Jennifer Warnes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jennifer Warnes
Warnes c. 1970
Background information
Birth name	Jennifer Jean Warnes
Born	(1947-03-03) March 3, 1947 (age 78) Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Origin	Anaheim, California, U.S.
Genres	Country rock pop
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1967–present
Labels	Arista Cisco Records Impex Cypress Private Music Shout Factory Reprise Parrot BMG

Jennifer Jean Warnes (born March 3, 1947) is an American singer and songwriter. She is well-known for her powerful voice and for singing many popular songs from movies. Jennifer has won two Grammy Awards for her amazing duets. These include "Up Where We Belong" with Joe Cocker in 1983 and "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" with Bill Medley in 1987. She also worked closely with the famous songwriter Leonard Cohen.

Early Life and First Steps in Music

Jennifer Warnes was born in Seattle, Washington, on March 3, 1947. She grew up in Anaheim, California. From a very young age, Jennifer loved to sing and was very good at it. When she was just seven years old, she was offered her first chance to record music, but her father decided against it.

She sang in church and at local events as she grew up. At age 17, she received a special scholarship to study opera at Immaculate Heart College. For a short time after high school, she even joined a convent because of her strong Catholic faith.

Jennifer later chose to sing folk music, which was becoming very popular in the mid-1960s. After performing in musical theater and clubs for a few years, she signed with Parrot Records in 1968. That same year, she released her first album. She also joined the cast of the TV show The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

Early in her career, some people suggested she change her name to "Warren." However, they soon realized there was already an actress named Jennifer Warren. So, for a short time, she used just 'Jennifer' as her stage name. But she quickly went back to using her birth name, Jennifer Warnes.

In 1968, Jennifer also played the main female role in the musical Hair in Los Angeles. One of her castmates, Bert Sommer, even wrote a song inspired by her called "Jennifer." He performed this song at the famous Woodstock music festival.

A Career Full of Hits

Working with Leonard Cohen and Breakthrough Songs (1970s)

In 1971, Jennifer Warnes met the Canadian songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen. They became very good friends and worked together for many years. She toured Europe with Cohen's band in 1972 and 1979. She started as a backup singer and later helped arrange the vocals for his albums. She also sang as a guest on many of his albums, including Recent Songs (1979) and Various Positions (1985). In 1987, Jennifer released her own album of Cohen's songs called Famous Blue Raincoat, which was highly praised.

In 1972, Jennifer released her third album, Jennifer. Later, in 1976, she released the album Jennifer Warnes. This album included her first big hit song, "Right Time of the Night." This song reached number 1 on the Easy Listening chart in April 1977 and number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 1977.

Jennifer sang the song "It Goes Like It Goes" for the 1979 movie Norma Rae. This song won an Academy Award for Best Original Song, which is a huge honor! Her 1979 song "I Know A Heartache When I See One" was also a Top 10 hit on the Country music charts.

Movie Songs and Grammy Wins (1980s)

Jennifer Warnes sang "One More Hour" for the 1981 movie Ragtime. This song was also nominated for an Academy Award.

In 1982, Jennifer teamed up with Joe Cocker to record "Up Where We Belong" for the movie An Officer and a Gentleman. This song was a massive success! It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Golden Globe Award. Jennifer and Joe Cocker also won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The song became a number 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for three weeks and sold over two million copies in the United States.

In 1985, she sang a duet with B. J. Thomas called "As Long As We Got Each Other." This song became the theme song for the popular TV show Growing Pains. She also continued to contribute vocals to Leonard Cohen's albums, including I'm Your Man in 1988.

Jennifer Warnes had another huge hit in 1987 when she sang "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" with Bill Medley for the movie Dirty Dancing. This was the third song she performed that won an Academy Award for Best Original Song! It also won a Golden Globe Award and a Grammy Award for the duo. The song reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

New Music and Re-releases (1990s to Present)

In 1991, Jennifer recorded "Golden Slumbers" as a duet with Jackson Browne. This song was part of an album called For Our Children, which helped raise money for the Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

Jennifer released her seventh studio album, The Hunter, in June 1992. This album included the song "Rock You Gently," which was a Top 15 hit on the Adult Contemporary chart. She also co-wrote the song "Way Down Deep" with Leonard Cohen for this album. In 1993, she recorded "Cold Enough To Snow" for the movie Life With Mikey.

Over the years, many of Jennifer's popular albums have been re-released with improved sound quality and sometimes extra songs. For example, the 20th-anniversary edition of Famous Blue Raincoat was re-released in 2007 with four bonus tracks. The Hunter was re-released in 2009, and The Well in 2010. These re-releases often included special features like unreleased recordings.

In 2018, Jennifer Warnes released her most recent album, Another Time, Another Place. This was her first new album since 2001. The album features 10 songs, including a new version of "Just Breathe," originally by Pearl Jam. It also includes songs by other artists like John Legend and Mark Knopfler, as well as a song she co-wrote herself called "The Boys And Me."

Music Albums

Jennifer Warnes has released many albums throughout her career. Here are some of her main studio albums:

Popular Songs (Singles)

Jennifer Warnes has had many hit songs that were released as singles:

Awards and Recognitions

Jennifer Warnes has won several important awards for her music:

See also

In Spanish: Jennifer Warnes para niños