Lauren Wood

About

Lauren Wood (born Ilene Rappaport in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), also known as Chunky, is an American singer-songwriter, voice-over artist, and producer. Her 1981 single “Fallen” from the album Cat Trick was used in the 1990 movie Pretty Woman. In 1979, she recorded “Please Don’t Leave”, a duet with singer Michael McDonald.

Wood’s career began in the mid-1960s when she formed a band called Rebecca and the Sunnybrook Farmers. In 1972, she provided back-up vocals on Frank Zappa’s album The Grand Wazoo. In 1973, Wood formed the band Chunky, Novi & Ernie with her cousin Novi Novog and bassist Ernie Eremita (died 15 April 2018). They released two albums both co-produced by Ted Templeman and John Cale. “Underground”, from the 1973 album was covered by Montrose on Paper Money (1974). Frank Zappa can be heard speaking at the beginning of “Rosalie”.
In 1979, she released her first self-titled album, Lauren Wood on Warner Bros. Records. Although a solo album, the words “Featuring Novi and Ernie” appear in the lower right corner of the cover and the photo has Wood flanked by her bandmates. Guests included Michael McDonald, Little Feat members Bill Payne and Fred Tackett, Steve…