Elizabeth Sorrentino is an American pianist and singer-songwriter from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She lives in Los Angeles.

Suddenly, Tammy!

In the early 1990s, Sorrentino, her brother Jay (drums), and high school friend Ken Heitmueller (bass) formed the music trio Suddenly, Tammy!. The band was signed by

spinART Records SpinART Records was a New York City-based independent record label that released recordings by The Apples in Stereo, Clem Snide, Frank Black, and Michael Penn. The label was started by Joel Morowitz and Jeff Price in 1991. SpinART filed for ban ...

, which released two EPs (''Spokesmodel'', ''El Presidente''), produced by

Sean Slade Sean Slade (born 14 November 1957) is an American record producer, engineer, and mixer. On many of his productions he worked in partnership with Paul Q. Kolderie. Career Slade was born in Lansing, Michigan, United States. He graduated from Y ...

, and a self-titled debut album. In 1992, the band was featured on the cover of ''

College Music Journal CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...

''. That same year, Sorrentino contributed backing vocals to the debut album by The Lilys. Suddenly, Tammy! subsequently signed with

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

, for whom they recorded the album '' We Get There When We Do'', which was produced by

Warne Livesey Warne Livesey (born 12 February 1959) is an English/Canadian music producer, mixing engineer, songwriter and musician. He has produced Midnight Oil, The The, Matthew Good Band and Deacon Blue. Life and career Warne Livesey started his career in ...

and released in 1995. A follow-up album, ''Comet'', was recorded and completed, but the band was dropped from the label in late 1996 and the album was shelved. The trio disbanded in 1997. (''Comet'' was released digitally by an independent label in 2010.) In 2019, the band reunited for one concert at the Lancaster Roots and Blues Festival. The gig took place at the Chameleon Club, where they often performed during the 1990s.

Solo career

Following the breakup of the band, Sorrentino moved to New York City and became a music teacher. She taught at several schools on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and was a private piano and vocal instructor. Sorrentino recorded a series of demos between 2002 and 2003, produced by

Irwin Chusid Irwin Chusid (born April 22, 1951 in Newark, New Jersey) is a journalist, music historian, radio personality, record producer, and self-described "landmark preservationist". His stated mission has been to "find things on the scrapheap of history t ...

and engineered by

Peter Katis Peter Katis is an American Grammy Award-winning record producer, audio engineer, mixer, and musician. Katis is best known for working with alternative and indie rock bands. He works primarily out of his own residential studio, Tarquin Studios, ...

at Tarquin Studios, in

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...

. The material mostly consisted of new original compositions, with cover versions of two

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

songs. After sporadic returns to public performance in New York clubs, Sorrentino approved the demos for digital release in 2006 under the title ''Nine Songs, One Story''. In 2008, two live solo sessions performed and recorded in 2001 at radio station

WFMU WFMU is a listener-supported, independent community radio station, licensed to East Orange, New Jersey. Since 1998 its studios and operating facilities have been headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey. It broadcasts locally at 91.1 Mhz FM, in ...

were released digitally. These sets included a number of Suddenly, Tammy! songs, as well as new original material. From 2006 to 2011, she composed music for a series of children's theatrical productions at the

Lucy Moses School Kaufman Music Center's Lucy Moses School is a community arts school located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Founded in 1952 as The Hebrew Arts School for Music and Dance, it is now part of Kaufman Music Center, a performing a ...

of Manhattan's

Kaufman Center Kaufman Music Center is a performing arts complex in New York City that houses Lucy Moses School, Special Music School, and Merkin Hall and the "Face the Music" program. Originally known as the Hebrew Arts School, it was founded in 1952 and is ...

. In 2009, her recording of her original song "Such a Beautiful Day" (a.k.a. "Beautiful Day") was included on '' The Believer'' magazine's compilation CD ''Fantastic And Spectacular'', compiled by

Daniel Handler Daniel Handler (born February 28, 1970) is an American author, musician, screenwriter, television writer, and television producer. He is best known for his children's book series ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' and ''All the Wrong Questions ...

. In 2010, Sorrentino reunited with producer Sean Slade, and over 2010–2011 recorded a collection of songs composed by

Sunshine Pop Sunshine pop (originally known as soft pop) is a subgenre of pop music that originated in Southern California in the mid-1960s. Rooted in easy listening and advertising jingles, sunshine pop acts combined nostalgic or anxious moods with "an appre ...

progenitor

Curt Boettcher Curtis Roy Boettcher (January 7, 1944 – June 14, 1987), sometimes credited as Curt Boetcher or Curt Becher, was an American singer, songwriter, arranger, musician, and record producer from Wisconsin. He was a pivotal figure in what is now t ...

. The completed album, entitled ''Would You Like To Go'', was released on the Netherlands-based Basta label on April 22, 2013, in Europe, and on May 27, 2014, in North America. Sorrentino recorded a theme song for

radio's weekly conceptual comedy program

Seven Second Delay ''Seven Second Delay'' is a comedy radio show broadcast on radio station WFMU. It has been hosted by Ken Freedman and Andy Breckman since the early 1990s. The show is self described as "on air radio stunts." In March 2022, as part of a radio sta ...

. The composition is an adaptation of the

Johnny Rivers Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942) is an American musician. His repertoire includes pop, folk, blues, and old-time rock 'n' roll. Rivers charted during the 1960s and 1970s but remains best known for a string of hit sing ...

hit "Secret Agent Man," with new lyrics and retitled "

Andy Breckman Andrew Ross Breckman (born March 3, 1955) is an American television and film writer and a radio personality on WFMU. He is the creator and executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning television series ''Monk'' on the USA Network, and is co-hos ...

