How does one introduce someone to a group of people who may not be familiar with them? The standard advice is to state that person’s name and then follow up with a summary of who that person is or what they do. So imagine if you will you’re at a party, standing around talking and I walk up to you with a slight woman in tow. “Hello everyone”, I say. “This is Lynne Fiddmont”. Okay so now you all know her name. But what is it about her that made me think you all should know her?

Well…this St. Louis native has sung background for the who’s who of the music industry. After being the go-to singer for an astounding and diverse roster of musical talents that includes Phil Collins, Patti Austin, Stevie Wonder, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, Yolanda Adams, Norman Brown, Bill Withers, Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan, Whitney Houston and Seal, she is ready for the world to hear her voice, her music and her story. Her first step toward total self-expression is her life-affirming debut album, “Flow”.

Ooooh nice, you say. So what does she sound like and how did she get to the point where she is today?

Her voice is easy and graceful and her overall musical sound is relaxed, polished and sultry. Listening to this album is like taking a restful ‘Holiday’ upon which ‘Cupid’ is sure to strike you. Flow is an album made for romance and mature life observations. Aptly so being that her label is called MidLife Records.

The record industry will categorize her as smooth jazz/adult contemporary and Lynne is fine with that. Not a belter, her voice is light and breezy as it seeps into your subconscious in a graceful and yes smooth way. When she sings it’s difficult to imagine that this lovely songbird might have had any difficulties in her life…but that’s not the case. It is through her trials and tribulations that she has come to realize what a being “in the flow” truly means and what a blessing that surrender can be.

Lynne can tell you far better than I can what her music means to her and how she’s made the transition from background singer to solo artist.

“I have always written songs. This is new to me because I’ve spent so many years doing background singing, which I love. This is an avenue that I get to use to display my songwriting abilities,” shares Lynne.

Lynne Fiddmont has been giving people something they can feel from a very young age. Raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Lynne and her whole family sang, so she never thought anything special about it. She began to take her gift a little more seriously when she sang “Home” as “Dorothy” in a high school production of The Wiz and received a standing ovation.

Lynne’s first professional gig came after Jerry Williams sent a tape of her singing voice to Wilton Felder of the Crusaders. The reply was they wanted her for their next tour. So away she went, singing Randy Crawford staples such as “Street Life” and “One Day I’ll Fly Away” with the jazz masters all across the country.

She attended Drake University for one year but spent her last three college years at Boston University. After receiving her Bachelor’s Degree in public relations, she decided to make a bold career shift to performing arts. One day while singing on the streets of Boston, a Berklee faculty member offered Lynnee a scholarship.

Lynne seized the opportunity to cram in every class she could for a year - the jazz, rock AND recording ensembles - then moved to Los Angeles in 1985. Gigs with Bill Withers (on the reclusive legend’s final “Watching You, Watching Me Tour“) and the immortal Lou Rawls led to a lengthy association with Stevie Wonder. She got the coveted background vocalist slot in his touring/recording group Wonderlove by singing an impromptu version of the Whitney Houston hit, “Saving All My Love for You”.

“I started out wanting to be a jingle singer,” shares Lynne. “Like Patti Austin and Luther…make all the money. That’s what I originally wanted to do. I did a few jingles but life takes you where it takes you. I met Stevie Wonder and ended up doing other background gigs which kept me in this business.”

She has worked with legendary jazz keyboardist Joe Zawinul and his group The Zawinul Syndicate. “I toured with Joe – playing percussion, keyboards AND singing - while I was carrying my first child,” she says laughing. “I got the gig just before I found out I was pregnant. I thought he was going to have to let me go. When I told him, he said in his thick Austrian accent, ‘What better thing to show than life!’ I love him for that.”

Lynne Fiddmont - singer, songwriter, producer and MidLife Records entrepreneur - stands in the delicate balance of actively pursuing her dreams while trusting in the divine mystery that shapes all of our lives. “So many people reach a certain age or point in their lives when they stop dreaming and stop trusting,” she concludes. While always an achiever, Lynne adds, “I feel like I’m just learning to trust in the flow of life...”

Looking around, it’s easy to see the party is thinning out. It’s time to go, and yet we’ve only scratched the surface of who Lynne is what all she’s done. Since this is only the introduction, we will part ways here. As Lynne is a flower yet unfolding, it is certain that there will be more to share and a great time had in the learning and getting to know of this phenomenal artist.

Ladies and gentlemen, thanks for your time. I present to you Lynne Fiddmont.

For more information on Lynne Fiddmont visit: www.LynneFiddmont.com

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