Wendy Lane Bailey

In love with music & lyrics, Wendy Lane Bailey has a powerful classic pop voice (think Ronstadt crossed with Adele with a bit of Patsy Cline thrown in for good measure), and a rather cavalier attitude towards the idea of “genre”. Fusing elements of pop, jazz, country, folk, and musical theatre into a sound that is lush and romantic yet thoroughly contemporary, she makes the old sound new, and the new sound timeless. She firmly believes that a great song never really goes out of style, but can be reinterpreted to reflect changing times.

Able to sing before she could talk, Wendy Lane grew up listening to everything from the early rock and roll of the fifties and sixties (not many six year olds can dance the twist and correctly identify Ricky Nelson), Broadway Cast Albums, movie sound tracks, and classical music.

She even managed to survive her step father’s “elevator” music station. Despite such a varied musical education, Wendy Lane initially trained as an actress at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and then HB studios. However, she soon realized that singing was her true love. “I wanted to be a ‘serious’ actress” she says. “Singing was always something I could do, but I never thought that was where I’d end up. Eventually I realized that I didn’t have to choose between the two. A well written song is play unto itself and I can be both a musician and an actress at the same time.” Looking at her material from a musical and theatrical standpoint has helped her to establish a reputation as a performer who appeals to the heart and to the head (as well as the ears).

Her debut solo recording,Breathing,was produced by composer/arranger/pianist Michele Brourman who also co-wrote the title track with Golden Globe winner Amanda McBroom. The album is a collection of tunes that Bailey and Brourman have refined in their live shows. “We wanted to make sure that we had lived with the tunes a while before we recorded them,” Bailey says. “We knew them backwards and forwards, but even so, once we hit the studio we went even deeper than we had in performance, and made some wonderful discoveries.” Included on the disc is the world premiere recording of Brourman’s tune Sometimes More Is More.

Wendy Lane’s performances in venues across the country have earned critics’ praises for her versatility and sophistication. She has appeared as a guest artist on multiple recordings including those of songwriting legend Carol Hall and Broadway’s Susan Egan.

Off-stage Wendy Lane continues to be a creative advocate for artists. While living in Washington, D.C., she founded a regional networking organization for musicians, and coached both privately and in master classes. For five years, she was the Associate Director of the Cabaret Conference at Yale University, for which she received a special 2007 Bistro Award for outstanding achievement. She has been nominated for a Washington Area Music Association Award (WAMMY). She currently teaches comprehensive master classes for singers of all genres.

When not working on World Domination through music, Wendy Lane enjoys reading, fashion, cooking, and her family and felines.