Musical Roots
Linda was born in Neenah, Wisconsin, USA on October 25, 1951. Her father was a certified public accountant and vice president of Kimberly-Clark Corporation International working in Europe at the end of his career. He had his own band as a young adult, playing piano and singing and a fan of jazz and classical music. Her mother, with a B.A. degree in English literature, also played music (singing, piano, and saxophone). All six of their children took piano lessons and eventually all played the guitar as the wave of the 60's music emerged. Linda's musical roots also go back to her maternel grandfather who was a professional drummer for dance bands and had an avid interest in many different instruments.
Linda's voice was striking as a child. Her kindergarten teacher wrote that she had a "sweet singing voice." Singing in the church choir, in theater roles, school concerts, with her father at the piano, or her mother in the kitchen, her voice early on was her vehicle for expression. Always keeping a journal, she wrote her first song at age 11. Continual writing developed into the form of poetic texts which eventually merged to the music she created.
Musical influences in these early years included: Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Yes, David Bowie, Crosby, Stills and Nash, The Temptations, Aretha Franklin, Paul Winter Consort, Patti Smith, Chris Williamson, Emmy Lou Harris, Mike Oldfield, Jethro Tull, Osamu Kitajima, Pat Metheny, Bob Marley, and many others...
Music continued as an integral part of life. Her higher studies began with a liberal arts program at Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana for two years leading to degrees from the University of Wisconsin, Madison (B.S.) and Harvard University (M.Ed.) in early childhood developmental education. Working as a teacher in Boston (Chelsea, "A Kangaroo's Pouch," "El Buche del Canguro"), she developed a bilingual pre-school with other women in 1976-8. Her love of working with little children later developed into musical programs (in French and English) for this age group.
During her studies and after, she made several trips to Europe and also to Morocco. She delayed leaving the states indefinitely to travel and stayed with her father who was sick. Looking for any kind of temporary job during this time, she auditioned and got her first contract singing 6 nights every other week for the winter season in an elegant restaurant on the oceanfront in Florida.
In 1980, she left the states to travel and met musicians from around the world, notably in India where she absorbed music out of the chromatic scale. From India to Greece, the first
of her 10 years of street music began in Athens continuing into Europe. Occasional concerts
came up, one of them playing in the Arena in Nîmes in 1981 for a "Concert for Peace." She was even "brought out" of the Paris metro to sing for the well-known Sunday afternoon TV show in Italy, "Domenica In" on Rai Uno in 1986.
Wanting to be a mother and musician, she rooted in southern France with her Italian companion she met in India. After the birth of their son Pace, she continued music professionally, playing in restaurants, cafés, and festivals, completing hundreds of gigs through the years until 2014. She also produced recordings of covers and of her own music.
In 1990 she was asked to musically animate a group of special needs children which led to 18 years of music in psychiatric hospitals and singing with the older generation in a hospital (see Music Therapy). She also sang in nursery schools, preschools and elementary schools, developing programs leading to performances with the children.
Later recordings included two CDs for children (see Music for Children), on creating the music for a reportage on horses, "Premiers" with bassist Vincent Carrière, and the latest CD "soaring and landing" of her own compositions in duo with Vincent. She also formed a trio with a danser and produced a DVD of a concert at Jardin Medieval in Uzes. (see Video)
Some of her musical influences during these later years include Angélique Kidjo, Idir, Geoffrey Oryema, The Bulgarian Women's Choir, Márta Sebestyén, Sheila Chandra, Guem,
Le Trio Joubran, Tinariwen...
......
Since 2014 Linda has retired from live performing. She has since been completing
and creating recordings and writings, notably: "A Human Trilogy: Anthropocene" (2019) and "weeping waters" (2021).
The musical roots continue as her son, Pace, guitarist and singer, formed a trio playing the songs he composes.