Man" (after one of the show's co-hosts). During 2011 and 2012, Sorrentino provided keyboard accompaniment on an intermittent basis at the program's

biweekly A weekly newspaper is a general-news or current affairs publication that is issued once or twice a week in a wide variety broadsheet, magazine, and digital formats. Similarly, a biweekly newspaper is published once every two weeks. Weekly news ...

live broadcasts from the

Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (shorter UCB Theatre) is an American improvisational theatre company and training center founded by the Upright Citizens Brigade troupe members Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh. Prior to ...

on West 28th Street. In 2015, following the death of her mother, for whom she did hospice caretaking in Lancaster for over a year, Sorrentino relocated to Los Angeles. In 2019, she returned east living in Brooklyn, New York and since returned to Los Angeles where she lives, teaches, and writes.

Discography

Albums

(compositions by Sorrentino except where noted) *''Nine Songs, One Story'' (2006) *# Amazing *# Such a Beautiful Day *# What I'm On *# Very Bad Today *# Child *# Tighten My Grip *# Wave *#

Famous Blue Raincoat "Famous Blue Raincoat" is a song by Leonard Cohen. It is the sixth track on his third album, ''Songs of Love and Hate'', released in 1971. The song is written in the form of a letter (many of the lines are written in amphibrachs). The lyric tells ...

( Cohen) *# One Condition *''Hiding Out'' (2011) *# Care of Cell 44 (

Argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...

) *# Constellation *# 100,000 Fireflies ( Merritt) *# We Are the Girls *# I Want You in My Life (

Moore Moore may refer to: People * Moore (surname) ** List of people with surname Moore * Moore Crosthwaite (1907–1989), a British diplomat and ambassador * Moore Disney (1765–1846), a senior officer in the British Army * Moore Powell (died c. 1573 ...

) *# Hiding Out *# You Never Know ( Tweedy) *# Back in Kind *#

Man *# Wishlist *#

A Rose For Emily "A Rose for Emily" is a short story by American author William Faulkner, first published on April 30, 1930, in an issue of '' The Forum''. The story takes place in Faulkner's fictional Jefferson, Mississippi, in the equally fictional county of ...

(

) *# Snowday *#

Lay Down (Candles in the Rain) "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" is the second single from Melanie Safka's 1970 album '' Candles in the Rain''. It was her breakthrough hit in the United States, climbing to number six on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number three on the Cash Box T ...

( Safka) *#

Hounds of Love ''Hounds of Love'' is the fifth studio album by English musician Kate Bush, released on 16 September 1985 by EMI Records. It was a commercial success and marked a return to the public eye for Bush after the relatively low sales of her previous ...

(

Bush Bush commonly refers to: * Shrub, a small or medium woody plant Bush, Bushes, or the bush may also refer to: People * Bush (surname), including any of several people with that name **Bush family, a prominent American family that includes: *** ...

) *# End of Another Day *''Would You Like To Go: A

Songbook'' (released in Europe April 2013; in North America April 2014) *# Would You Like To Go (Boettcher/Alexander) *# I Just Want to Be Your Friend (Boettcher) *# The Island (Boettcher) *# I'm Not Living Here (Boettcher) *# You Know I've Found a Way (Boettcher/

Mallory Mallory is an Irish surname derived from the Gaelic ''Ó Mallairígh''. Spelling variants include Mallary, Mallery, Malorie, Mallorie, Mallerie and Mallorey. Mallory and Mallerie are also given names derived from the surname. Surname * Arenia ...

) *#

Baby Please Don't Go An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...

(trad. arr. Boettcher) *# Another Time (Boettcher) *#

Along Comes Mary "Along Comes Mary" is a song composed by Tandyn Almer, originally recorded by American sunshine pop band the Association. It was the group's first hit, released on their debut album, '' And Then... Along Comes the Association'' (1966). Backgr ...

(

Almer Almer is a village in Dorset, England. Almer is located on the A31 road near Winterborne Zelston, Huish Manor, Sturminster Marshall and opposite the Drax estate. The main features of the village are Almer Manor, Almer Parish church and the old s ...

) *# Prelude (Rhodes/Edgar) *# The Know-It-All (Boettcher) *# There Is Nothing More To Say (Boettcher/ Fennelly/Mallory) *# Wearing

Levi's Levi Strauss & Co. () is an American clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's () brand of denim jeans. It was founded in May 1853 when German-Jewish immigrant Levi Strauss moved from Buttenheim, Bavaria, to San Francisco, California, to o ...

(Boettcher)

Singles

*''Swingin' Single'' (2003) — Comfort Stand Records *#Beautiful Day *#Amazing

References

External links

Official websiteTrailer for Rik Cordero's 2011 film Starla
with Beth Sorrentino's recording of

's "You Know I've Found a Way"
Swingin' Single
— two-track single released under the

Creative Commons license A Creative Commons (CC) license is one of several public copyright licenses that enable the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted "work".A "work" is any creative material made by a person. A painting, a graphic, a book, a song/lyrics ...

by Comfort Stand Records
Suddenly, Tammy! Discography and News About Beth Sorrentino Interview
with Beth Sorrentino from TRND (Germany), June 2006

by Jonathan Cohen * ''We Get There When We Do'' a
AllMusic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sorrentino, Beth Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Singer-songwriters from Pennsylvania American women singer-songwriters Musicians from Lancaster, Pennsylvania Warner Records artists American indie rock musicians Lilys members 21st-century American pianists 21st-century American women pianists