Judith Owen was born to an unusual pair of Welsh parents: her father was a successful opera singer at London's Covent Garden who harbored an undying love of jazz and blues, keeping a collection of 45s by singers including Nellie Lutcher, Julia Lee, and Peggy Lee. Growing up surrounded by classical music, Owen found herself drawn instead to the joyful, unapologetic sound of women at the piano — an influence that would eventually shape her own career as a singer-songwriter and pianist.
Owen has built a career blending jazz, blues, and personal songwriting, including her critically acclaimed album Happy This Way, an emotional tribute to her native Great Britain. She has made New Orleans her home, living in an old house in the French Quarter where she hosts New Year's Eve gatherings on her balcony overlooking the Mississippi River, complete with piano players and impromptu musical sessions.
In 2022, Owen released Come On & Get It, an album of jazz classics honoring a generation of female jazz musicians, recorded in New Orleans with a big band assembled from some of the city's top talent. Speaking with NPR about the record, Owen explained that she chose to make it in New Orleans because the city isn't only the birthplace of jazz, but a place where music and personality bubble up from the streets in a way she's found nowhere else. The album features tracks including "Come On and Get It, Honey" and "The Spinach Song."
