Born 71 Years Ago Today in Illinois, the Country Singer-Songwriter Best Known for a Chart-Topping Johnny Lee Duet and the Theme Song to a Soapy NBC Series

On this day (September 24) in 1955, Lynne Connie Voorlas was born in Oak Park, Illinois. These days, she is more recognizable as Lane Brody, who made a name for herself in country music beginning in the 1980s. Alongside country star Johnny Lee, she scored a number-one hit with 1984’s “The Yellow Rose”, which some may remember as the theme song for the NBC soap opera of the same name starring Sam Elliott and Cybill Shepherd.

As a solo artist, Brody has released four albums and charted multiple songs on the U.S. country chart — including the Oscar-nominated “Over You”, featured in the 1983 film Tender Mercies starring Robert Duvall.

Today, we are taking a trip through Brody’s life and career in honor of her 71st birthday.

Lane Brody’s Career Started on TV

Growing up in Racine, Wisconsin, Lane Brody’s singer-songwriter instincts kicked in at an early age. She wrote her first song, “Through the Darkness,” at 12. In high school, she founded an all-girl trio.

At 18, the “Yellow Rose” singer moved to first New York and then Chicago. There, she got her start singing in commercial jingles for corporations like McDonalds, 7Up, and Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Making her recording debut in 1976, Brody relocated again — this time to California, where she signed with Liberty Records in 1981. While recording her own music, she also co-wrote Anne Murray’s song “The Hottest Night of the Year”.

Finding Success

After releasing several minor hits, Lane Brody reached number 15 on the country chart with “Over You”.

Appearing in the 1983 drama Tender Mercies, the song also earned an Oscar nod for Best Original Song and recognition in the Top New Female Vocalist from the Academy of Country Music Awards. According to her official online biography, Brody was the first female country artist to land an Oscar-nominated hit from a soundtrack album.

The following year, she gained nationwide fame when she joined Johnny Lee on “The Yellow Rose”, her first country number-one hit and his fourth.

Topping the charts in both the U.S. and Canada, Brody and Lee co-wrote “The Yellow Rose” for the NBC soap opera of the same name. It lasted one season, running from 1983 to 1984.

Adapting the melody from the traditional 19th-century folk song “The Yellow Rose of Texas,” the song featured new lyrics.

[RELATED: 4 Hit Country Songs From the 1980s That Disappeared Without a Trace]

Where is She Now?

Lane Brody continued to perform throughout the late ’90s and early 2000s, including appearances at the Grand Ole Opry.

She would reach the charts with Johnny Lee one more time with 1986’s “I Could Get Used to This”. A year earlier, she had another top 30 country hit with “He Burns Me Up”.

In 1996, Lane Brody was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Walkway of Stars. She has acted in various TV shows including Taxi and Heart of the City.

Featured image by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Webster PR

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