Shandi Sinnamon (born 1952) is an American
singer
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
and
songwriter
A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...
.
Career
Shandi was born to a
Huguenot
The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
family as Shandra Sinnamon in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. After dropping out of
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
, she left home for
Big Sur
Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast of California between Carmel and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently praised for its dramatic scenery. Big Sur ha ...
,
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 ...
. Her ambition was to become a singer and songwriter.
After a bicycle accident in L.A., she went back to
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
for recuperation. While recovering, she studied music and drama at a
community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior sec ...
. While she was singing in a local restaurant, a disc jockey noticed her talent and introduced her to Elektra/Asylum Records.
In 1976, she released her first album, ''Shandi Sinnamon'', on
Asylum Records
Asylum Records is an American record label, founded in 1971 by David Geffen and partner Elliot Roberts. It was taken over by Warner Communications (now the Warner Music Group) in 1972, and later merged with Elektra Records to become Elektra/As ...
.
Around the same time in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, California,
Mike Chapman
Michael Donald Chapman (born 13 April 1947) is an Australian-American record producer and songwriter who was a major force in the British pop music industry in the 1970s. He created a string of hit singles for artists including The Sweet, Suzi ...
discovered her. In 1980, they released her second album ''
Shandi'' from his
Dreamland Records, with Chapman producing.
Shandi and Ronald Magness wrote and performed the song "He's a Dream" that was used in the 1983 film ''
Flashdance
''Flashdance'' is a 1983 American romantic drama dance film directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Jennifer Beals as a passionate young dancer who aspires to become a professional ballerina (Alex), alongside Michael Nouri playing her boyfriend ...
'', the soundtrack of which won the
Grammy Award for Best Album of Original Score in 1984.
She has since written and performed songs for films and TV dramas, including "Tough Love" for the film ''
The Karate Kid
''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment in the ''Karate Kid'' franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue and W ...
'', "Living on the Edge" & "Double Trouble" for the film ''
Making the Grade'', "Fight to Survive" for the film ''
Bloodsport
A blood sport or bloodsport is a category of sport or entertainment that involves bloodshed. Common examples of the former include combat sports such as cockfighting and dog fighting, and some forms of hunting and fishing. Activities characte ...
'', "Gotcha", title song for the film ''
Gotcha!'', "Seven Day Heaven" for ''
Where the Boys Are '84
''Where the Boys Are '84'' (onscreen title: ''Where the Boys Are'') is a 1984 American sex comedy film that was directed by Hyman Jack "Hy" Averback (the last film he ever directed) and starred Lisa Hartman, Lorna Luft, Wendy Schaal, and Lynn-Ho ...
'', "Eyes of Fire" for ''
The Little Drummer Girl'', "Wild Roses" for ''
Echo Park
Echo Park is a neighborhood in the east-central region of Los Angeles, California. Located to the northwest of Downtown, it is bordered by Silver Lake to the west and Chinatown to the east. The culturally diverse neighborhood has become known fo ...
'' and "Boy of My Dreams" for ''
Tower of Terror'', among many others.
TV compositions include: "Leave Yesterday Behind" for the TV drama ''
Leave Yesterday Behind'', "Slow Dance" for the movie ''
Can You Feel Me Dancing'' and sang the theme song ''
Charles in Charge
''Charles in Charge'' is an American sitcom television series that premiered on October 3, 1984, on CBS. The series was a production of Al Burton Productions and Scholastic Productions in association with Universal Television and starred Scott B ...
'' for the 1984-1990 TV series.
In 1985, her song "Making It" (composed by
Richie Zito
Richie Zito (born August 21, 1952) is an American songwriter, composer and record producer from Los Angeles. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Zito has experienced success as a prolific session musician, being featured on a wide array of ...
) became a local hit in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. She also sang the song "Only a Memory Away" as
Sailor Mercury
is a fictional character in the ''Sailor Moon
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individua ...
in the English adaptation of the Japanese series ''
Sailor Moon
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The seri ...
'' (1995). (See also
Sailor Moon soundtracks (USA)
Numerous people wrote and composed music for the '' Sailor Moon'' metaseries, with frequent lyrical contributions by creator Naoko Takeuchi. Takanori Arisawa, who earned the "Golden Disk Grand Prize" from Columbia Records for his work on the fir ...
)
She has worked as a background singer with
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, multimedia artist, sound engineer and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Ut ...
,
Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters ( ''née'' Lazzara; born February 28, 1948) is an American actress, singer, and children's book author. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has starred in musical theatre, television and film, performed in solo co ...
,
Hoyt Axton
Hoyt Wayne Axton (March 25, 1938 – October 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He became prominent in the early 1960s, establishing himself on the West Coast as a folk singer with an earthy style and powerful voic ...
and
Johnny Hallyday
Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and pop singer and actor, credited for having brought rock and roll to France.
During a career spanning 57 ...
.
She now lives in
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.
As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...
.
Discography
Albums
* 1976: ''Shandi Sinnamon''
* 1980: ''Shandi''
* 1980: ''Leather and Pearls''
* 1982: ''Love Ordeal''
* 1985: ''Back on the Streets''
* 1986: ''Slow Dance''
* 1986: ''Damsel in Distress''
* 1987: ''Americana''
* 1987: ''Little Bird''
* 1990: ''Urban Berlin''
* 1992: ''Straight One Take''
* 2004: ''I'm Packin''
Single
* "Making It" 1985
Award
* 1984: ''He's A Dream'' -
External links
The Official Website*
*
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
br>
Shandi Sinammon radio interview on Rundgren RadioFlashdance the Movie - Includes Music Credits
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sinnamon, Shandi
1952 births
Living people
American women singer-songwriters
American women pop singers
American people of French descent
Musicians from Miami
Singer-songwriters from Florida
Grammy Award winners
21st-century American women