A member of the pop-rock unit Groovelily since 1995, vocalist/songwriter/violinist Valerie Vigoda has also recorded as a solo artist and has backed big names like Cyndi Lauper and Joe Jackson. Other artists start out as members of groups and go on to pursue solo careers, but with Vigoda, it was the other way around. Vigoda, who grew up in suburban Virginia near Washington, DC, recorded her debut solo album, Inhabit My Heart, for Blue House Records in 1994, and was leading her own band when, in 1995, she met parter-to-be Brendan Milburn. Vigoda and keyboardist/songwriter Milburn hit it off creatively, and in 1995, she formed Groovelily with him and drummer Max Langert (who left the group in 1997). With Vigoda doing all of the lead vocals, Groovelily's debut album, Jungle And Sky, came out on Blue House Records in 1996.

The late 1990s found Vigoda playing violin for Jackson and Lauper and planning to record Groovelily's sophomore album with Milburn. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi