Stephan Jenkins

Stephan Jenkins
Background information
Birth name	Stephan Douglas Jenkins
Born	September 27, 1964 (1964-09-27)
Genres	Alternative rock
Occupations	singer/songwriter, producer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, keyboards, drums, percussion, bass
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Elektra, Mega Collider
Associated acts	Third Eye Blind Puck and Natty Vanessa Carlton
Website	http://www.3eb.com

Stephan Douglas Jenkins (born September 27, 1964 in Indio, California), is an American musician best known as the lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist for Third Eye Blind. Under Jenkins's leadership, Third Eye Blind has sold over eight million copies of four albums: Third Eye Blind (1997), Blue (1999), Out of the Vein (2003), and Ursa Major (2009). Jenkins wrote or co-wrote all of the band's most notable hits, including "Semi-Charmed Life", "Jumper", "How's It Going to Be", "Losing a Whole Year", "Graduate", "Deep Inside of You", and "Never Let You Go".

Early life

Jenkins was born in Indio, California on September 27, 1964. He grew up in Palo Alto, California and attended Henry M. Gunn Senior High School. Stephan started his musical career early in life. He recalls banging out original works at the age of five, pulling out pots and pans on the floor of his kitchen at home in Southern California. When he was 13, his family briefly relocated to Madison, Wisconsin to support his father's career, but the Jenkins family quickly returned to the Bay just two years later. In 1987 he graduated as valedictorian of his class from University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. in English Literature, despite suffering from both ADHD and dyslexia.

Music career

Puck and Natty

Jenkins first formed Puck and Natty (the name originating from the Shakespeare characters), a 'funky rap masta' group, with Detroit rapper Herman Chunn in 1992, after a failed experiment with his band Splash. Puck and Natty was short lived; however, their track, "Just Wanna Be Your Friend" landed on a soundtrack album of the hit TV show Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1992.

Third Eye Blind

Jenkins formed Third Eye Blind in 1993 with Kevin Cadogan. They played small gigs around the bay for years and were, for the most part, unknown until they were signed in 1995 by Elektra Records. Jenkins has written or co-written every song on the band's four studio albums and one extended play album. He has seemed to favor the Gibson Explorer guitars over most other electric models in his career, particularly during live performances.^{[citation needed]}

As a producer

Jenkins produced Vanessa Carlton's second album Harmonium (2004) and co-wrote four tracks, including the lead single "White Houses". He co-produced Heroes & Thieves, Carlton's third album, with Irv Gotti, 7 Aurelius, and Rick Rubin.

Acting career

Jenkins made his acting debut with a cameo in the film Rock Star (2001) playing Bradley, the lead singer of the fictional film Black Babylon. He has also appeared in the former Nickelodeon series All That, and he appeared on the MTV candid camera show Punk'd when Vanessa Carlton was the subject of one of Ashton Kutcher's practical jokes. In perhaps his biggest acting stunt, he starred in Art of Revenge (2003), in which he played the lead role Matthew Kane.

Personal life

Jenkins ended a three-year relationship with actress Charlize Theron in October 2001. Some of Third Eye Blind's third album, Out of the Vein, appears to explore the emotions he experienced as a result of that breakup. From 2002 to 2007, Jenkins dated Vanessa Carlton.

Jenkins currently lives in San Francisco, California. When asked about living as a high-profiled musician, he stated "Am I a rock star? Yeah, I guess. I also get to live in North Beach and go to a pub and drink my pint and go to a café and drink my coffee. I carry groceries home on the tank of my motorcycle. I find pleasure in things that are simple. Is that a rock star's life? It is for me." According to Jenkins, he never drinks before a show and always drinks after a show.

External links

• Stephan Jenkins at the Internet Movie Database