Bristow is a fantastic performer live and floored the audience supporting Madeleine Peyroux in New Zealand. Last year she opened for Phoebe Snow at the Birchmere in Washington, Jimmy Webb in Sydney Australia. Since living in Austin Jackie is a regular performer at the One World Theatre where she has performed the pre concert shows for Ricky Skaggs and Rodney Crowell, Jerry Jeff Walker and Richie Havens.

Jackie Bristow Crazy Love
Jackie Bristow’s latest album, Crazy Love, on Craving Records was produced last year in LA with HELIK HADAR and MARK HOWARD (Tom Waits, Lucinda Williams, Marianne Faithful, Sheryl Crow) and Helik Hadar (Rufus Wainwright, Joni Mitchell). Musicians on the album include Mark Punch (Kasey Chambers, Jimmy Barnes), Tim Pierce (Tom Petty, Tracy Chapman, Rod Stewart), Brian MacLeod (Sheryl Crow), Zak Rae (Alanis Morissette, Macy Gray), Daryl Johnson (The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Emmy Lou Harris), Michael Chaves (John Mayer, Sarah McLachlan), Jay Bellarose (Aimee Mann), Don Heffington (Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams) and Grammy-award winner Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Peter Gabriel).

Inspired by her music teacher, Jackie began singing in choir at age 8 in Gore, her small rural hometown on New Zealand's South Island. Encouraged by her grandmother, Jackie sang with her sister Katrina, The Bristow Sisters were seasoned pros by the time Jackie was 14.

In 1995 her muse led her to Australia where she worked tirelessly as a nanny-by day and a late night singer in often lonely clubs. Five years later, a copy of her demo reached the desk of Michael Gudinski, who signed her to write for Mushroom Music and record for Liberation Records.

They released several hit singles and a well-received debut album, Thirsty, in Australia and New Zealand. Her songs have been used repeatedly in Australian film and television in hits such as The Secret Life Of Us and Home And Away and Go Big. She has toured with Art Garfunkel, Madeleine Peyroux, Renee Geyer, Mark Seymour and Capercaille, and in 2006 she opened a tour for Daniel Lanois, who said, from the stage, “she sings like a bird” Her song “This is Australia” won Tourism Australia's Song Competition and has been featured in a worldwide promotion campaign.

At once heartfelt and sophisticated, Jackie Bristow combines subtle but beautiful melodies and hooks that hypnotise the listener, demand complete surrender and then stick around with the backbone of a real friend..

"Jackie Bristow's Crazy Love is a hypnotizing collection… Bristow is a true original, well worth your attention.” − Chet Flippo, CMT

"This woman makes you feel as if she's talking to you the whole way throughout the album; storming heaven's gates taking no prisoners as she goes. There are love songs throughout which will leave you breathless. Crazy Love" is superb musicianship, good hooks that flow naturally rather than being contrived, and awesome melodies.” − John Shelton Ivany Top 21

"… a seriously credible songwriter with the sound of a poet. Plenty of signature elegant subtleties in her music and the album’s sound is immediate and engaging… You’ll find beauty right here in Crazy Love.” − Southland Times Reviewed by Chris Chilton

Bristow's voice is sophisticated and soulful. Lovers of finely crafted tunes combined with perfectly delivered vocals should definitely listen up." − The Press, New Zealand

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Jackie Bristow's singing career began at the tender age of eight when she took a shine to church hymns at St Mary's Primary School, inspired by her music teacher Mr. Walter Hailes. St Mary's was Jackie's local school in her hometown of Gore, a small rural community in the lower half of New Zealand's South Island, and home to New Zealand country music's Gold Guitar awards.

Encouraged by their grandmother, piano teacher Molly Scully, Jackie and her younger sister Katrina entered the Gold Guitar awards, and by the time Jackie was 11, the duo were sweeping up a string of awards in various categories. By the age of 14, The Bristow sisters were gigging regularly though out the South Island.

Around this time, Jackie began to mine her parents' record collection, discovering classic songs from Elvis Presley, Linda Ronstandt and even Solid Gold Hits! Jackie began to write her own songs, a secret passion that would remain hidden from the world for the next seven years.

At 17, Jackie left high school and enrolled in the Invercargill Polytechnic Music school, where she hooked up with local musicians and spent the next 18 months singing regularly in pop and cover bands all around New Zealand. The professional Bristow had by now immersed herself in the original music of Ricki Lee Jones, Bonnie Raitt and Crowded House.

Performing was fun, but Jackie could no longer ignore the desire to write and perform her own material, which had been growing steadily since leaving Invercargill. In 1994, Jackie left for Sydney, where she would gradually write, record and perform her original songs, playing late night bars to empty rooms, saving pennies and working as a nanny to make ends meet.

It was in Sydney that Jackie met her now long time friend, Mark Punch, who provided Jackie with great perspective and the musical career guidance she had been missing up until then. Mark helped Jackie record her demos and turned her on to inspiring songwriters like Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Shawn Colvin. Eventually, her demo made its way to Australian industry legend and Mushroom Records founder, Michael Gudinski. Jackie's original music career was truly underway.