Meet the Icons: Windy Wagner & Chad Cromwell
She’s the voice behind hundreds of songs on Glee, the powerhouse on soundtracks for films like Sing 2 and The Lorax, and the go-to background vocalist trusted by icons like Joe Walsh and Ringo Starr. He’s the legendary drummer whose groove has driven Neil Young, Mark Knopfler, and Joe Walsh, and he remains one of the most respected musicians in the business. Together, Windy Wagner and Chad Cromwell have built remarkable, enduring careers in music. On this episode of Local Music Somewhere, Terry “DreamMaker” Hudson sits down with Windy and Chad to talk about their journeys, the art of adapting to every genre, and the lessons they’ve learned from decades at the top of the industry. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to thrive as a creative and keep your voice heard — and felt — this is an interview you don’t want to miss.
Thriving as Partners in Life & Music
About Me –
Windy Wagner & Chad Cromwell
Windy Wagner
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Windy Wagner is one of Hollywood’s leading session vocalists, appearing on songs for top recording artists including Britney Spears, Selena Gomez, Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus, Michael Bublé, Barbra Streisand, k.d. lang, Neil Young, and Ringo Starr. Windy sang on more than 450 songs for the hit Fox television show Glee and its albums. She also served as lip-sync coordinator, working directly with the cast for 6 months on the show’s fourth season. She has sung on numerous television shows including the Oscars, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Carrie Underwood’s “My Gift” Christmas special. In addition to live performances, she has sung in many motion pictures including Sing 2, The Lorax, Rock of Ages, We Are Marshall, Legally Blonde, Annie, Pitch Perfect, New Year’s Eve, Jungle Book 2, The Muppets, and Repo Men.
Windy also serves as a vocal contractor, finding and securing the absolute top vocal talent for projects, whether it is a sound-alike, chorus, soloist, or background vocals in any given genre of music, as well as vocal casting. Projects have included Rock of Ages, Katy Perry, the Oscars, Disney, Toyota, and Monarch. As a songwriter, her work has been placed in many Disney Channel shows, as well as television shows including The Fosters, Pretty Little Liars, House, About a Boy, Recovery Road, and Jeopardy.
Windy’s work in television commercials includes Barbie (over 100 spots), Polly Pocket (over 50 spots), Disney, Coke, Macy’s, Folgers, Kmart, Hanes, Dell Computers, Disneyland, Lexus, Walmart, Chevrolet, Toyota, Tropicana, Dove, and more. As a touring singer, Windy has sung background on a world tour with k.d. lang. She also went on tours with Joe Walsh of the Eagles. She has also sung background live for Carrie Underwood, Yolanda Adams, James Taylor, Elton John, Jewel, Cyndi Lauper, Bryan Adams, Rick Springfield, Enya, Dave Stewart, and Joe Cocker, to name a few. In addition to being a vocalist, Windy served as music producer on the Ryan Seacrest YouTube Best Cover Ever competition series.
Windy also did vocal contracting and singing for Adam Anders’ directorial debut, Journey To Bethlehem, starring Antonio Banderas. Windy also completed one season of Fox’s TV show Monarch starring Susan Sarandon and Trace Adkins. Windy served as vocal contractor, singer, and additional vocal producer for Anders Media.
Chad Cromwell
Chad is a drummer and has worked with Neil Young, Mark Knopfler, and Joe Walsh. He is the man behind the groove on “Rockin’ in the Free World.”
Latest Release:
Chad released a song called “In Memphis.” The release before that was a song called “California.” He also has a synth-pop side project called “TASCHEm” where he writes, performs and produces the project.
Chad doesn’t release his own material, but he and Windy have a duo together called Mass Humanity. They have released two songs: “You and I Are Gonna Rule the World” and “You Don’t Want to Change Me.”
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