Chet Jenkins was born in Salem, Oregon and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. After graduating from high school, he moved to Ohio to attend Cedarville College, where he completed a BA in Saxophone Performance, and a BME in instrumental music.

Upon graduating from Cedarville, Chet went to Ohio University, where he obtained his MM in Saxophone Performance. While at OU, he served as a graduate assistant to professor Matt James, Assistant Professor of Saxophone and Jazz, and taught music theory, under the direction of Dr. Allyn Rilley.

In December of 1999, Chet participated in his first commissioning project, with the consortium commission of Gunther Schuller's Sonata, through the World Wide Concurrent Premire and Commissioning Fund.

Currently, in addition to teaching saxophone at Cedarville, Chet coaches a jazz combo, and assists with the Cedarville University Symphonic Band.