Rita Wilson

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Although Rita Wilson is well-known as an actress (It’s Complicated, Sleepless in Seattle, recurring roles on CBS’: The Good Wife, HBO’s Golden Globe winning series: Girls, recently starring in Larry David’s sold out Broadway hit: Fish In The Dark) as well

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Although Rita Wilson is well-known as an actress (It’s Complicated, Sleepless in Seattle, recurring roles on CBS’: The Good Wife, HBO’s Golden Globe winning series: Girls, recently starring in Larry David’s sold out Broadway hit: Fish In The Dark) as well as a film producer (discovered My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Mamma Mia!), few may be aware that her early show biz ambitions were actually musical. Born and raised in the Hollywood Hills (nearly above the Hollywood Bowl), Wilson harbored dreams of becoming a singer in the ‘60s and ‘70s after falling in love with The Beatles, The Mamas & the Papas, Janis Joplin, and The Supremes, among others. She even took a part-time job as a ticket-taker at what was then the Universal Amphitheatre as a way to see such popular acts of the day as Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, James Taylor, and The Eagles.

“I would watch these artists on stage and ache from wondering, ‘How can I get up there? How can I get to do that?’” Wilson recalls. After achieving her dream in 2012 with the critically acclaimed album AM/FM — an intimate, elegant, and beautifully sung collection of classics from the ‘60s and ‘70s, Wilson has been focusing on a new component of her musical career as a songwriter.

During the past two years she has collaborated with a number of extremely talented and successful songwriters composing original material to be featured on her second album, self-titled Rita Wilson, scheduled for an early 2016 release. Some of this material was featured in Wilson’s sold-out two-week residency at the famed Carlyle Café in New York City in late 2014.

Wilson’s songwriting partners include Grammy Award winners/nominees Jessi Alexander, Matraca Berg, Kristian Bush, Nathan Chapman, Kara DioGuardi, Brett James, Richard Marx and Dan Wilson, as well as acclaimed songwriters Kelly Archer, Darrell Brown, Blair Daly, Eric Kaz, Stephan Moccio, Jon Randall, Jason Reeves, and The Warren Brothers. Producers contributing to Wilson’s upcoming album include Ron Aniello, Mikal Blue, Nathan Chapman, Richard Marx, John Shanks, Dan Wilson and Babyface.

“I would have never attempted songwriting if I hadn't been encouraged by Kara DioGuardi to write.” (Singer-songwriter DioGuardi’s songs have appeared on albums which have sold over 160 million copies worldwide. She is a former judge on the American Idol and Platinum Hit TV shows.) “She and I had met through Chicago The Musical as we both played Roxie Hart, and she offered to write with me. With Kara and Jason Reeves, I wrote two songs and that gave me the confidence to keep writing.” (Reeves is a singer-songwriter and long-time collaborator with singer Colbie Caillat and co-wrote her hits “Bubbly” and “Realize”, among others) “I have truly loved writing songs. It's opened up a new way to discover what you feel about something or a way to create something that is deeply personal or, perhaps, isn't necessarily based on personal experience, but on an emotion or idea you want to explore. I'm excited to share these new original songs with the audience.”

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