with Jason Beek on percussion, Daniel Kellar on violin, Jerry Glenn Miller on guitars and Johnny Sciascia on upright bass.

[7] In early 2009 Jewell released the album Sea of Tears[8] which was called a "startling departure" by a Sydney Morning Herald music critic.

[11] Jewell and her band toured the U.S., Canada, Europe,[12] the UK and Australia beginning in 2005 including performances at South by Southwest and NPR's World Cafe.