Warnes was born on March 3, 1947, in
Seattle,
Washington and raised in
Anaheim, California. Her desire and ability to sing came early; at age seven she was offered her first recording contract, which her father declined. She sang in church and local pageants until age 17, when Warnes was offered an
opera scholarship to
Immaculate Heart College. She was so committed to her Catholic faith that for a while she entered a convent after graduating from high school. Warnes chose to sing
folk music as it became popularized by
Joan Baez in the mid-1960s. In 1968, after a few years with musical theatre and clubs, she signed with
Parrot Records (a
London Records subsidiary) and recorded her first album. That year, she joined the cast of the television show
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Early in her career, industry advisors suggested Warnes change her name to "Warren", but then realized that there was already an actress named
Jennifer Warren, so she performed briefly as simply 'Jennifer', though she was credited as Jennifer Warren when she provided duet vocals for the singer-guitarist
Mason Williams on his 1968 album,
The Mason Williams Ear Show. Soon, however, she returned to her birth name. In November 1968, Warnes (as "Jennifer Warren") portrayed the female lead in the
Los Angeles, California, production of the stage musical
Hair. Her fellow
Hair castmate
Bert Sommer wrote a song inspired by her entitled "Jennifer," and
performed it at
Woodstock. ==Career==