Vonda Shepard is a rock musician and singer who was born on July 7, 1963 in New York. Her family moved to California when she was a young girl, and she played the piano regularly from an early age onwards. After performing and working as a backup vocalist for a number of years, she was eventually able to sign her own first recording contract. Shepard first became known on the charts in 1987 for the song “Can’t We Try,” which was a duet she recorded together with Dan Hill. Her first self-titled album came out not long after, in 1989.
Shepard plays herself in the Fox network’s Emmy Award-winning television comedy series Ally McBeal. She is a regular performer at the bar that the show’s characters frequent and go to drink after their long day at work, and she plays the piano, guitar, and bass. She also sang the show’s theme song, “Searchin’ My Soul.” Shepard was approached by the show’s creator, David E. Kelley, to become a regular cast member and key aspect of the series in her background role. She also went on to record songs that were featured exclusively in compilation soundtracks such as Ally McBeal: A Very Ally Christmas and Ally McBeal: For Once in My Life.
(Photo courtesy of budapestinfo.hu)