She is a singer born in Mount Vernon, Washington. Her father was a clarinetist and bandleader and she was exposed to music from a very young age when her father held band rehearsals at her home, and she began to sing with them.
After leaving high school she met The New Deal Thrythm Band while singing in a coffee shop and joined them until she was noticed by an agent. She went to live in Los Angeles and began her solo career in clubs such as the Troubadour.
In 1979 she was notified of auditions for The Manhattan Transfer after the singer Laurel Masse’s departure. She attended and was subsequently invited to join the group and that same year the group won a Grammy Award for their version of “Birdland”. She has sung lead on many of the group’s songs and won a Grammy Award with Bobby McFerrin for the arrangement of “Another Night in Tunisia” from the Vocalese album.
As a soloist she has released several albums and appeared on the soundtracks of Dick Tracy and Mortal Thoughts.
The Manhattan Transfer Recordings
Body and Soul ( Edward Heyman/Johnny Green/Robert Sour/ Frank Eyton)
Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone (Marius Constant/ Jay Graydon/Alan Paul )
Here she is singing with The Manhattan Transfer on the Grammy winning “Birdland”..
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