The call came from out of the blue. “Can we meet?” She wanted to talk about a nightclub act. “I didn’t know you sang,” I replied.

Like most people, I knew Linda Purl as an actress – her television series, like “Happy Days” and “Matlock”, as well as making a frequent foray onto the stage. But sing? It was apparent, right from the start, that Linda Purl, the actress, knew her way around a lyric. I had expected that, but I was not prepared for the low, throaty timbre that emerged. Could she sing? You bet.

Noted critic Rex Reed described her thusly in his “New York Observer” review: “An act that literally takes your breath away ... she has an impressive range, perfect intonation, and awesome phrasing. In a tired landscape of cabaret yawns, she is one solid hour of seamless enchantment. Serendipitously discovering this kind of beauty and talent in a smoky room in Greenwich Village is like seeing a unicorn in a subway.”

I have listened to “Alone Together” any number of times, and as many-faceted as I know the woman to be, so is the voice. Jazzy and bluesy, as the situation needs, or throbbing with a heated sensuality that would make strong men go weak in the knees. She is playful, determined, tender, regretful, cheerful – so many moods for so many occasions.

In the old days, I would have suggested you sit back, light a cigarette, pour yourself a shot of brandy and listen. And while I am not suggesting Linda Purl is hazardous to your health – she sure is addictive. David Galligan

Linda's "Alone Together" CD is available for sale online at Amazon Visit her area there to listen to samples and read reviews. Hearing this sultry singer pour out her soul makes a cold winter evening seem quite a bit warmer.

Linda has solo cuts on "George and Ira Gershwin: A Musical Celebration" and "Cole Porter: A Musical Toast". Click either title to purchase at Amazon.com. She also performed with Burt Bacharach on his album "The Burt Bacharach Album: Broadway Sings" and added a festive holiday note on the Christmas album, "A Hollywood Christmas".

Also available from L.A. Theatre Works is the wonderful play "Nora" by Henrik Ibsen, adapted by Ingmar Bergman, and translated by Frederick and Lise-Lone Marker. Linda stars along with late friend David Dukes, Robert Foxworth, John Vickery and Natalija Nogulich.

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