Linda Eder

Linda Eder emerged in the 1990s as the leading new interpreter of theatrical songs. Initially shaped by Barbra Streisand’s influence, she developed a personal vocal approach that expanded her range beyond show tunes to encompass pop standards, light swing, and adult contemporary balladry. On stage she collaborated chiefly with her husband, composer Frank Wildhorn, who frequently tailored songs to her voice and also served as producer of her recordings. Wildhorn’s musical adaptation of Jekyll and Hyde launched her to prominence, after which she drew heavily on his compositions for much of her discography, even as her releases in the new millennium explored a wider stylistic range.

Born February 3, 1961, in Tucson, AZ, only two months after her parents arrived in the United States, Eder had a Norwegian mother and an Austrian father who worked as a pastry chef. The family eventually settled in the small northern Minnesota town of Brainerd, where she spent most of her childhood. Judy Garland’s rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” first prompted her interest in singing; at sixteen she won a local beauty pageant partly by performing an original song. Partnering with high-school classmate and pianist Paul Todd, she began appearing locally and made her professional debut at the Brainerd Holiday Inn in 1981. Following graduation, the duo took their nightclub act nationwide, performing in cabarets, cocktail lounges, and supper clubs under the name Paul & Linda.

After parting ways with Todd, Eder teamed with pianist Jeremy Roberts. Her first major opportunity arrived in 1988 when she won an audition for the television talent program Star Search. Twelve consecutive victories on the show brought her to the attention of composer Frank Wildhorn, who had recently co-written Whitney Houston’s number-one single “Where Do Broken Hearts Go.” Wildhorn had long been developing a musical version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde story; securing Eder’s participation revitalized the project. Cast as Lucy, a prostitute and nightclub singer, she soon entered a romantic relationship with Wildhorn.

The initial production of Jekyll and Hyde opened in Houston in 1990, accompanied by an album of highlights intended to generate interest in the show. Around the same time, Eder recorded her self-titled debut album, issued by RCA in 1991. In 1992, Wildhorn and Eder released an early version of another musical, The Scarlet Pimpernel, conceived as a vehicle for her Streisand-inspired vocal dramatics. Their duet “You Are My Home” with Peabo Bryson reached the adult contemporary charts. Her second solo album, And So Much More, appeared in 1994, with Wildhorn contributing the majority of its songs. During this period he also began work on the musical Svengali, again centering Eder.

Jekyll and Hyde toured nationally in 1994, drawing mixed reviews yet strong ticket sales. A more complete recording was made in 1995 after the show had become a word-of-mouth success. In 1996 Eder undertook her first national solo concert tour. Following extensive revisions, Jekyll and Hyde reached Broadway in 1997, by which point her following had grown into widespread stardom. She signed with Atlantic Records that year and released It’s Time, her strongest commercial success to date, demonstrating her emergence as a distinctive vocalist. Wildhorn again supplied or co-wrote most of the material, incorporating selections from Jekyll and Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel, and the new work-in-progress The Civil War. Eder and Wildhorn married in 1998 after a long courtship.

Her next album, It’s No Secret Anymore, arrived in 1999 and again emphasized Wildhorn compositions, including material from the developing musical Havana, another showcase for Eder, plus a lullaby written for the couple’s newborn child. The holiday collection Christmas Stays the Same followed in 2000. In 2002 she issued Gold, a guitar-oriented contemporary pop album featuring interpretations of songs by the Beatles, Dusty Springfield, Boz Scaggs, and Dobie Gray. Wildhorn material remained prominent, notably the title track intended for the unfinished musical Camille Claudel. “Gold” also appeared on her 2003 release Broadway My Way, a collection of show-tune standards that retreated from the earlier album’s contemporary leanings. She shifted direction again with the rock-edged country set The Other Side of Me in 2008, then returned to pop-theater territory for Soundtrack in 2009.