Lauren Wood earned her widest recognition through two enduring adult contemporary successes, the duet “Please Don’t Leave” with Michael McDonald and the Pretty Woman soundtrack entry “Fallen,” allowing her to sustain a two-decade career across multiple disciplines despite long stretches away from the spotlight.
Born in Pittsburgh, she entered the music industry locally with the psychedelic rock outfit Rebecca & the Sunnybrook Farmers.
Under the nickname Chunky, she joined her cousin Novi in the group Chunky, Novi & Ernie, whose first album appeared in 1976 and featured Wood on vocals and keyboards.
After relocating to Los Angeles, she completed a second album with Chunky, Novi & Ernie and contributed vocals to the fusion group the Freeway Philharmonic.
Warner Bros. issued her self-titled solo debut in 1979; the ballad “Please Don’t Leave,” recorded with the Doobie Brothers’ Michael McDonald, reached the Billboard singles Top 30 and the adult contemporary Top Five.
Its follow-up, Cat Trick, preceded an extended period of lower visibility.
Wood concentrated on writing for other performers and for film and television projects, placing songs with Gladys Knight (“Send It to Me”), Philip Bailey (“Echo My Heart”), Cher, Dusty Springfield, Animotion, Tiffany, Nicolette Larson, Sammy Hagar and Montrose, and Billy Preston.
She also sang on commercials and other artists’ sessions, co-wrote and directed the Ed Wood parody They Must Be Told, and launched the successful greeting-card company Cat Tricks using photographs of her own cats.
In 1990 she placed “Fallen” on the Pretty Woman soundtrack, which surpassed three million U.S. sales; the track became a staple adult contemporary radio request and was later recorded by Johnny Mathis, Larry Coryell, and Nicolette Larson.
The exposure strengthened her songwriting career and enabled her to expand Cat Tricks while starting her own label, Bad Art.
Her first solo album since 1981, again titled simply Lauren Wood, arrived in 1998 and included the original version of “Fallen,” earlier material recorded by other artists, and new compositions.
She also performed the theme song for the television series Just Shoot Me.
