Who Is Eden Atwood?
Eden Atwood is a jazz singer, actress, and therapist who grew up in Montana and became one of the youngest artists ever signed to the well-known jazz label Concord Records.
Early Life and Montana Roots
Eden Atwood was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in January 1969.
When she was five years old, her parents divorced, and she moved with her mother to Montana to live near her mother?s family.
Her grandfather was A.B. Guthrie Jr., a writer who won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel ?The Way West,? so storytelling and the arts were an important part of her family life.
Her father, Hubbard ?Hub? Atwood, was a jazz composer and arranger who wrote and arranged music for famous performers such as Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Stan Kenton, and Harry James.
Growing up in Montana, Eden took part in school musicals and local performances, and her mother encouraged her to keep singing and playing piano so that music stayed a central part of her childhood.
Education and Early Performing Career
As a teenager in Missoula, Eden was already leading a band when she was about fifteen, performing with musicians who were much older and more experienced than she was.
She studied drama and musical theatre at the University of Montana, which helped her learn how to act, move on stage, and connect with an audience.
Later, she moved to Chicago to attend the American Conservatory of Music and continued her training there, building on about eight years of classical piano lessons she had already taken.
She also spent time acting and modeling in New York, Los Angeles, and Paris, which gave her experience in television and fashion while she continued to focus on music.
Acting Work and New York Jazz Clubs
In the early 1990s, Eden began acting on television and had recurring roles on the ABC shows ?The Commish? and the daytime drama ?Loving.?
During this time, she also performed in well-known New York City venues such as the Algonquin Hotel, Tavern on the Green, and Michael?s Pub, places where many famous jazz and cabaret singers have appeared.
A guest role on the television series ?The Untouchables? took her back to Chicago, where she became the headline singer at the Gold Star Sardine Bar, a respected jazz club in the city.
Recording Career and Musical Style
In 1992, Eden independently recorded an album called ?Today!? on the Southport label, which caught the attention of jazz pianist Marian McPartland.
McPartland sent the album to Carl Jefferson, president of Concord Records, who signed Eden when she was in her early twenties, making her one of the youngest artists ever signed to the label.
Concord re-released ?Today!? under the new title ?No One Ever Tells You,? named after a song written by Eden?s father, Hub Atwood, for Frank Sinatra.
She went on to record several albums with Concord, including ?No One Ever Tells You? (1993), ?Cat on a Hot Tin Roof? (1994), ?There Again? (1995), and ?A Night in the Life? (1996).
Critics describe her singing style as warm and emotional, with a focus on the lyrics and storytelling, and compare her to classic jazz and pop singers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, Rosemary Clooney, Julie London, and Billie Holiday.
Her albums often feature jazz standards, blues tunes, and carefully reimagined pop songs, and on ?Waves: The Bossa Nova Session? she performs songs in the gentle Brazilian bossa nova style by composers like Antonio Carlos Jobim.
Life and Work in Montana Today
Eden has strong ties to Missoula, Montana, where she has lived for many years, performing in concerts, teaching private voice students, and raising her family.
In addition to music, she returned to school to earn a Master of Social Work degree from Walla Walla University and became a licensed clinical social worker.
She now works as a psychotherapist in Missoula, helping young people and adults with issues such as trauma, anxiety, depression, and questions about identity and belonging.
Eden has appeared as a guest on NPR?s ?Piano Jazz? with Marian McPartland, and some of her recordings have been included on compilation CDs from companies like Starbucks, Eddie Bauer, and Brooks Brothers, alongside songs by famous jazz legends.
For sixth-grade students in Montana, Eden Atwood?s story shows how someone from their state can become a respected artist, speak honestly about a personal medical condition, and use both music and counseling skills to help others.
