Vocalist Jennifer Onesto got her start singing backup in various Chicago bands during the mid-1980s. When she was 20, she sang for a 50/60s cover band. Their blues-inspired sound was popular among city bars, allowing Onesto and her friends to land backup gigs for Bo Diddley and Del Shannon whenever they rolled into the Windy City. Once they dissolved, Onesto founded Burnt Toast and they went on to perform together until the mid-1990s. In 1996, The Jennifer Onesto Band came together for Onesto's debut CD Twenty Houses. Onesto won a music contest courtesy of 101.9FM "The Mix" in Chicago. Such exposure proved golden for Onesto. That summer she participated in the city's largest outdoor music festival, "The Taste of Chicago." Gigs with Dave Barrett and his band The Big Babies soon followed, however Onesto took a break to become a mother. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide