Wendy Waldman | |
---|---|
Birth name | Wendy Steiner |
Born | Los Angeles, California | November 29, 1950
Genres | Rock, pop, country |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, record producer |
Instrument(s) | Guitar, keyboards, dulcimer |
Years active | 1970–present |
Labels | Warner Bros., Epic, Cypress |
Website | wendywaldman |
Wendy Waldman (born Wendy Steiner on November 29, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer.
Biography
[edit]Early life
[edit]Waldman grew up in the Los Angeles area and was raised in a musical environment. Her father Fred Steiner was a composer who wrote the theme music for Perry Mason and The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show; her mother was a professional violinist.[1]
In 1969 she married her first husband, Ken Waldman, and changed her name to Wendy Waldman.Youtube video with Waldman speaking
Bryndle
[edit]Waldman's first recordings were made in 1970 as a part of Bryndle. Other group members included Karla Bonoff, Andrew Gold, and Kenny Edwards. When the group disbanded, she signed with Warner Bros. Records.[1] Bryndle re-formed in the early 1990s and released two albums before disbanding again in the mid 2000s.[2]
Recordings
[edit]Waldman released her first album, Love Has Got Me,[3] in 1973 and Rolling Stone named her "singer-songwriter debut of the year."[4] The same year, Maria Muldaur covered two of Waldman's songs on her self-titled first album.[5]
She followed her debut album with Gypsy Symphony in 1974,[6] Wendy Waldman in 1975,[7] The Main Refrain (1976), and Strange Company in 1978.[8]
In 1982, Waldman released Which Way to Main Street, which featured Peter Frampton on guitar.[9]
Songwriting
[edit]Waldman left the Warner Bros. label in 1979. In 1982, she moved to Nashville to focus on songwriting.[4]
The songwriting team of Waldman, Phil Galdston, and Jon Lind wrote "Save the Best for Last" for Vanessa Williams, which was nominated for a Grammy.[10] They have also written songs made popular by artists such as Madonna, Celine Dion, and Earth, Wind & Fire.[11]
The song "Fishin' in the Dark" was written by Waldman and Jim Photoglo. It was a hit in 1987 for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and has also been covered by Garth Brooks and Kenny Chesney.[12]
Production
[edit]Waldman has been one of only a few women who produce records in a male-dominated profession.[13]
The Refugees
[edit]In 2007, Waldman formed The Refugees with Cidny Bullens and Deborah Holland.[14]
Discography
[edit]Studio recordings
[edit]- 1973: Love Has Got Me (Warner Bros.)
- 1974: Gypsy Symphony (Warner Bros.)
- 1975: Wendy Waldman (Warner Bros.)
- 1976: The Main Refrain (Warner Bros.)
- 1978: Strange Company (Warner Bros.)
- 1982: Which Way to Main Street (Epic)
- 1987: Letters Home (Cypress)
- 1997: Environments 16 – City of Dreams (FirstCom)
- 2007: My Time in the Desert (Longhouse)
Compilations
[edit]- 1996: Love Is the Only Goal: The Best of Wendy Waldman (Warner Archives)
- 2003: Seeds and Orphans (Longhouse)
- 2009: Seeds and Orphans, Vol. 2 (Longhouse)
- 2012: Back By Fall: A Retrospective (Longhouse)
Singles
[edit]- 1975: "Western Lullaby" / "Green Rocky Road" (Warner Bros.)
- 1976: "Living Is Good" / "The Main Refrain" (Warner Bros.)
- 1978: "Long Hot Summer Nights" / "You'll See" (Warner Bros.)
