Linda Gerard (December 24, 1938 – March 21, 2014) was a singer, stage actress and cabaret artist based in Palm Springs,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. Originally from
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.Broadway in theater productions, cabaret acts and as a singer across the Eastern seaboard and later in California. Gerard was a self-identified OWL—an older, wiser lesbian.
Early career
Gerard was understudy for
Barbra Streisand
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...
and
Mimi Hines
Mimi Hines (born July 17, 1933) is a Canadian singer and comedian best known for her appearances on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'', ''The Tonight Show'' and her work on Broadway. She succeeded Barbra Streisand in the original production of '' Funny Gi ...
in the original 1960s runs of the musical '' Funny Girl'', taking the stage as
Fanny Brice
Fania Borach (October 29, 1891 – May 29, 1951), known professionally as Fanny Brice or Fannie Brice, was an American comedienne, illustrated song model, singer, and theater and film actress who made many stage, radio, and film appearances. S ...
many times. In the sixties and seventies, she developed an original repertoire of comedy and song which she performed at a variety of venues on the East coast.
Seventies
In 1975, she moved from New York City to Provincetown, Massachusetts, where she became the "most talked about cabaret singer in Ptown." She performed at and became co-owner of the Pied Piper. According to the book Ptown: Art, Sex, and Money on the Outer Cape, "During the 1970s, Provincetown's Pied Piper was the foremost lesbian bar on the eastern seaboard, if not in the whole United States. During the summer season, lines snaked around the block, women bouncers guarded the entrance, and inside, women who had come from such faraway places as Montreal and Kansas City flirted, drank, danced." Gerard became co-owner of the Pied Piper when she helped to rebuild the bar after it burnt down on New Year's Eve of 1978. She and her business partner sold the bar in 1987.
Later years
Linda Gerard moved to California, where she opened The Rose Tattoo in 1988, which she envisioned as "a real New York cabaret" in
West Hollywood
West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most ...
. She performed at The Rose Tattoo through much of the nineties.
In 2008, Gerard was a contestant on the game show
Deal or No Deal
''Deal or No Deal'' is the name of several closely related television game shows, the first of which (launching the format) was the Dutch ''Miljoenenjacht (Netherlands), Miljoenenjacht'' (''Hunt/Chase for Millions''). The centerpiece of this f ...
and won $165,000.
Linda Gerard hosted Sissy Bingo, a Monday bingo night and cabaret performance at King's Highway, a diner at Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs. In 2012, Ace Hotel released Linda Gerard: Fabulous Selections, a compilation record of some of Gerard's earlier recorded material including show tunes, jazz standards, sixties-era novelty songs like "See the Cheetah" and the empowerment anthem "A Woman Starting Out All Over Again."
Death
In February 2013, Gerard was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. She continued to perform and make public appearances until shortly before her death on March 21, 2014.