Music Gave Her a Life She Could Never Have Imagined

GRAMMY® Winner and three-time nominee, Darlene Koldenhoven, has written a memoir to encourage others to never give up on their dreams, no matter what. Put Your Dress Down and Sing is the inspiring story of how determination, hard work, and a lesson she learned from her mother at age 3 about her dress, helped her overcome obstacles, navigate physical challenges, survive traumas, and turn adversity into opportunity to create and maintain a successful career as an independent vocal artist in the Hollywood entertainment industry for over 45 years.

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The memoir draws you into the story of how, against all odds, a shy, introverted, Calvinist girl from the South Side of Chicago became known globally as the tambourine-waving choir nun in both Sister Act movies with Whoopi Goldberg and the featured soprano soloist in Yanni, Live at the Acropolis, the most popular PBS-TV Special and video seen by over 1.5 billion worldwide.

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Her strict, repressive upbringing only allowed her to sing or listen to religious or classical music. Yet she sang with many A-list celebrities as a studio singer for the likes of Pink Floyd and as a live show background singer for Sir Paul McCartney, who kissed her on the cheek on stage at the Hollywood Bowl. Nothing could have prepared her for That! After singing on over 1,000 recordings in film, television, albums, and commercials, mid-career, Darlene pivoted and made her way to the front of the stage as a successful indie artist herself. She was inducted into the Indie Music Hall of Fame in 2019, and two of her multi-award-winning albums debuted on the Billboard Charts at #4 and #8 in 2021. 

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Peek behind the curtain of the entertainment industry and enjoy a plethora of intriguing moments from her remarkable life: triumphant, endearing, and funny. Foreword by Brad Cole (Phil Collins).