Jennifer Warnes, a talented singer-songwriter, has achieved immense crossover success on both the pop and country music charts, as well as making significant contributions to numerous hit movie soundtracks.
Born on March 3, 1947, in Seattle, Washington, Jennifer was raised in Anaheim, California. She made her public debut at the age of nine, singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium.
After graduating from high school, Warnes was offered an opera scholarship to Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles, but instead chose to perform folk music with singer Doug Rowell at various Southern California folk clubs in the 1960s.
The duo opened for notable artists such as Jackson Browne, Steve Martin, Jose Feliciano, and Pat Paulsen. Jennifer became a regular on the popular TV variety program "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" and had a lead role in the 1968 Los Angeles stage production of the hit musical "Hair."
Despite her early commercial flops, Warnes hit her stride with the sultry tune "(It's the) Right Time of the Night," which peaked at number one on the Adult Contemporary Singles charts in 1977. The follow-up song "I Know a Heartache When I See One" was a Top Ten country hit and cracked the Top Forty pop charts as well.
In 1970, Jennifer met acclaimed Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, with whom she has collaborated on six albums, including the highly praised "Famous Blue Raincoat," an album of all Cohen songs that is widely regarded as Warnes' crowning achievement as both a singer and top interpreter of Cohen's work.
Throughout her career, Warnes has recorded with a wide range of artists, including Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte, Roy Orbison, Warren Zevon, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Sam & Dave, Bobby Womack, and Tina Turner. She has also sung on recordings for various films, including the Oscar-winning theme song "It Goes Like It Goes" for the film "Norma Rae."
Warnes' duet with Joe Cocker, "Up Where We Belong," was a huge hit, peaking at number one on the Pop Charts for three weeks straight and winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Her duet with Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers, "(I Had) The Time of My Life," was another massive hit, peaking at number one on the pop charts for four weeks, selling over a million copies, and winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song for the second time.
Jennifer's rendition of the Randy Newman composition "One More Hour" for the picture "Ragtime" was nominated for an Oscar. Warnes' songs have been featured on the soundtracks to numerous films, including "Corky Romano," "Life With Mikey," "When Harry Met Sally," "Blind Date," "Twilight Zone: The Movie," and "Bad Boys."
In 2001, Jennifer released the album "The Well."
