Wendy Waldman

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Wendy Waldman
Birth nameWendy Steiner
Born (1950-11-29) November 29, 1950 (age 74)
Los Angeles, California
GenresRock, pop, country
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, record producer
Instrument(s)Guitar, keyboards, dulcimer
Years active1970–present
Labels Warner Bros., Epic, Cypress
Website wendywaldman.com

Wendy Waldman (born Wendy Steiner on November 29, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer.

Contents

Biography

Early life

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. [2]

Bryndle

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. [3]

Recordings

Waldman released her first album, Love Has Got Me, [4] in 1973 and Rolling Stone named her "singer-songwriter debut of the year." [5] The same year, Maria Muldaur covered two of Waldman's songs on her self-titled first album. [6]

She followed her debut album with Gypsy Symphony in 1974, [7] [ deprecated source ]Wendy Waldman in 1975, [8] The Main Refrain (1976), and Strange Company in 1978. [9]

In 1982, Waldman released Which Way to Main Street, which featured Peter Frampton on guitar. [10]

Songwriting

Waldman left the Warner Bros. label in 1979. In 1982, she moved to Nashville to focus on songwriting. [5]

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. [11] They have also written songs made popular by artists such as Madonna, Celine Dion, and Earth, Wind & Fire. [12]

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. [13]

Production

Waldman has been one of only a few women who produce records in a male-dominated profession. [14]

The Refugees

In 2007, Waldman formed The Refugees with Cidny Bullens and Deborah Holland. [15]

Discography

Studio recordings

Compilations

Singles

As a member of Bryndle

As a member of the Refugees

As composer

1973 – 1981

  • 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

As producer

Also appears on

1973 – 1979

1980 – present

References

  1. 1 2 Charles Donovan. "Wendy Waldman". Billboard via internet archive. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  2. ↑ "FAR-West 2018 Best of the West: Performer Award, Wendy Waldman". farwest conference Youtube channel. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Bryndle – Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 13, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. 1 2 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.
  6. ↑ "Wendy Waldman". Songs etc. via internet archive. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Gypsy Symphony". rateyourmusic.com. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  8. ↑ Charles Donovan. "Wendy Waldman". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 11, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Strange Company". musicbrainz.org. Archived from the original on June 14, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  10. ↑ staff writer (May 5, 2017). "Picks and Pans Review: Which Way to Main Street". People via internet archive.
  11. ↑ "Wendy Waldman". The Recording Academy via internet archive. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. ↑ Paulson, Dave (March 3, 2015). "Story Behind the Song: 'Fishin' in the Dark'". The Tennessean. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ "The Refugees on Mountain Stage". Mountain Stage. Archived from the original on October 21, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
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