From the time I was nine years old, I was certain I would become a professional singer. And from time I was 15, I began working towards that goal. By the age of 17, I began working professionally. Had you told me that 25 years later, my professional life would turn off into a different direction, I would have told you you were crazy. The fact of the matter is, you never know what curves your life- and career- will throw you.
I landed my first job in musical theater fresh out of high school, moving from my hometown of Indianapolis to Milwaukee where I obtained my Actors Equity card. As that show was closing, someone in the cast told me about a band in Boston that was looking for a singer. I auditioned over the phone and then off I went. When that gig was over, I went home to Indianapolis where thanks to my voice teacher, was introduced to a wonderful jazz pianist who was looking for a female vocalist. This is where my love of jazz took hold. I continued to work in and around the Indy/Bloomington area for a few years until my opportunities (or lack of them) indicated that I should move on. Where to go? Well, all roads lead to New York, so…
Shortly after arriving in New York in 1977, I secured a gig as a regular singer at the famed “Catch A Rising Star”, which was a training ground/ work out room for some up and coming – as well as some very seasoned- comics, such as Larry David, Richard Belzer and a very young Chris Rock. There were a a few singers thrown in to break up the comedy sets (including Pat Benatar). While at Catch, I was also establishing myself on the cabaret circuit, which was in its formative stages. I was honored in the first year of the NAACA (National Association of Concert and Cabaret Arts) to be nominated as “Best Singer” and “Entertainer of the Year”. Around the same time, the local CBS station touted me as “One of the Best Singers in New York”. All pretty heady stuff for someone trying break into the New York market.
While singing in New York, I continued to audition and get cast in a few shows and reviews, which paid the rent in between the glamorous job of waiting on tables ;-). I worked in musical reviews, cruise ships and staged readings. I dabbled in back up singing and jingle singing. That lasted for at least ten years. I eventually landed a steady job in the Off Broadway show “Beehive”, a tribute to girl groups of the 60s. At first, I went into the show as an understudy, covering five roles, and then eventually took over one of the roles, which turned out to be both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I was working in New York on a steady gig, making a reliable paycheck for the first time, and a curse because of the vocal demands of the show. Within a few months of doing the show every night and singing in front of a horn band at the top of my lungs, I had let my technique slide and eventually had to pull out of the show because of vocal damage. All of that work and all of that time spent trying to establish myself seemed to go up in smoke, along with my voice. I went from a three and half octave range to a one-octave range. Not only did I need to step away from the show, I also had to go on complete vocal rest. The word “MORTAL” continually accompanied me. Who was I without my voice? Needless to say, it was devastating. No steady job, no income- and no voice.
I had my work cut out for me. My assignment was to not only learn how to properly sing again, but to also learn how to properly SPEAK again. All of these events set my professional life on a worrisome and tentative new course. I began the long and dedicated journey of regaining my vocal health through speech therapy with Joan Lader and excellent voice coaching (which I continue to this day). with David Jones, that not only helped me to avoid having surgery on my cords, but also to heal and rebuild my voice in a much healthier way. From that point on, I never took my voice for granted or pushed it in a way that it didn’t want to go. I did not adapt myself to the demands of music. Rather, I chose music that was right for my voice.
When I was ready to get back to work, I had a choice to make. I had auditioned for a Tom O’Horgan show that began as a workshop and was bound for Broadway. The vocal roles were challenging and demanding. At the same time, I had heard about a vocal jazz group that was new to New York and was looking to replace one of their singers. Having been a huge fan vocal jazz groups like Lambert, Hendricks and Ross and The Swingle Singers for decades, I jumped at the opportunity to audition for them. After one or two auditions, I became the alto voice in New York Voices, while the show destined for Broadway carried on without me.
