Her current project is a one-woman theatrical adventure entitled
Love, Linda: The Life Of Mrs. Cole Porter (Original Cast Recording). With music and lyrics by Cole Porter and book by Stevie with Gary William Friedman, Love, Linda stars Stevie as Linda Lee Thomas, the Southern beauty who married and was a driving force behind legendary songwriter Cole Porter at the dawn of the roaring twenties. Though Cole Porter was gay, their companionship and love lasted through 35 years of marriage and together they lived a spectacular, glamour-filled life. With swinging, jazz-inflected arrangements by Gary William Friedman, Porter’s timeless music and lyrics weave through the compelling narrative, examining the darker sides of Linda and Cole's life, while celebrating the deep love they shared. The cast album was recorded and released February 2010.
After two sold-out runs last year at the Triad Theater, Love, Linda www.lovelindathemusical.com has been touring regionally in the East and is currently in development.
Her previous CD Before Love Has Gone, a collection of rarely recorded classics, standards and original songs, including the title track penned by Stevie and Gary William Friedman, received great acclaim from jazz, pop and cabaret critics. It ranked in the top 100 jazz CDs on iTunes for ten weeks, and was picked by USA TODAY as a Top CD of The Year.
Grammy award winner Todd Barkan joined forces as co-producer with Tim Peierls and Friedman on Before Love Has Gone, helping to shape what has been Stevie’s most important release yet. Barkan, who has recorded upward of 1,000 albums, describes Stevie’s performance of “Lazy Afternoon” as “One of the finest vocals I have ever recorded. (EPK Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyZE3xZ2pH8)
Stevie’s last two releases More Than Words Can Say and Restless Willow charted at radio stations across the country, ending up on a variety of top ten lists including KSDS FM, San Diego, CA’s Top Ten CDs of the Year and the Cape Fear Jazz Appreciation Society in NC’s Top Ten CDs of the Year. The track “This Is It” on More Than Words Can Say crossed over to the smooth jazz world and remained in the top 25 on the RadioWave Jazz/Fusion chart for 2 months. On Restless Willow, Stevie recorded "Jeg Elsker Dig", a haunting Norwegian love ballad (co-written with Friedman, based on an Edvard Grieg classic), which made such an impact on the Norwegian community, that Stevie was invited to sing it for the King and Queen of Norway.
The youngest of seven children, Stevie grew up in a music-filled, Norwegian-Italian household in Westchester County, New York. Her father was a tenor sax-playing commercial artist and avid jazz record collector, and her mother was a church soloist who also performed in recitals and operas. (Her Uncle, Mike Olivieri was a bandleader and pianist who served as Fred Astaire's Music Director in the USO).
Stevie was introduced to composer Gary William Friedman as a potential writing collaborator, and the partnership evolved to yet another level when they married.
Their first collaboration was on the CD Do You Ever Dream?, a collection of spiritual songs, and This Is America, an anthem released as a CD single fundraiser in response to the tragedy of September 11th.
Stevie then turned to the American standard songbook, performing a one-woman show entitled Almost Like Being In Love, which set the material for a CD of the same name and earned Stevie the BACK STAGE MAGAZINE Bistro Award for Outstanding Vocalist of the Year.
Among other Holland-Friedman songwriting projects, Stevie was heard for several years singing a theme song for Joey Reynolds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kwl8VKTUmic, the popular Rock n' Roll Hall-of-Famer/ Radio talk show host, which was played nightly on his national WOR Radio program.
Stevie's sense of humor, vulnerability, swinging jazz phrasing and sheer vocal beauty shine through with her recordings, and now on stage with Love, Linda.
DAY BY DAY
Stevie Holland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And day by day my love seems to grow
There isn't any end to my devotion
It's deeper dear by far than any ocean
I find that day by day you're making all my dreams come true
So come what may I want you to know
I'm yours alone, and I'm in love to stay
The lyrics to Stevie Holland's "Day By Day" are a declaration of a deep and growing love. The singer expresses her devotion to her beloved, stating that her love is deeper than any ocean. She is falling more in love with this person day by day, and they are making all of her dreams come true. The singer proclaims that she is in love to stay, committed to a lifetime of loving this person more and more as they go through the years day by day.
The lyrics of this song are beautifully simple yet incredibly powerful. They express a love that is growing and changing, yet remains constant and unshakable. The singer's voice is tender and sincere, conveying the depth of her feelings for her beloved. The song is a beautiful reminder of the power of love to transform and enrich our lives, and a testament to the enduring power of human connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Day by day I'm falling more in love with you
My love for you continues to grow and strengthen every day
And day by day my love seems to grow
My love for you continues to flourish with each passing day
There isn't any end to my devotion
My love and commitment to you is limitless and eternal
It's deeper dear by far than any ocean
My love for you is deeper and more profound than the vastness of the ocean
I find that day by day you're making all my dreams come true
Each day, you are fulfilling my hopes and aspirations beyond my imagination
So come what may I want you to know
Regardless of what we face in the future, I need you to understand
I'm yours alone, and I'm in love to stay
I am completely devoted to you, and my love for you is unwavering
As we go through the years day by day
As time passes, my love for you will continue to thrive and flourish day by day
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Sammy Cahn, Alex Stordhal, Paul Weston
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Deanna DeLaura
INCREDIBLE SONGTRESS, her voice is so unique and gorgeous. Very sultry, but so much feeling. I love her to pieces, one of the best jazz singers around. I wish she were involved in jazz at Lincoln Center, but I have all of her CDs, She is an extraordinary performer with the most dreamy band, probably the best in New York. Thank you for your gifts to the world of jazz.
nba
Really well done. The sound/tone/recording is so clear, so simple, and so on it. Kudos to you and your whole posse.
Erika Friedman
Stevie Holland has turned me into someone who loves contemporary authentic jazz. We put it on and listen all through the day. Huge fan.
Sandra Driesen
Terrific! I love the arrangement, and you sound and look fabulous!
Sandy
RaiderEleven
Swinging and very hip version. Excellent singer, remembering Joe Mooney's vibe.
Krysia
Snappy and sophisticated...well sung, Stevie! :)
Danny Barrett
Dear Stevie, I don't know about the rest of world..But, for me...this is my kind of music!..The best of luck on this release...Straight ahead, with your singing and Gary taking care of the music.....this is 'delightful'
ShowgirlMickey
I long for Oolong, and I LOVE this!!
MiissMandyy
💜💜 👏
-mandy from Ballard (:
I'm a jazzy gal myself, I sing and play the bari sax! (well used to, my saxophone was stollen and i cant afford a new one) its so cool that you are a jazz singer!
Daves GoneBy
Stevie Holland Fans!
Catch "Dave's Gone By" on Sat, Oct. 13, 2018, 11am-2pm(ET). Rabbi Sol Solomon interviews the songstress about her show, "Love, Linda: The Life of Mrs. Cole Porter."
Watch live on FB: http://www.facebook.com/radiodavelefkowitz.
If you miss the live show, watch the archive (or hear the podcast) anytime at davesgoneby.com.
#insiderarts