All About Jude

Kinnear Fills Her Songs With Soul

Jude Kinnear is a seasoned artist and performer. The unpretentious, free-spirited Oklahoma native charms her audience with her powerful soulful voice and a vast catalog of musical offerings. She performs original songs, classic favorites, deep cuts and contemporary hits. Jude sings with a fearless honesty in her own hippy rock chick style. Milwaukee’s premier female troubadour is the real thing.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Dave Tianen says “Kinnear fills her songs with soul”.

Jude maintains a busy performing schedule primarily as a soloist. She also sings lead vocals with Outta State Plates, a rock and roll dance band, background vocals with the Phil Gatewood Band and performs two Sundays a month with songwriter T.Lee at the Spiritual Living Center of Greater Milwaukee.

The Abridged Story

Jude grew up in a small town in northeastern Oklahoma, where she took an active part in church choir, community theatre, school concerts and school plays. She was a hippie rock chick running for her life when she rolled into Milwaukee from Tulsa. Jude spent the next fifteen years contributing skin-tight harmony, lead vocals, rhythm guitar, mandolin and percussion to several bands and acoustic acts around the Milwaukee area. She toured endlessly the energetic acoustic rock duo Fred and Ethel (WAMI Nominees). They performed throughout the Midwest at cafes, pubs, coffeehouses, churches, bars, taverns, sidewalk sales, marketplaces, restaurants, biker parties, yuppie parties, hippie parties, fun parties, not so fun parties, weddings, campfires, political rallies, peace rallies, benefit concerts, house concerts, record stores, book stores, on the radio and television, under trees, tents and umbrellas, on tables, boats and even stages - including Shank Hall in Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Zoo Ala Carte, Summerfest and Wisconsin State Fair.

Jude also became involved with several local theatre groups and gained a reputation for being reliable on stage, and a dedicated worker behind the scenes. She gained considerable experience performing for a season with The Milwaukee Players. As a result, director Dale Gutzmann cast her in the choice role of the evil, lusty Dark Witch in the play Dark of the Moon, because she had "grown beautifully as an actress". Jude rocked the stage as Simon the Zealot in Gene Guenther’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar and received  rave reviews and standing ovations at every performance for her show stopping number in first act.  She earned critical acclaim for her dramatic performance as the compassionate mother of a gay man in love with his sister's husband in the Village Playhouse of Wauwatosa's production of When Someone Knocks, and was presented an Encore Award for her over the top comedic performance of Marjorie in the Musical Murder Mysteries of 1940.  Jude also portrayed characters for a local Milwaukee radio show (The Elvis Hour), and voiced several commercials on 91.7 WMSE radio.

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Jude prefers to listen to classical music and opera, but her musical influences are songwriter Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues, Pavarotti, Frank Sinatra, The Mills Brothers and John Chick. Her voice and style have been compared to Pink, Maria Muldaur, Eva Cassidy, Janis Joplin and Neil Young

Jude abhors violence against innocent creatures and detests rudeness, greedy people, arrogant musicians, fast food, televisions in public places, media heroes, sound checks and the song Bobby McGee.

Jude is available for private parties, biker parties, house concerts, pubs, bars, coffeehouses, cafes and restaurants. Jude can perform for 1-4 hour shows. Jude also makes a great opener for folk/rock/pop bands or other solo acoustic acts.

LISTEN TO JUDE

Fly Free by Jude Kinnear