ABBA

Actress, political activist, and singer whose early credits include background vocals on Frank Sinatra’s 1979 boxed set, Trilogy, and the prog-rock band Triumvirat’s A la Carte. She was also active with The Jimmy Joyce Singers, which recorded Christmas albums and made many television appearances.

Darice has been married to Jay Cooper for thirty-six years, and has spent much of that time putting her career on hold to raise three step-sons. She did manage to find time to participate in the annual Irving Berlin birthday celebrations, hosted by Ginny and Henry Mancini, in tandem with The American Jazz Philharmonic. In 1995, they changed the name of the event to the Henry Mancini Party in order to commemorate the life of its former host and founding director.

Beginning in 1993, Darice began to make a name for herself as a character actress, appearing as the mayor’s wife in Love, Cheat & Steal. She also appeared as Nancy Gellar in Cover Me, Mrs. Wilson in Warrior of Justice, Collier’s secretary in Midnight Blue, and Linda Feldstein in the political satire, Primary Colors.

Politics have been an interest of Darice’s for some time. She is a regular campaign contributor and helped Jim Webb get elected to the Senate. Her contributions of money and time do not end there, however. She has co-chaired and served on the advisory board of the Young Musicians Foundation, is active with the Society of Singers, contributes to MusiCares, has served on the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Advisory Committee, and is a Life Member of Local 407, the Los Angeles musicians union.

In the new millennium, she returned to the recording studio as a cast member of Goys and Dolls and Say Oy Vey, and appeared on the novelty album, Kosher Christmas Carols. She is also known as Daryce, and frequently goes by her married name.

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