Wendy Moten: Difference between revisions

The daughter of a pastor, Moten began singing in a [[church choir]] as a child.<ref name="mehrtn2022"/> She attended [[Overton High School (Memphis, Tennessee)|Overton High School]] in Memphis and sang in the Overton Choir under the direction of the late [[Lulah McEwen Hedgeman|Lulah M. Hedgeman]].<ref name="decostabook"/> She won a Mid-South Fair singing competition at age 16, and got a job singing at a theme park.<ref name="mehrtn2022"/> She attended Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis)<ref name="decostabook"/> as a music business major at the [[Culture of Memphis, Tennessee#Music and the arts|Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Warthen |first1=Cassie |title=Memphis Alum Wendy Moten takes The Voice by storm |url=https://blogs.memphis.edu/bluenote/2021/11/29/memphis-alum-wendy-moten-takes-the-voice-by-storm/ |website=The Blue Note |publisher=The Blue Note |access-date=8 August 2022}}</ref> She was discovered by promo man Dick Williams who heard her as she was singing on a [[Jingle|jingle]] in a Memphis studio.<ref name="mehrtn2022"/> She got her first break singing with [[Michael Bolton]] at a benefit concert; after signing with [[EMI]], in 1992 she released her [[Wendy Moten (album)|self-titled debut album]] and opened for Bolton on tour.<ref name="decostabook"/> Moten's biggest hit single was "[[Come In Out of the Rain (song)|Come In Out of the Rain]]", which, although only peaking at #55 in 1993 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], was a No. 5 [[Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks|adult contemporary]] hit, and also reached the Top 10 in the [[UK Singles Chart]], where it peaked at No. 8 in 1994. A follow-up single, "So Close to Love" did not chart in the U.S. but reached No. 35 in the UK Top 40. She had s starring role in an off-Broadway production, "Mama I Want to Sing".<ref name="hueyallmus">{{cite web |last1=Huey |first1=Steve |title=Wendy Moten Review |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/wendy-moten-mw0000082621 |website=allmusic.com |publisher=Netaktion LLC |access-date=August 5, 2022}}</ref> In the late 1990s, with her personal career at a crossroads, she accepted an offer to tour with [[Julio Iglesias]], a working relationship that continued for the next 15 years.<ref name="mehrtn2022"/> She said, "I toured the whole world with him, singing in four languages . . . flying around in private jets and singing in front of massive audiencies."<ref name="mehrtn2022"/>▼

In 2006, Moten sang [[backing vocalist|back-up vocals]] on the [[Soul2Soul II Tour]] with [[Tim McGraw]] and [[Faith Hill]]. She continued touring with Tim and Faith from 2005-2018. She contributed backing vocals to [[Bonnie Tyler]]'s 2013 album ''[[Rocks and Honey]]''. She also toured with Martina McBride from 2014-2016 providing background vocals. Moten was a harmony singer for [[Vince Gill]] and was a member of his [[The Time Jumpers|Time Jumpers]] for several years, but in 2020, Gill took her on tour as a featured vocalist.<ref name="amsongwrmag">{{cite web |title=Vince Gill Tours Solo Again with 'Voice' Finalist Wendy Moten |url=https://americansongwriter.com/vince-gill-tours-solo-again-with-voice-finalist-wendy-moten/ |website=americansongwriter.com |date=March 22, 2022 |publisher=American Songwriter |access-date=August 4, 2022}}</ref> She competed in the [[The Voice (American season 21)|twenty-first]] season of ''[[The Voice (American TV series)|The Voice]]''; she finished as the runner-up of the season.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Memphian comes in second on 'The Voice' season finale|url=https://dailymemphian.com/article/25950/the-voice-season-finale-memphian-wendy-moten-second-place|access-date=2022-01-14|website=Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News {{!}} Daily Memphian|language=en}}</ref>▼