Diane Hildebrand | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Joya Diane Skye |
| Born | (1945-04-13)April 13, 1945 (age 80) Roswell, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1958–present |
| Labels | Elektra Records |
Diane Hildebrand (born April 13, 1945) is an American pop singer-songwriter. She wrote for several musicians during the 1960s and 1970s, but is most notable for her work withScreen Gems Music Publishing, penning material for the bandthe Monkees. In 1969, Hildebrand recorded her debut studio album,Early Morning Blues and Greens. She later released two additional albums under the nameJoya Diane Skye.
Hildebrand was born inRoswell, New Mexico in 1945. She began a songwriting career at age 13 while living inSão Paulo, Brazil. One of her earliest compositions, "I'm on My Way", was performed byBarbara Dane on an episode ofThe Alfred Hitchcock Hour in 1963. The following year, Hildebrand penned the debut single, "He Walks Like a Man", for Americancountry singerJody Miller—a modest U.S. hit, reaching #66 on the Billboard Chart February 1964. The song was subsequentlycovered by French, Italian, and German artists.[1]
In the mid-1960s, Hildebrand became a staff writer forScreen Gems, a publication company that supplied many of the songs recorded by theNBC television bandthe Monkees.[2] For the group's second studio album,More of the Monkees, Hildebrand collaborated with veteran songwriterJack Keller to write "Your Auntie Grizelda". The songwriting duo also wrote "Early Morning Blues and Greens" for the Monkees' 1967 albumHeadquarters, and the theme music for another ABC series,The Flying Nun.[3] Without Keller, Hildebrand contributed lyrics to theB-side of the Monkees' chart-topping hit "Daydream Believer", titled "Goin' Down".[3][4]
In 1967, Hildebrand negotiated a one-album deal withElektra Records to be produced byDavid Anderle. She wrote half of the material on the album, titledEarly Morning Blues and Greens, but also worked with Keller (on two tracks, including a reprise of the title track), Monkees saxophone playerJim Horn, Don Lottermoser, and bassist Colin Cameron.[3] In his review of the album, music historianRichie Unterberger felt the project "showed a fuller and more serious side of Hildebrand than the Monkees' interpretations of her compositions had".[3] The recording sessions forEarly Morning Blues and Greens were conducted at the newly establishedTTG Studios in Hollywood. It brought together a collective of topsession musicians, including Russell White, David Dawson,Fred Myrow, and Tony McCashen, as well assound engineersBruce Botnick andJac Holzman.[1]
Early Morning Blues and Greens was not commercially successful, nor was it heavily promoted by Elektra and Hildebrand. Unterberger surmises the album did not reach a large audience because its style "was neither too 'underground' nor too pop".[3] Following the release of her album, Hildebrand began writing forcountry rock artists like The Lewis and Clarke Expedition,the Hondells, and Stone Country. Her collaboration with Keller resulted in "Easy Come, Easy Go", which was a Top 10 hit forBobby Sherman in 1970. WithWes Farrell, she co-wrote the original theme song forThe Partridge Family, "When We're Singing."[5] After co-writing the theme forThe Ghost Busters withJackie Mills, in 1975, Hildebrand's songwriting activities declined.[1]
Hildebrand left Hollywood in the late 1970s to live a more nomadic lifestyle and start a family. She independently released her second album,Skye Songs, in 1977, as Joya Diane Skye. Another album, calledSadhana in the Streets, was recorded inIndia and released in 2003.[6] In 2006,Collector's Choice Music reissuedEarly Morning Blues and Greens.[1] In 2017 American Windsong Music released a fourth album for Skye titled “Long Time Comin’.” In 2019 the label released a “Live” album of Skye performing many of her earlier hits and other work titled “Live at the Circle of Light” both albums are available from Americanwindsongmusic.com or can be heard on most streaming platforms.
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