Singer/songwriter Judy Rodman was born the daughter of an air-traffic controller and part-time bluegrass musician in Riverside, California. Judy began singing at age four and was a competent guitar player at age eight, when she debuted with her father’s band at a cruise ship party. During her family’s many moves, Rodman developed an interest in different forms of music ranging from classical to Cajun to calypso. At age 17, she began singing commercial jingles; her voice was heard nationally on one for Jeno’s Pizza. She later studied music in college, where she and her roommate Janie Fricke became jingle singers at the Tanner Agency in Memphis; she also sang with Phase II, a local nightclub band.