Lane Brody has the
voice, visage and spirit of an angel and a natural gift for singing and
performing. Through a career that has defied easy classification she has
consistently succeeded at the highest levels in a variety of contexts, from
country to pop to jazz. With the release ofPieces of Life,
Lane has released an album that finally catches the breadth of her
musical vision. This masterwork, five years in the making,
combines songs written by Lane with material written specifically for her by
several songwriting luminaries and reprises her greatest hits, the Oscar
nominated Over You and her reconfiguration of The Yellow Rose of Texas
to include a woman's perspective, The Yellow Rose, sung as a duet with
Johnny Lee. Her intense love of singing
was established by the time she was five. She wrote her first song at the
age of twelve. While still in her teens, she began a highly successful jingle career
singing solos for many popular TV and radio commercials like McDonalds, 7Up, Kentucky
Fried Chicken and Juicy Fruit Gum to name a few. Amazingly,
her incredible voice generated interest worldwide when she became The Voice of the XIV
Olympics singing the commercials ("You've known us all along")
for Beatrice Foods, who was the main sponsor
for the Olympics that year. It was reported that people found themselves listening for Lane and those commercials all during the games.
During this time she also landed her first record deal with GRT Records. Her first single release became a #1 record in many country markets.
Her work as an outstanding vocalist continued as she recorded performances for two CBS Movies of the
Week. In Country Gold , actress Linda Hamilton lip-synced to Lane's vocals. In
The Gift of Life starring Susan Dey, Lane sang
Just a Little More
Love which received an Emmy Nomination. But not content with the direction of her
burgeoning career, she sought to become a recognized voice and soon after, she leaped on
to the country and pop record charts with an Oscar nominated song,
Over You from the
film Tender Mercies, which brought her a "Top New Female Vocalist"
nomination by the Academy of Country Music. Lane is the first female in country, to have an Oscar-nominated hit from a soundtrack album.
She had hits with He Burns
Me Up, her self penned
He's Taken
, as well as the stirring Baby's
Eyes. She co-wrote and sang The Yellow
Rose of Texas
theme
from the NBC series with Johnny Lee, and the record soared to the number
one position on the country charts, with a hit music video to match (Click
HERE
to view the entire video. Please allow ample time for clip to load) . As a result, she received her first BMI Most Performed Song of the
Year award.
Lane
takes her songwriting as serious as her singing. Her uncanny creative
energy always keeps her exploring new and exciting recording projects. From her own
projects to co-writing Anne Murray's album title song Hottest Night of
the Year, she is determined to have a lasting contribution to her
field and taking responsibility for the words she writes, like her critically acclaimed
song, All
the Unsung Heroes that she performs as the title song of a 40
minute video aiding the healing process of Vietnam Veterans
and their families. One review says it all:
"Emotionally clutching, with captivating camerawork, and a hauntingly beautiful sound track, featuring the crystal voice of LANE BRODY"
-THE WASHINGTON POST
Lane performing All The Unsung Heroes in front of The
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
(from All The Unsung Heroes)
This
documentary won the American Film Festival's Blue Ribbon Award, and is a respected addition to the Smithsonian Institution, Arlington National
Cemetery and at The Vietnam Veterans Memorial ('The Wall") in
Washington, DC. (For a complete listing of the
various Special Certificates and Awards of Achievement, Recognition and Esteem which have
been presented to Lane, click HERE).
Lane is a natural for TV and has appeared on numerous shows such
as NBC Today Show, Austin City Limits, Crook And
Chase as well as guest starring on the Lee Greenwood USO Tour Special
for TNN.
Her TV experience doesn't stop
here. She enjoyed working with Danny DeVito and the infamous cast of the legendary show,
TAXI. She now holds a place in the history of the show and joins the ranks of other guest stars such as TOM HANKS and TOM SELLECK.
Watch a clip of Lane from the show by clicking HERE(please allow time for clip to fully load).
. She made her dramatic acting debut beside
Robert Desiderio in ABC's
Heart of the City , where she played the role of country singer
Jenny Jamison, and performed three songs, one being her
own Everything
But True.
As she performs in concert, audiences often describe how she sends
emotional chills with her dynamic range of voice and song. She has literally played all
over the world. Where women find her as a genuine friend they can relate to,
men find her
beautiful, but so genuine that she is refreshingly rare. Lane has shared the stage with a list of talent
that would be truly defined as the "Who's Who" in country music,
but as you can imagine she embraces those moments with those no longer with us such as
Dottie West, Tammy Wynette, Grandpa Jones, Eddie Rabbitt, Keith Whitley and
Merle Travis.
Today, Lane continues her musical life with the integrity that has become the hallmark of her
career. She recently released a CD of the great "standards", which she recorded under her given name Eléni, (which is Greek for Lane). Some of the titles are,
I'll Be Seeing You, Smile, and
I Wish You Love. The CD, entitled
Familiar
Places has received critical acclaim, one being from the legendary jazz
great Louie Bellson who said about her:
Eléni has a wonderful voice and is reminiscent of the great singers such as,
Ella Fitzgerald, Sara Vaughan and Pearl Bailey.
Robert K. Oermann, renowned
musicologist and critic writes... She caresses notes with the finesse of
Ella Fitzgerald. She reads the lyric with the sweet/sad ache of Billie
Holiday. She has the light, deft sense of meter of Sara Vaughan. Most of all, she has what all great jazz singers possess... The ability to get inside chord changes and melodies, become a part of them, and take them around little corners to places they've never been. This is much more than just another album of standards... IT'S THE WORK OF A TRUE
STYLIST.
Since
it's release, the album has received an incredible three entries for a
Grammy: Best Artist, Best Album and Best Jazz Vocal Performance.
Pieces of Life,
her latest, is a gleaming jewel of a recording that finally
showcases Lane's talent in the proper perspective and a collaborative
triumph with crucial input from a host of Lane's musical friends and
admirers.
