I wanted to BE Lynda Carter when I was a kid. I had no idea she was a singer first. Thanks for including the Carson interview. That was fun to watch, so many great little nuggets--esp. the Vanquish commercial. It's interesting that Carson really zeroed in on the dangers Carter must have faced as a young woman in the TV industry. And her boyfriend, a psychiatrist, went to the psychiatrist 4 times a week!
Lynda was the outlier, generally speaking, Michelle. My goal in the "Video to Vinyl" series is to highlight the (fairly typical) knee-jerk of record companies wrenching themselves into pretzels to capitalize on the TV successes of artists, to wit: "Hey, popular actor, can you sing? No? Well, no matter, we'll back-light you for the sleeve, and connect you with ready-made hits! It's your name'n'fame we're after!"
Names like John Travolta, Cheryl Ladd, Scott Baio, Donny Most, Anson Williams, Johnny Crawford, Leif Garrett, and others were given recording contracts only AFTER they made a name for themselves acting.
Singers like Lynda, Lisa Hartman, and Don Grady (about whom I've already written) were the rare exceptions...singers who either sought out an acting career, or were plucked from the recording ranks by TV and/or movie producers!
I love finding old Carson clips...he was the best, and routinely brought out the best in his guests.
Ah interesting. Great series, I look forward to reading more of them. Yes, Carson had a gentle way about him that seemed paternal--I mean, he was definitely of his time, but he didn't have that creep factor so many TV personalities had when they talked to young women.
Great piece, as always! Interestingly the 1978 picture disc edition of “Portrait” seems to be the most sought after version of this album on Discogs, closely followed by the Argentinian LP edition, with a different cover and aptly titled “Lynda Carter - La Mujer Maravilla” (Wonderwoman). Collector’s items for those who can get them!
Great observation, Andy! I remember her CBS pic disc...I was working at Cactus Records in Houston at time, but I can't remember if Columbia offered the disc for sale as a retail choice, or if it was simply a promo item. A quick look makes it appear as the disc was a Limited Edition that was offered for sale!
Picture discs, as well as colored (and swirled) vinyl was huge for labels in the late '70s; some were promo items only, and some were, like Lynda's, Limited Edition items you needed to grab when you saw them! Meat Loaf's "Bat Out of Hell" was another CBS-Limited Ed pic disc!
Again, a wonderfully aware mention, Andy! I was there, and you weren't, but you made the call! I never knew about her Argentinian Ed, but over time, artist completists would certainly want to search out other countries' releases of their fave artists! You rock, Andy!
You're channeling Homer Simpson, Patrick! Except, he'd be drooling and waxing far short of eloquent: "Mmmmmm,🍩s....is there anything they CAN'T do?" Yep, quite the multi-talented gal she is! I was happy to shine a light on her little-known music career! As for the Radar pic...that's what we do, FR&B! We scour the interwebs, so you don't have to! I had no idea Burghoff was A) from Arizona and B) was musically inclined in any way!
Thanks, Paul, and a series it is! You read my mind (not the first time my mind's been red🟥....and, I'm not even sure what that means!) This is the second, with the Don Grady piece (linked in the article) the first. I've got almost a double-figure list of artists lined up to drop a spotlight on! So, stay tuned!
That's what we're here for, Punit! And, I'm pickled tink you're here with us for the ride! Needless to say, I'm learning new things, too, when I dive deep into these artists and their careers! I'm delighted to share Lynda's vocal prowess, and to show readers her talents went far beyond her patriotic swim suit!👙
I wanted to BE Lynda Carter when I was a kid. I had no idea she was a singer first. Thanks for including the Carson interview. That was fun to watch, so many great little nuggets--esp. the Vanquish commercial. It's interesting that Carson really zeroed in on the dangers Carter must have faced as a young woman in the TV industry. And her boyfriend, a psychiatrist, went to the psychiatrist 4 times a week!
Lynda was the outlier, generally speaking, Michelle. My goal in the "Video to Vinyl" series is to highlight the (fairly typical) knee-jerk of record companies wrenching themselves into pretzels to capitalize on the TV successes of artists, to wit: "Hey, popular actor, can you sing? No? Well, no matter, we'll back-light you for the sleeve, and connect you with ready-made hits! It's your name'n'fame we're after!"
Names like John Travolta, Cheryl Ladd, Scott Baio, Donny Most, Anson Williams, Johnny Crawford, Leif Garrett, and others were given recording contracts only AFTER they made a name for themselves acting.
Singers like Lynda, Lisa Hartman, and Don Grady (about whom I've already written) were the rare exceptions...singers who either sought out an acting career, or were plucked from the recording ranks by TV and/or movie producers!
I love finding old Carson clips...he was the best, and routinely brought out the best in his guests.
Ah interesting. Great series, I look forward to reading more of them. Yes, Carson had a gentle way about him that seemed paternal--I mean, he was definitely of his time, but he didn't have that creep factor so many TV personalities had when they talked to young women.
Great piece, as always! Interestingly the 1978 picture disc edition of “Portrait” seems to be the most sought after version of this album on Discogs, closely followed by the Argentinian LP edition, with a different cover and aptly titled “Lynda Carter - La Mujer Maravilla” (Wonderwoman). Collector’s items for those who can get them!
Great observation, Andy! I remember her CBS pic disc...I was working at Cactus Records in Houston at time, but I can't remember if Columbia offered the disc for sale as a retail choice, or if it was simply a promo item. A quick look makes it appear as the disc was a Limited Edition that was offered for sale!
Picture discs, as well as colored (and swirled) vinyl was huge for labels in the late '70s; some were promo items only, and some were, like Lynda's, Limited Edition items you needed to grab when you saw them! Meat Loaf's "Bat Out of Hell" was another CBS-Limited Ed pic disc!
Again, a wonderfully aware mention, Andy! I was there, and you weren't, but you made the call! I never knew about her Argentinian Ed, but over time, artist completists would certainly want to search out other countries' releases of their fave artists! You rock, Andy!
Thank you, Brad! I can only imagine how cool it must have been to experience that era in the flesh!
I've got some content on coloured vinyl and picture discs in the pipeline... stay tuned!
And you rock more!
Is there anything Lynda Carter can't do? Love the Radar album cover too.
You're channeling Homer Simpson, Patrick! Except, he'd be drooling and waxing far short of eloquent: "Mmmmmm,🍩s....is there anything they CAN'T do?" Yep, quite the multi-talented gal she is! I was happy to shine a light on her little-known music career! As for the Radar pic...that's what we do, FR&B! We scour the interwebs, so you don't have to! I had no idea Burghoff was A) from Arizona and B) was musically inclined in any way!
As expected, I really enjoyed this deep dive into her singing career. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed, MK! Thanks for reading!
I quite enjoy reading about these cross-over stars that can act as well as sing or play music. This could be a series. Thanks!
Thanks, Paul, and a series it is! You read my mind (not the first time my mind's been red🟥....and, I'm not even sure what that means!) This is the second, with the Don Grady piece (linked in the article) the first. I've got almost a double-figure list of artists lined up to drop a spotlight on! So, stay tuned!
I knew you were going to write that...LOL
You 🟥my🧠again!😱
I had no idea of how prolific Lynda was as a singer. This blew my mind!
That's what we're here for, Punit! And, I'm pickled tink you're here with us for the ride! Needless to say, I'm learning new things, too, when I dive deep into these artists and their careers! I'm delighted to share Lynda's vocal prowess, and to show readers her talents went far beyond her patriotic swim suit!👙
Excited!