Wendy Waldman

Wendy Waldman
Born
Wendy Steiner

(1950-11-29) November 29, 1950
Los Angeles, California
GenresRock, pop, country
OccupationsSinger-songwriter, record producer
InstrumentsGuitar, keyboards, dulcimer
Years active1970–present
LabelsWarner Bros., Epic, Cypress
Formerly ofBryndle, The Refugees
Websitewendywaldmanmusic.com

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

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] 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

  • 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)
  • 1996: The Mountains (FirstCom)
  • 1997: City of Dreams (FirstCom)
  • 2007: My Time in the Desert (Longhouse)

Compilations

  • 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

  • 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)

As a member of Bryndle

As a member of the Refugees

  • 2009: Unbound (Wabuho)
  • 2012: Three (Wabuho)
  • 2019: How Far It Goes (Wabuho)
  • 2023: “California” (Wabuho)

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. Archived from the original on February 5, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2017.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  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. Archived from the original on September 9, 2016. 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. Archived from the original on October 25, 2017. Retrieved June 8, 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. ↑ "Wendy Waldman". The Recording Academy via internet archive. Archived from the original on June 8, 2018. Retrieved June 5, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  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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