Grammy Award-winning vocalist Lani Hall Alpert brings the passion of her voice to the printed page, penning ten short works of fiction and non-fiction alike, all set against the living, breathing backdrop of Chicago. The characters crackle with energy: intelligent, modern women struggling to navigate the uncertain waters of adultery, therapy, cosmetic surgery, postpartum depression, and even their own sexuality. Each story is woven into the next via a winding personal narrative, as the author takes a refreshingly honest look back at her own life. Lani takes us from memories of her upbringing, through her teenage years amidst the heady heyday of 1960s Beatnik culture, and gives us a rare glimpse at the double-edged sword that is the life of an artist.
Lani Hall Alpert is a Grammy Award-winning vocalist, and has penned the lyrics to numerous songs dating as far back as the 1960s, when she was lead singer for Sergio Mendes's group, Brasil '66. Written over the course of more than 30 years, Emotional Memoirs & Short Stories marks Lani's debut into the world of literature, assembling works of both fiction and non-fiction, tied together by an intimate narrative. After a turbulent childhood growing up in Chicago, she found her only refuge in a love of singing. While still just a teenager, Lani was discovered by Sergio Mendes at a local nightclub and was whisked off to Los Angeles, where, just 5 months later, Brasil '66 was signed to A&M Records by the founder of the label (and Lani's future husband), music legend Herb Alpert. Lani started her solo career in 1971, and in 1983 she recorded the title song for the James Bond film, Never Say Never Again. She also has the distinction of having recorded more than 20 albums in 3 different languages (English, Portuguese, and Spanish), and has performed at the Academy Awards on two separate occasions (with Brasil '66 and with Herb Alpert), and in 1986 she won a Grammy Award for her third Latin album, Es Facil Amar. At the peak of her success in the mid-80s, Lani contracted a debilitating case of Epstein Barr Virus, and was forced to take a reprieve from performing. Losing the energy to sing was devastating to Lani. In her own words, "Whether I write or sing, it's to 'clear myself.' I feel this thing inside of me, and I have to sing it or put it on paper to get it out of my body." Lacking the physical stamina to express herself through song, Lani poured her heart and imagination onto the printed page. Writing has always come just as naturally to Lani as music. Even as a young girl, she was already a passionate poet. As she moved through her life experiences, she traveled with pen in hand, expressing her private feelings and thoughts as a vehicle of release. She began writing short stories in 1982, while on tour in Mexico City, and has never stopped. Over the past 5 years, Lani has been performing and recording alongside the love of her life, her husband of 38 years, Herb Alpert. Their most recent album together, I Feel You, was released to rave reviews in 2011. Lani enjoys spending time with her 3 children and 5 grandchildren, and she lives with her husband in Southern California, where she continues to write and sing.
