Biography

As a child she remembers many long car trips between her West LA birthplace and the home her family made on Fox Island, Washington. They sang along to X, Fleetwood Mac, The Clash, Dylan, and Lucinda Williams.  Her parents relocated from Southern Cali to the rural Northwest for a fresh start from the perils of showbiz and young parenthood. Their small farm proved to be a place where Wyatt cultivated her wild imagination and filled countless notebooks with lyrics and poetry. Terribly shy, she hid them all under her mattress. (It’s ok, you can laugh).

Just before leaving LA at 5 years old, she saw Bonnie Raitt in concert at the Forum with her hipster parents and apparently wouldn’t stop playing air guitar, because they bought her a 50’s era Fender electric shortly after. From then on out the guitar replaced her imaginary friends and eventually provided a vehicle for her adolescent ramblings. 

She developed her songwriting throughout her teens by playing coffee houses and bars in Tacoma and Western Washington. At 16, she started a band that played saloons and hippy festivals. They made a demo in her dad’s garage then recorded an EP with singer, Jeff Angell of Seattle super rock band: PostStardomDepression. A friend played this EP over the phone to his brother in Los Angeles, who owned a label. Record executive, Skip Williamson flew to Seattle to see a show and offered Wyatt a recording agreement.

At 17 she and her mother cosigned a record deal with LA indie label Lakeshore Records. She began writing with Gregory Butler to compile songs for an album. The label also introduced her to Seattle roots rocker Pete Droge, who produced Wyatt’s self-titled five-song EP. The obvious single was “Lightswitch,” a song she wrote with Butler for the feature film Wicker Park. This put her on the soundtrack alongside alternative mainstays Death Cab for Cutie, Postal Service, Snow Patrol, Mum and Stereophonics.

“Sometimes I can’t find the lightswitch/Sometimes I’d rather dwell in darkness/Sometimes I’m better off alone/Sometimes has become my home” “Lightswitch”

She and her band toured in a variety of stinky vans along the West Coast and eventually opened for John Mellencamp and John Fogerty at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Northern Cali. After a few years in the grind, Wyatt found herself lost in bars and late night jams throughout Hollywood. During this time Jonathan Sheldon discovered her playing at the Hotel Café, where she was a regular performer. He asked her to be their Stevie Nicks in a band the trio named American Bloomers. Betting on a break and overtly excited about their songs, Wyatt put all her eggs in one basket, falling hard when their Record deal crumbled.

“During those few years I became a party of one. I woke up and realized I had forgotten who I was and what I stood for. Unfortunately, alcohol and sedatives were not the map to self discovery, but after growing up in bars and vans it seemed like a natural progression.” –Wyatt

NEW RECORD titled “This Side Up” in progress…

JW moved to Ventura County, north of LA, where she rediscovered her message and craft, penning songs of perseverance and hope amidst the inevitable hardships of life. Some Song titles include:

Believe Walked Thru Fire Even You Boys Like That Time Travel Neon Love Runaway Come Home for December

“Just give me a chance/You’ll see/Nothing is impossible/All you’ve got to do is believe” -Believe

Jaime Wyatt is an old soul in a young body who has lived a lifetime in 26 years, which can be heard in her words and music. Songs like “Believe” and “Walked Through Fire” tell a story of heartbreak, survival and ultimately, redemption. Jaime sings them in an earthy, slightly country twang, playing guitar with the swagger of her idol Keith Richards.

She reunited with longtime writing partner and producer Gregory Butler to write “Believe.” You hear Motown and Stax influences throughout this tune, as Wyatt pleads for a second chance. “If its love or life and you feel you have failed, hold on,” is the message.

“I’ve walked through fire/Covered in ashes/Rising against the howling wind/Wanted to tell you/None of it matters/You can always start again.” -Walked Through Fire   “Walked Thru Fire,” was the result of a collaboration with Barrett Yretsian, writer/producer of Christina Perri’s platinum single, “Jar of Hearts.” The tune is a piano ballad, which is new for Wyatt, but allows her to capture the frailty of such lyrics. The song describes a personal journey from self-destruction to an awakening of the spirit, urging others to embrace their own story and make a new beginning.

JW remained loyal to American Bloomers and helped them finish their EP, which was just released independently in the fall of 2011. Please find their music under the “links” section.