WENDY MOTEN
by Graham Sclater
Wendy Moten launched her career as a pop/R&B artist but her heart clearly belongs to Nashville. Living and immersing herself in the country scene in Music City for the past 23 years, the multi-talented vocalist has toured and recorded with Faith Hill & Tim McGraw (2005-2018) and Martina McBride (2014-2016) - and since 2016, has been on the road with the legendary Vince Gill (the man she calls “Emperor of Nashville”) when he hasn’t been touring with the Eagles. Their dynamic
working relationship, and the 21-time Grammy winner’s long-held appreciation for Wendy’s versatility, recently culminated in I’ve Got You Covered, an extraordinary passion project she’s had in her sights for years.
Known affectionately in various industry circles as “The Voice,” the multi-talented Memphis born performer has recorded with an exhaustive array of artists including Bonnie Tyler, Joss Stone, Carrie Underwood, John Oates, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Dave Stewart, Michael Bolton, Kenny Rogers, John Mayall, Al Jarreau and many more.
She launched her solo career with a self-titled 1992 EMI album that included the ballad “Come in out Of the Rain,” which reached the Top 5 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and the Top Ten single in the UK. Wendy opened for Michael Bolton on his North American stadium tours and became popular in Japan when she performed sold-out concerts at the famed Budokan, hosted by David Foster. After several more well received albums (including one produced by Foster), Wendy diversified and launched a new phase of her career recording guest duets with Michael McDonald (“No Love To Be Found”), Kirk Whalum (“All I Do”), Peabo Bryson (“My Gift Is You”), Larry Carlton (“I Still Believe”) and Julio Iglesias (“Just Walk Away”), who she toured with for over 15 years.
When Wendy joined Gill’s band, she told Paul Franklin, one of the most recorded pedal steel guitarists in history, about her dream to record a country album. She said, “Franklin casually mentioned it to Gill, piquing his interest and prompting him to invite me over to his home for discussions that led to a commitment to produce the sessions that evolved into the new CD. Vince set dates to record the project a few months after we first talked about it. Though we discussed some material during that first meeting, he surprised me by choosing completely different songs for me and the band to do on the actual days of the session. I knew the band guys, having played on countless hits over the years, were up for that, and I was determined to not be the weakest link and rise to the challenge. Vince was pleased that I didn’t know the songs because he wanted them to sound spontaneous and fresh. He wanted me to jump right in and listening back, I realized that every song Vince chose that day was the right one for me. It’s like we opened to what the universe brought and just let it flow.”
Wendy had previously recorded with Gill on “True Love” on the 2018 all-star Muscle Shoals compilation: Small Town, Big Sound so they both had a mutual respect for each other and that is clear on her new album.
In addition to touring with major artists, in 2018 and 2019, Wendy was a featured artist in the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum’s Musician’s Spotlight series. Last year, Gill invited her to become a the 11th member of the Grammy award winning western swing band The Time Jumpers - an institution launched by the town’s top studio musicians in 1998 - at their weekly sold-out shows at 3rd & Lindsley in Nashville. In the fall, no less than James Taylor, Brian May and Steve Lukather (Toto) showed up on different nights and became instant fans. Wendy was recognised as a bona fide country artist following numerous live performances in Music City over the past few years. She made her debut at the Grand Ole Opry and played there several times before her showcase at the Ryman Auditorium and the release of I’ve Got You Covered in February 2020 before headlining on the Opry stage at the Bonnaroo Music Festival.
Wendy’s latest album I’ve Got You Covered is her long-awaited moment in the country music spotlight and is available on CD and vinyl. The nine tracks feature the elite among Nashville’s most legendary hit-making session musicians and in addition to Paul Franklin, the project also features stalwarts Willie Weeks (bass), Richard Bennett (guitar), Fred Eltringham (drums), Charlie Judge (strings), Jeff Taylor (accordion) and the horn section of saxophonists Mark Douthit and Doug Moffett, trombonist Barry Green and trumpeter Mike Hayes.
I hope that radio stations across the world will enjoy the album as much as I do.
Graham Sclater is a music publisher, record producer and author and is the CEO of Tabitha Publishing Limited.
https://tabitharecords.webs.com
"Ticket to Ride" was Graham's first novel and originally published by Flame Books in 2006. It was re-issued by Tabitha Books in October 2012, with additional reviews and photos. It is a gritty novel loosely based on events during his time as a professional musician in Hamburg during the 60's.
"We're Gonna Be Famous", a children's novel, was our first publication by Graham in April 2009, followed by his second, "Hatred Is The Key", in 2010, which is an historical novel based on true events between 1812 and 1814.
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