Betty X - Early Life

Early Life

Betty was born and raised in Seattle, Washington into a musical family. Betty is the third child of Janice (née Pierce) and Michael Thompson-Gibson. Betty is of British and Irish descent on her mother's side, and 11th cousin of former President George W. Bush. She is also of Cherokee descendent and great-granddaughter of Chief John Ross (Cherokee chief) of the Cherokee Nation on her father's side.

Betty began singing at the age of five she was encouraged by father, a jazz drummer, her mother a pianist/accordionist and sister, a flutist/guitarist. She studied music, theatre, and fine arts throughout her childhood.

As a child, she attended a Protestant church, but left organized religion as a young teenager and studied Native American spirituality and shamanism instead. After she traveled to Japan at age fifteen, she developed an avid interest in Buddhist philosophy.

Betty was accepted into Cornish College of the Arts at the fifteen years old into the Fine Arts program, the youngest student to be accepted into Cornish at that time. She graduated early from high school at age sixteen. She earned a BA in arts studying performance art, video, mixed media, interdisciplinary arts and painting. During college years she started spoken word nights, art happenings and she designed clothes for local rock bands in Seattle. She designed costumes and hats for the psychedelic rock band Sky Cries Mary and Malfuktion.