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By age 17, she had written the classic “And When I Die,” popularized by Peter, Paul and Mary, and later Blood, Sweat and Tears. The radio airwaves of the late ‘60’s and ‘70’s were filled with her songs. “Wedding Bell Blues,” “Stoned Soul Picnic,” “Blowin’ Away,” “Save The Country,” and “Sweet Blindness,” a bouquet of compositions, all became hits for The Fifth Dimension, as did “Eli’s Comin’” for Three Dog Night, and “Stoney End” for Barbra Streisand. “She wrote the most unexpected songs,” observer Stereo Review, “a dazzling display of lyrical and musical innovation that gave her music a fresh feeling….”
Laura’s work draws from soul, jazz, blues, R&B, and folk-rooted music, along with a modern classical influence. Her songs have been recorded by artists as diverse as Carmen McCrae, Suzanne Vega, Phoebe Snow, Roseane Cash, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Jane Siberry, Mongo Santamaria, Junior Walker and the All Stars, Chet Atkins, Frank Sinatra, Linda Ronstadt, George Duke, Maynard Ferguson, Thelma Houston, Patti Larkin, The Roches, and many, many others. The prestigious Alvin Ailey Dance Company includes Laura’s music in their performance piece “Cry.” And the Canadian Ballet has danced to “Emmie.”

Born in New York on October 18, 1947, Laura was brought up on city life and summers spent in the lush greenery of the Northeast. She began playing music very early, and enjoyed a wide range of influences through her high school years at Manhattan’s Music and Art. Laura listened to the late ‘50’s and ‘60’s girl groups, Nina Simone, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions, Mary Wells, Dusty Springfield, and the early Burt Bacharach-Hal David songs of Dionne Warwick, among many others. Laura read poetry and at home her mother played records by Leontyne Price and impressionist classical composers such as Ravel, Debussy and Persicetti.

Throughout high school Laura also listened to the protest music of Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, early Bob Dylan the Beatles and others. Laura always "adored" the music of Van Morrison. “I was always interested in the social consciousness of certain songs. My mother and grandfather were progressive thinkers, so I felt at home in the peace movement and the women's movement, and that has influenced my music.”

Laura made her first extended professional appearance at age 18, singing at the legendary Hungry i coffeehouse in San Francisco Sound.” The following year (1966) saw the release of her debut album More Than A New Discovery on the Verve/Folkways label. It’s still interesting to note that her Verve label-mates then included The Blues Project, Tim Hardin, Richie Havens, Janis Ian, and Dave Von Ronk; other seminal New York peers included Tim Buckley and Kenny Rankin.


"This an excerpt from her bio page.."