In order to truly get NYV off the ground, it required us putting the group first and foremost and putting our solo careers on hold. We worked incredibly hard that first year, and it paid off. Within a year, we were working with a manager, signed to a major record label, getting lots of airplay, and were on the road performing. We toured all over the U.S, Europe and Japan. Another record followed. The Kennedy Center. Carnegie Hall. More time on the road. Then coming back home and trying to pay the bills. (As a singer in almost any musical situation, you pay for the band, you pay for PR, you pay for most everything, and then depending on what’s left over, you get paid. And if you’re signed and on the road, there is also your manager and a road manager, along with travel expenses.)
After four years on the road and two albums, along with the hiatus of my solo career, I began to take stock. I was several years older than the rest of the group. I had recently turned 40. I had enjoyed my time on and off the road singing in every imaginable setting, but I also craved some security. And that was something that I had to find for myself.
After the Voices, I returned to solo gigs, joined a few jazz fusion bands and continued to deepen my work experience as a lyricist. And although all of that was rewarding, it wasn’t going to pay the bills.
As a woman of 40 in this business, I had to do some serious soul searching~ and decision making. I wanted to pursue a solo career- but at this point, came to terms with the fact that I was potentially “over the hill” regarding my marketability. But what I craved the most was creative satisfaction. And I was well aware of the fact that creativity and financial security might not exist in the same place. So then… How to supplement my musical career in a way that felt good and that could support me?
I had been told for several years that I should “check out voiceovers”. And so finally, I decided to do just that. I took some classes and made a demo reel. I knew it wasn’t good enough. (This is why I warn people getting into voiceovers to avoid the “one size fits all” voiceover schools that don’t individualize their coaching to each student). I made another demo reel. I shopped it. I got turned down. I made cold calls to anyone that I thought might be in the market for an unsigned VO artist. I worked at it day and night because frankly, failure was not an option. And then… Fate stepped in and led me to an agent who happened to be from my hometown of Indianapolis. He took a chance on an unknown and signed me after my third audition.
I had originally thought that voiceovers were my way to finally finance my music career. But the voiceover business had other plans for me. I realized that in order to become truly competitive, I needed to put all of my time and focus into this field, as I had done with music. And so that’s what I did. I watched television for the commercials. I read copy out of magazines. I read copy on the sides of busses and cabs. My focus began to shift. Voiceovers moved into the front seat, and without even realizing it or ever meaning for it to happen, my singing career slowly started to fade into the rear view mirror. I was auditioning Monday through Friday, almost all day long. I needed the weekends off. Club dates became a distant memory. I became a creative nine to fiver. And I loved it. I loved the community, the audition process and the vocal intimacy of the work. What lay ahead of me were union jobs, benefits, and an amazing community of voice actors. Eventually, I landed jobs and accounts for Estee Lauder, American Express, AT&T, ABC World News Tonight, Bloomberg Radio (where I worked under contract as their station voice for five years) and The Late Show with David Letterman (as one of his monologue skit voices). That was a job that lasted 13 years and holds a special place in my heart. I’m still fortunate to be working today, but as in all things… nothing stays the same.
It seems that every 23 years, whether I like it or not, my career starts to shift! The voiceover business has changed. I have gotten older and my opportunities have also diminished. That’s the nature of business. Any business. And that’s also the nature of life. I guess that the moral of the story is- Just because you have a passion for something, that doesn’t necessarily mean that that passion is going to be equally passionate about you~ but it may be preparing you for another equally rewarding piece of creativity. I have come to realize that my years spent singing were the best preparation possible for the work I’m doing now. They both share so many of the same elements… Phrasing, nuance, rhythm, pitch, lyrical content, emotional point of view; all of these things which are intimate and personal. So who knows what’s next? I assume that life will let me know.
Several years ago, I was introduced to a wonderful jazz pianist who had recently relocated to New York. We’ve been working together, both rehearsing and writing tunes. It feels good to be back in that process again. And as I have come to understand, the process itself is the payoff. An appreciative audience is great. A nice paycheck is a plus. But at the end of the day, it needs to be about the the creative, emotional and transcendent process of the work itself. And because the world is round and things sometimes have a way of coming full circle or taking off in a completely new direction~ Well, you just never know.
