Originally from Harlem, New York City, she moved to St. Louis in the early 1960s to perform in the nascent Gaslight Square district.

She heard a wide variety of music at the Apollo Theater as a child during the venue's famed Amateur Night.

After graduating high school, she moved to California with her family and majored in drama at Los Angeles City College, working as a secretary to pay for her education.

[3] During her time in Gaslight Square, she performed at locations including the Black Horse Pub, Vanity Fair, Le Jazz Hot, and the Crystal Palace; she also recorded singles for Norman Wienstroer's labels Norman and Gaslight Records.

Jeannie [sic] Trevor Sings for Mainstream Records, backed by saxophonist Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum and the Quartette Trés Bien.

[2]:93 In 1999, Trevor recorded the album Love You Madly for Catalyst Productions, featuring saxophonist Willie Akins.

[7] She had heart disease later in life due to secondhand smoke exposure, eventually requiring bypass surgery.