Vonda Shepard

Singer-songwriter Vonda Shepard played herself on TV’s Ally McBeal, performing at the characters’ favorite piano bar, and she co-wrote and sang the show’s theme song, “Searchin’ My Soul.” But even with multiple Ally McBeal-tie-in albums, there’s been much more to Shepard’s career than the show. She performed her first gig as a 14-year-old, toured in Rickie Lee Jones’ band and duetted with Dan Hill on the 1987 smash “Can’t We Try.” Years of development with Warner Brothers led to her self-titled debut album, but the label dropped her, Ally McBeal creator David E. Kelley boosted her, and she kept writing songs and releasing albums, including this year’s Red Light, Green Light (produced by husband Mitchell Froom). She reflects on her career's many twists and turns in this lively, wide-ranging Caropop conversation. (Photo by Greg Shappell & Nick Leopold.)