I saw my first movie, "Mary Poppins," at the age of four, at which time I fell in love with film music. Film songs have been part of my repertoire for as long as I have been performing. Additionally, I have always had a penchant for songwriters, and more specifically, for songs that were not necessarily "hit" or oft-performed songs, but were good as, or better than those that were. As such, I have always endeavored to lend my voice to lesser known gems. In sum, "Unsung Hollywood," resulted from bringing these two passions together: my love of film music, and my continued desire to give greater exposure to lesser known songs.
   All of the selections on this album were written directly for the screen with two exceptions. "If I Love Again," was written for the 1932 Broadway musical, "Hold Your Horses," and included in the soundtrack for the 1974 film, "Funny Lady." It is a song that has meant a great deal to me over the years, which I thankfully discovered courtesy of that film. I also included "Little Jazz Bird," as one of countless examples of a great song written for a Broadway show ("Lady Be Good"), which was not included in the film version of that show.
   I recently heard a great woman singer say that when you choose a particular song, it should be for the reason that the song conveys something that you must say. I agree wholeheartedly. Every song on this album is very personal, and in many cases, the songs reflect my life experience quite literally. I am deeply grateful to the composers and lyricists represented on this album, who, throughout the years, have enabled me to voice that which I feel I must say.