- 1982: "Does Anybody Want to Marry Me" (Epic)
- 1982: "Heartbeat" (Epic)
- 1987: "Living in Hard Times" (Cypress)
- 1995: Bryndle (MusicMasters)
- 2002: House of Silence (self-released)
As a member of the Refugees
[edit]- 2009: Unbound (Wabuho)
- 2012: Three (Wabuho)
- 2019: How Far It Goes (Wabuho)
As composer
[edit]1973 – 1981
[edit]- 1973: Maria Muldaur – Maria Muldaur (Reprise) – track 10, "Vaudeville Man"; track 11, "Mad Mad Me"
- 1974: El Chicano – Cinco (MCA) – track 7, "Gringo En Mexico"
- 1974: Maria Muldaur – Waitress in a Donut Shop (Reprise) – track 2, "Gringo En Mexico"
- 1975: Judy Collins – Judith (Elektra) – track 11, "Pirate Ships"
- 1976: Barbi Benton – Something New (Playboy) – track 11, "Thinking of You"
- 1976: Maria Muldaur – Sweet Harmony (Reprise) – track 7, "Back by Fall"; track 9, "Wild Bird"
- 1976: Twiggy – Twiggy (Mercury) – track 8, "Vaudeville Man"
- 1980: Randy Meisner – One More Song (Epic) – track 2, "Gotta Get Away"; track 3, "Come on Back to Me"; track 5, "I Need You Bad"; track 7, "Trouble Ahead" (all songs co-written with Eric Kaz and Randy Meisner)
- 1981: Kim Carnes – Mistaken Identity (EMI America) – track 6, "Break The Rules Tonite (Out of School)" (co-written with Dave Ellingson and Kim Carnes); track 7, "Still Hold On" (co-written with Dave Ellingson, Eric Kaz, and Kim Carnes)
- 1981: Albert Hammond – Your World and My World (Columbia) – track 8, "Take Me Sailing"
- 1981: Patti Austin – Every Home Should Have One (Qwest) – track 3, "The Way I Feel" (co-written with Eric Kaz)
1982 – present
[edit]- 1982: Crystal Gayle – True Love (Elektra) – track 4, "Baby What About You" (co-written with Josh Leo)
- 1982: Johnny Van Zant – The Last of the Wild Ones (Polydor) – track 4, "Still Hold On" (co-written with Dave Ellingson, Eric Kaz, and Kim Carnes)
- 1983: Helen Reddy - Imagination (MCA) Side Two, track 2, "The Way I Feel" (co-written with Eric Kaz)
- 1983: Helen Reddy - Imagination (MCA) Side Two, track 5, "Heartbeat" (co-written with Eric Kaz)
- 1985: Kenny Rogers – Love Is What We Make It (Liberty) – track 3, "Still Hold On" (co-written with Dave Ellingson, Eric Kaz, and Kim Carnes)
- 1985: Steve Wariner – Life's Highway (MCA) – track 5, "In Love And Out of Danger" (co-written with Craig Bickhardt)
- 1986: The Kendalls – Fire at First Sight (MCA) – track 4, "I'll Take You (Heartache And All)" (co-written with Donnie Lowery)
- 1986: Reba McEntire – Whoever's in New England (MCA) – track 1, "Can't Stop Now" (co-written with Gary Nicholson)
- 1987: Don Johnson – Heartbeat (Epic) – track 1, "Heartbeat" (co-written with Eric Kaz)
- 1987: Jesse Colin Young – The Highway Is For Heroes (Cypress) – track 1, "The Highway Is For Heroes" (co-written with Jesse Colin Young)
- 1988: Bette Midler – Beaches (Original Soundtrack Recording) (Atlantic) – track 9, "Oh Industry" (co-written with Bette Midler)
- 1988: Highway 101 – 101² (Warner Bros.) – track 2, "Road To Your Heart" (co-written with Jim Photoglo and Josh Leo)
- 1988: Tuck & Patti – Tears of Joy (Windham Hill Jazz) – track 9, "Mad Mad Me"
- 1991: Cher – Love Hurts (Geffen) – track 7, "One Small Step" (co-written with Barry Mann and Brad Parker)
- 1993: The Hooters – Out of Body (MCA) – track 4, "Great Big American Car" (co-written with Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman)
- 2001: Alison Krauss & Union Station – New Favorite (Rounder) – track 7, "I'm Gone" (co-written with Eric Kaz)
- 2008: Sonny Landreth – From the Reach (Landfall) – track 7, "The Goin' On" (co-written with Sonny Landreth)
- 2009: Nicole Dillenberg – The Heart of the Matter (self-released) – track 4, "Over YouKeane"
- 2010: Cindy Bullens – Howling Trains and Barking Dogs (MCD Records) – track 5, "All My Angels" (co-written with Cindy Bullens)
- 2010: John Cowan – The Massenburg Sessions (e1) – track 1, "My Time in the Desert/Maggie Little" (co-written with Sally Barris and Shad Cobb)
- 2015: Home Free – Country Evolution (Columbia) – track 8, "Fishing in the Dark (co-written with Jim Photoglo)
As producer
[edit]- 1988: The Forester Sisters – Sincerely (Warner Bros.)
