Jewel headlines huge trio of shows at the Golden State Theatre.

Jewel learned early on that sharing her hardships through her songs unloads a lot of burden. As a teenager living out of her car – her boss fired her because she wouldn’t sleep with him, and she couldn’t make rent – all she had was her music, and a notebook full of songs that were gritty, sad, soulful and above all, completely honest.

“People came to see me [perform] and told their friends about me and they came to see me, and more and more people came,” Jewel says.

She was only 21 when her multi-platinum debut Pieces of You dropped. On tunes like “You Were Meant For Me” Jewel makes you feel like she’s singing specifically to you, almost as if she was consoling you: “Same old story, not much to say/ Hearts are broken, everyday.”

Neil Young and Loretta Lynn both were early champions of the Utah native.

Twenty years later, the singer/songwriter/poet/actress has sold over 27 million records and is a New York Times Bestselling writer, most recently with her potent memoir Never Broken – Songs Are Only Half the Story.

Fame hasn’t jaded Jewel or blinded her to memories of her early struggles.

“I believe invulnerability is counterintuitive,” she says. “I wasn’t going to let go of that after I got signed to a record deal. A lot of artists tend to use art as propaganda to help themselves be perceived more perfect than, in actuality, any of us are.”

Sometimes truth hurts, but it’s never been as painful for Jewel to record until recently. The opener “Love Used to Be” off her 2015 Picking Up the Pieces was inspired by her 2014 divorce. Jewel describes the tune as a “eulogy of that great first love; the death of a marriage.”

During her shows, Jewel usually goes out on stage without a plan: on her current solo/acoustic tour, stopping at Golden State Theatre next Wednesday, she hasn’t scribbled one setlist.

“It keeps me engaged and I think it’s a more authentic experience for the audience,” she explains. “It also makes it a more intimate experience.”

“I go out and tell stories and people request songs,” she adds. “Depending on the mood I’m in, that’s what kind of show you’ll get.”

Griffin House opens for Jewel. A few days before they arrive, SoCal neo-swing trendsetters Big Bad Voodoo Daddy return to the Peninsula for a night of theatrical jump-jive and call-and-response blues wrapped in pinstripe zoot suits.

Drummer/co-founder Kurt Sodergren has been in a good mood lately. On April 2, the Ventura-based outfit performed the City of Ventura’s 150th Anniversary and raised over $50,000 to benefit the art and music programs at Ventura Unified School District’s elementary, middle and high schools.

“There were no music programs when I went to school,” Sodergren says. “That’s not a good thing. Even if you don’t want to [be a musician] for a living, it’s a great outlet for kids.”

BBVD erupted into the world’s consciousness following their appearance in the 1996 runaway indie classic Swingers. The band played themselves in the film, performing “You & Me & the Bottle Makes 3 Tonight (Baby),” “I Wan’na Be Like You” and “Go Daddy-O.”

One of many anecdotes Sodergren recalls from the mythical shoot was a young Jon Favreau asking the band if they could get their scenes right on one take, since they were working with such a miniscule budget.

Less than a year after Swingers came out, BBVD went from being a local band to a sellout drawl all over the country and part of the Super Bowl halftime show.

At this point in the band’s career, Sodergren says the group is creating their own rock band paradigm, which involves being home with their family as much as possible.

The core seven members will celebrate their 25th anniversary in two years. Sodergren says they plan on releasing a new record, Louie, Louie Louie, paying tribute to Louis Jordan, Louis Prima and Louis Armstrong.

Tonight (May 5), the Marshall Tucker Band kick off an eventful week at the Golden State Theatre with chart-topping early-70s singles, including “Heard It In A Love Song” and “Can’t You See.”

Spartanburg, South Carolina southern rocker Doug Gray has been running the Marshall Tucker Band operation for more than 40 years now. As the only remaining original member, Gray works harder to make sure everybody is on top of the music.

“The whole reason we started was to get on the stage and play our butts off and we have to maintain that,” he says.

As demanding as the touring schedule has been year after year, Gray says he’d be bored as hell without it.

“It gives me inspiration to see families bringing their kids or grandkids,” he says. “We just want to be known for playing wonderful, meaningful songs translated into great memories over all the years.”

Popular jam band Moonalice shares a stacked playbill in a stacked week.

MARSHALL TUCKER BAND and MOONALICE 8pm Thursday, May 5. $27-$42.

BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY 8pm Saturday, May 7. $27-$42.

JEWEL and GRIFFIN HOUSE 8pm Wednesday, May 11. $49-$86; $199/VIP meet-and-greet.

All at Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. 649-1070, www.goldenstatetheatre.com