Dancin' n' Romancin' by Shanda Lear

That's how he met my mom's dad who was a famous comedian on Broadway. I was four when I visited him back stage at the Wintergarten theater after the show. I walked out on to the stage after all the sets were put away and looked at the rows of empty seats and was sure show business was the life for me.

When I was 16, Judy Garland invited me to sit next to her at dinner after her famous show at the Palladium in London. When I told her I wanted to be a singer and my family didn't want me to, she came to my rescue and talked mom and dad into letting me try. I studied in London, Geneva, Milan and New York.

My dad, had gone on to develop radio navigation systems for airplanes so I was around airplanes a lot. I got my pilot's license when I was seventeen. I loved it when there were hangar dances. It seemed to me that traditional dance floors never had enough room to really swing. That's why I put on the cover of "Dancin' n' Romancin'" airplanes in a hangar ready for a big party. Aerials are what the dancers do when they are thrown up in the air. Usually this is not allowed in clubs because it is very dangerous but it is allowed in hangar dances.

In 1963 RCA offered me a recording contract, but, shame on me; I was in love with an Italian and wanted to be in Italy. There I had a 5 year singing career, was often on television and recorded for Decca and a couple of other Italian labels.

But the music I loved was Swing Band music, jazz, and comedy songs. In Italy the musical world did everything to "lip-sync". The musicians would stop playing if I didn't come in on the downbeat!!!! It made me nuts. I also realized that I couldn't really have a family.... and go out gigging every night. I also realized that I could sing to my children and they didn't go home after the performance! (:->)

So I asked God what I should do. (It always felt comfortable to me to have "conversations with...ah...God. That's who I am and that's part of the story. Hope I don't offend you.) Anyway, that night (I did the math, (:->)) I became pregnant and, over a period of 7 years, had three wonderful children.

Flash forward 25 years later. My kids are grown, I'm back in America and I want to sing. So I'm talking to God, again. "You know, God... What I need, to keep my "chops" up, is a band that works often." (I meant a three piece combo.) Three days later I got a call to try out for an 18 piece big band! I have been singing with big bands ever since. It is as if I have been given the greatest gift.

I get to sing the music I love, with incredible American musicians and... ,yes, with my American husband, Terry Baylor, a fantastic lead trumpet player, who was the lead trumpet player on the early Righteous Brothers albums and on their first tour. God has been good to me.

On the back of the CD case you can see what I look like and you can see what our 9 piece mini-big band looks like. The liner notes of our CD has a list of everyone who played on the album and more about Delbert Taylor and Reggie Dozier, the producer and engineer. This CD was the most recent of many that they have co-produced.

I hope you like our CD. It was engineered so you can also use it for your morning workout. The first 2/3 of the CD will keep your heartbeat up (120 beats per minute approximately) and the last songs are for a quiet cool down. It was made with a lot of love for you. Thank you for caring enough to read this and to get to know a little more about me and my great band.

All my best wishes to you and yours.

Shanda

P.S. My grandfather named me. His name was Ole Olsen of the comedy team Olsen and Johnson. He was the creator of "Hellzapoppin", the longest running show on Broadway before Cats. He thought everyone would laugh when they realized that my name, Shanda Lear, sounded like the light-fixture...ah... one swings from. Of course, Kindergarten was difficult. But after that it has been all down hill.

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