- 1988: Suzy Bogguss – Somewhere Between (Capitol)
- 1989: Jonathan Edwards – Natural Thing (MCA / Curb)
- 1989: New Grass Revival – (Friday Night in America (Capitol)
- 1990: Matraca Berg – Lying to the Moon (RCA)
- 1992: Mitsou – Heading West (Tox) – track 2, "Heading West"
- 1993: Rick Vincent – A Wanted Man (Curb)
- 2005: Arthur Lee Land – Dragonfly (Perfect Groove)
- 2007: Artie Traum – Thief of Time (Roaring Stream)
- 2012: Lisa Haley – Joy Ride (Blue Fiddle)
- 2014: various artists – Looking into You: A Tribute to Jackson Browne (Music Road) – track 2-04, "Something Fine"
Also appears on
[edit]1973 – 1979
[edit]- 1973: Linda Ronstadt – Don't Cry Now (Asylum) – backing vocals 'Don't Cry Now'
- 1974: Linda Ronstadt – Heart Like a Wheel (Capitol) – backing vocals on track 2, "It Doesn't Matter Anymore"
- 1976: Maria Muldaur - Sweet Harmony (Warner Bros.) backing vocals
- 1976: Al Kooper – Act Like Nothing's Wrong (United Artists) – backing vocals
- 1976: Linda Ronstadt – Hasten Down the Wind (Asylum) – backing vocals
- 1977: Karla Bonoff – Karla Bonoff (Columbia) – backing vocals
- 1977: Tim Moore – White Shadows (Asylum) – backing vocals
- 1978: Maria Muldaur - Southern Winds (Warner Bros.) – backing vocals
- 1979: Maria Muldaur - Open Your Eyes (Warner Bros.) - backing vocals
- 1979: Karla Bonoff – Restless Nights (Columbia) – backing vocals
1980 – present
[edit]- 1980: Bob Welch – Man Overboard (Capitol) – backing vocals
- 1980: Bette Midler – In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record (Warner Bros.) – backing vocals on 'Blueberry Pie'
- 1980: Amy Holland – Amy Holland (Capitol) – backing vocals
- 1980: Randy Meisner – One More Song (Epic) – guitar, vocals on track 3, "Come on Back To Me"
- 1980: John Stewart – Dream Babies Go Hollywood (RSO Records) – backing vocals
- 1980 Linda Ronstadt "Live In Hollywood" (RHINO) -HBO TV Special -backing vocals
- 1982: Karla Bonoff – Wild Heart of the Young (Columbia) – backing vocals
- 1982: Nicolette Larson – All Dressed Up and No Place to Go (Warner Bros.) – backing vocals
- 1983: Melissa Manchester – Emergency (Arista) – backing vocals
- 1983: Randy Newman – Trouble in Paradise (Warner Bros.) – backing vocals
- 1984: Jimmy Buffett – Riddles in the Sand (MCA) – backing vocals
- 1984: Reba McEntire – My Kind of Country (MCA) – backing vocals
- 1985: Dobie Gray – From Where I Stand (Capitol) – backing vocals
- 1985: Jimmy Buffett – Last Mango in Paris (MCA) – backing vocals
- 1985: Hank Williams Jr. – Five-O (Warner Bros.) – backing vocals
- 1985: Rick Cua – You're My Road (Sparrow) - vocals
- 1986: Mac Davis – Somewhere in America (MCA) – vocals
References
[edit]- ^ a b Charles Donovan. "Wendy Waldman". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 5, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
- ^ "Bryndle – Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 13, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ Edwards, Gavin (July 16, 2015). "10 Singer-Songwriter Albums Rolling Stone Loved in the 1970s You've Never Heard". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 3, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
- ^ a b Cleaveland, Carol (October 2, 1987). "Singer-songwriter Wendy Waldman Is Rocking The Record Industry Boat". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on April 22, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
- ^ "Wendy Waldman". Songs etc. Archived from the original on September 9, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
- ^ "Gypsy Symphony". rateyourmusic.com. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
- ^ Charles Donovan. "Wendy Waldman". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 11, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
- ^ "Strange Company". musicbrainz.org. Archived from the original on June 14, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
- ^ staff writer (May 17, 1982). "Picks and Pans Review: Which Way to Main Street". People. Archived from the original on October 25, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
- ^ "Wendy Waldman". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on June 8, 2018. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
- ^ Kawashima, Dale. "Phil Galdston, Wendy Waldman & Jon Lind: Writing The Classic Hit, "Save The Best For Last"". Songwriter Universe. Archived from the original on June 17, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
- ^ Paulson, Dave (March 3, 2015). "Story Behind the Song: 'Fishin' in the Dark'". The Tennessean. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
- ^ Haruch, Steve (June 3, 2010). "Women account for less than 5 percent of producers and engineers – but maybe not for long". Nashville Scene. Archived from the original on June 20, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
- ^ "The Refugees on Mountain Stage". Mountain Stage. Archived from the original on October 21, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
External links
[edit]- Wendy Waldman website
- The Refugees website
- Wendy Waldman at AllMusic
- Wendy Waldman discography at Discogs
- Wendy Waldman at IMDb