The shy, quiet girl who grew up keeping her singing voice confined to the walls of her bedroom has just released her second CD.
Then known as Tracy Lendi, the Harvey native was a teenager when her parents first heard her sing and realized her talent. Her mom encouraged her to perform in public and when she did (playing the role of Sandy in "Grease" with the St. Jude Players Group), a whole new world opened up.
At age 22, she played her first paid show. Now know as Tracylyn, Lendi has just released "Close the Door," which is getting airplay in Germany, New Zealand, Austria and Australia and bringing in fans around the globe.
Her first CD, "Good Rain," was released in 2002, with songs penned by Lendi, which she drew from her life experiences. Her newest CD includes one track written by her. For the others she worked with top songwriters in Nashville whose tunes have been recorded by Reba McEntire, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and others.
"I had to be brutally honest with myself as to the strength of the songs I had written against those written by professional writers. I was thrilled to have one song measure up," Lendi said.
Being a shy child who couldn't imagine getting up in front of a group of people, Lendi never imagined she'd one day be a singer. She spent more time fantasizing about being Wonder Woman. Lendi's day job has been a successful one as a director of training and development for Standard Parking.
She was chosen by Training Magazine as one of the top 10 trainers in the United States.
She is currently working toward her PhD from Capella University.
"I'm in my dissertation phase -- in education, specifically, instructional design for online learning," she said.
Lendi performs regularly in the area with her band, 55 South. Her next performances take place Aug. 15 and 16 at the Middle Branch Saloon in Kenosha, Wis.
She and her husband, John Dent, enjoy their two chihuahuas, and she likes to spend what little free time she has gardening.
"Close the Door" is available at cdbaby.com/cd/tracylyn2. FYI: tracylyn.net.
