About Wendy Waldman

Vocalist. Songwriter. Composer. Producer.

Wendy Waldman has always had a very diverse career in the music industry. She is a critically-acclaimed recording artist, as well as a writer of multi-platinum songs for other singers in musical genres ranging from country to pop, film, jazz, children's music, and R&B. She is also a teacher, working musician, and one of the first distinguished female record producers. 

Wendy is a Los Angeles native. Her father, Fred Steiner, was a composer who wrote, among other things, the famous Perry Mason theme. He also composed the music for episodes of Star Trek, Gunsmoke, Rocky and Bullwinkle, and The Twilight Zone. Wendy's grandfather, George Steiner, wrote music for the original Laurel and Hardy and animated features such as Betty Boop.

In the early 1970s, during the height of the innovative and exciting days of folk rock in Los Angeles, Wendy Waldman formed the band Bryndle with fellow artists Karla Bonoff, Andrew Gold, and Kenny Edwards. After an unreleased album for A&M Records, the members of Bryndle went their separate ways. However, the group proved to be a powerful springboard for all four partners, each of whom went on to highly successful careers as writers, artists, and record producers, appearing on many other artists' records in various combinations. Ultimately, Wendy broke out on her own as a solo recording artist, hit songwriter, and a pioneer among female producers.

Wendy Waldman's first album, Love Has Got Me, was released on Warner Bros. Records in 1973 and proclaimed by Rolling Stone to be the “singer-songwriter debut of the year.” She was the youngest member of the Warner Bros. brain trust - a group of artists who were known for their innovative approaches to music. The pack included Maria Muldaur, Randy Newman, Ry Cooder, Captain Beefheart, and Van Dyke Parks. Wendy's subsequent four albums on Warner - Gypsy Symphony, Wendy Waldman, The Main Refrain, and Strange Company - were all highly acclaimed as she developed a strong fan following, which remains active to this day. Wendy toured extensively throughout the U.S. in the 70s, headlining her own shows as well as opening on many larger tours for artists such as Al Stewart and Linda Ronstadt.

After releasing the LP Which May To Main Street on Epic Records, Wendy moved to Nashville in the early 1980s - a very exciting time in the evolution of country music. It was there that she honed her collaborative skills by writing numerous hit songs, touring with country artists, and participating in record production and television work. In all, there were some seventy-plus Wendy Waldman songs recorded during this period, including the multi-platinum Nitty Gritty Dirt Band classic “Fishin’ In The Dark” (which Wendy co-wrote with Jim Photoglo) and several other hit singles and BMI Million-Air award winners. Wendy began producing for other artists in Nashville in the mid-1980s. One of her earliest productions is the now-classic Suzy Bogguss album Somewhere Between, which won the Academy of Country Music's New Artist Award in 1989. Another Wendy Waldman production from this time is “Friday Night in America,” the classic by New Grass Revival. 

In the 90s, Wendy co-wrote the iconic Vanessa Williams hit “Save the Best for Last” with songwriters Phil Galdston and John Lind, a number one record that garnered a Grammy nomination as well the honor of being named an ASCAP Song of the Year. The same team had a worldwide hit with Vanessa Williams’ follow-up “The Sweetest Days” as well as the Aaron Neville hit “I Owe You One.” Around this time, Wendy also received the coveted Wrangler Award from the Cowboy Hall of Fame for her song “Corn, Water and Wood,” which was co-written with Carol Elliot and recorded by Michael Martin Murphey. In 1995, Bryndle reunited and released three albums, touring for several years throughout the U.S. and in Japan. Wendy continued to work with Kenny Edwards until his death in 2010 (which was followed closely by the death of Andrew Gold). In 1996, Warner Bros. Records issued the greatest hits package Love Is The Only Goal: The Best of Wendy Waldman.

In 2007, Wendy released My Time In The Desert, her first album of solo material since 1987’s Letters Home. The LP featured her own versions of “Save the Best For Last” and “Fishin in the Dark,” as well as the hit “You Plant Your Fields.” Following the release of the long-awaited Desert, Wendy formed The Refugees with Cidny Bullens and Deborah Holland. With nineteen solo albums and multiple Grammy nominations between them, the multi-faceted trio burst onto the Americana scene with their rocking country-folk sound, releasing two critically-acclaimed albums (with more on the way) and touring the U.S. consistently.

A partial list of Wendy’s credits as a record producer includes projects for John Cowan (New Grass Revival, Doobie Brothers); Karla Bonoff; Bryndle; The Refugees; Deborah Holland; The Forester Sisters; Matraca Berg; The Ozark Mountain Daredevils; Jonathan Edwards; Sweden’s Elisabeth Andreasson; The Sweethearts of the Rodeo; Ronny Cox; the final album from acoustic guitar genius Artie Traum; and Polish music superstar Mietek Szczesniak. In addition to her production work, Wendy writes and composes music for television and film. Her songs have been placed in numerous hit shows and movies. 

For many years, Wendy’s studio has been the home of the venerated KFPK folk music show, Folk Scene (started in 1972 by Howard and Roz Larman). She has always tried to give back to the community which has been so generous to her. Having been a host, benefactor, panel member, board member, and teacher, Wendy Waldman is now herself a student as well, studying to broaden her musical skills. Wendy is also a member the legendary HB Barnum’s Life Choir, with whom she and Mietek Szczesniak collaborated with on the 2020 single “There’s Water For You.” The collective is working together on material for a full length album. 

Wendy Waldman is currently working on her next solo LP. So far, she has released five singles from the anticipated forthcoming project. The album’s next single, a rocker entitled “The Train Is Leaving,” is slated for release in the first quarter of 2021.