She is noted most for her musical collaboration with husband Jimmy Cheatham, with whom she formed the Sweet Baby Blues Band in 1984.
[1][2][3] Cheatham was born and grew up in Akron, Ohio, the first child[a] of Elizabeth (née Smart) and Ernest Evans.
[7] Throughout her school years, Cheatham's piano teacher also took her to play at weddings and social events, as well as to give recitals.
While still in high school, she began playing in smaller groups,[9] and found herself in demand professionally as most younger musicians were drafted into the US Army during World War II.
[9][11] Writing in the Los Angeles Times in 1992, Dirk Sutro (author of Jazz for Dummies) noted that "Jeannie Cheatham remains one of the under-appreciated greats of jazz and blues, both for her spare, tasteful piano playing, which ranges from boogie-woogie to Monk‑ish surprises, and for her earthy but sensuous voice.