Jonatha Brooke

Jonatha Brooke
Press shot by Sandrine Lee
Background information
Birth name	Jonatha Brooke
Born	(1964-01-23) January 23, 1964 (age 53) Illinois, United States
Genres	Folk rock
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active	1980s–present
Labels	Bad Dog Records, MCA Records, Elektra, Green Linnet, Rykodisc
Associated acts	The Story
Website	jonathabrooke.com

Jonatha Brooke (born January 23, 1964) is an American folk rock singer-songwriter and guitarist from Massachusetts. Her music merges elements of folk, rock and pop, often with poignant lyrics and complex harmonies. She has been a performer, writer, and artist since the late 1980s, and her songs have been used in television shows and movies.

Jonatha Brooke attended Shady Hill School, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She then graduated from Commonwealth School in Boston before moving on to Amherst College.

Jonatha Brooke and fellow Bostonian Jennifer Kimball began playing music together in the 1980s after having met at Amherst College. They performed regularly during their college years. Their folk songs were marked by "witty wordplay and sumptuous pop harmonies," according to one music critic. Another critic suggested Brooke was the creative dynamo behind the team. Another suggested that many artists of this era were inspired by Joni Mitchell to strive for excellent musicianship, singing, and writing. Brooke was sometimes grouped with emerging 1990s talents such as the Indigo Girls, Sheryl Crow, Shawn Colvin, and Mary Chapin Carpenter.

In 1989, the duo played the coffeehouse folk circuit and radio as The Story and were described as an example of the "folk-rock singer-songwriter aesthetic," according to one account. That year they created a demo called Over Oceans. They were signed to the independent label Green Linnet which, in 1991, issued the duo's debut full-length album Grace in Gravity. Later Elektra Records signed The Story and re-issued their debut. Their second album, The Angel in the House, was released in 1993, highlighting their intricate and sometimes dissonant harmonies.