Linda's Biography

• Aerospace engineer
• Classical pianist
• Teacher: London, Moscow, Massachusetts, Virginia
• Photographer: in Moscow, USSR for US Trade Department
• Game inventor: Bee Victorious! Now in Denver, Littleton, Englewood and Boulder schools.
• Rancher
• Songwriter!

I have two wonderful daughters. Anne Pell is a piano teacher and jazz pianist with her own trio, and was the force who inspired me to start studying jazz piano. Jenny Pell had her own business manufacturing and selling yurts, plays mandolin and guitar, and is in Costa Rica now working on a permaculture plantation.

I started composing while working with lively jazz piano teacher Holly Holverson, who plays with the Freddie-Henchi band, and taking classes in jazz improv at CU Denver with guitarist Paul Musso. I joined Denver’s Swallow Hill Choir at its first meeting, and soon was creating original songs just for them. All the sheet music for my original music and for Anne's choral music is available here at Sheet Music Catalog.

My friends tell me stories about their wonderful children and fabulous, intelligent grandchildren, and soon a song appears. Last year I collaborated with Denver children’s book artist Bobbi Shupe and publisher Pat Holmberg of Voice of the Rockies to produce a music book, Songs for You & Me. The book is for children and their families, with lively, easy arrangements and terrific illustrations for each song. My first CD, Songs for You & Me, with 11 original songs, was released in 2001. It features Celeste Krenz with 9-year-old Kelly McPhail and other local talent, with me at the piano. It is tucked into the back of the book, and the CD itself is available from CD Baby.

I call this CD “fresh.” It certainly is not "over-produced!" The songs are just about the kids and me, sitting at the piano and singing. Kids love it; even babies wave their fists around and laugh. And my friends’ grandchildren are thrilled to hear "their" songs. I wrote them because they needed them! The Swallow Hill Choir sings The Blessing on this CD. Songs from the CD have been picked for play on the XMKiDS! Station on XM Satellite Radio, and PlayhouseRadio.com.

My new release, Pirates & Cowboys, More Songs for You & Me was produced at Coupe Studios in Boulder, and has 11 brand new original songs. Celeste Krenz is again the featured singer. She is backed by marvelous talent: James Hoskins, Nelson Rangell, Chris Daniels, Chris Engleman, Christian Teele, Mark Oblinger, and ky.

Several songs are very special on this CD.

• I wrote Amy for my elementary school friend Lois and her granddaughter Amy.
• The poem "To My Husband" by Margot Manseau, clipped from a newspaper probably sometime in 1932, was found in my mother's desk when she died. My brother Griff read it at her funeral, and this song was written two days later, and became the canon Hand in Hand. Celeste sings it to perfection, backed by James Hoskins on cello and Nelson Mangell on flute.
• My younger brother John is a radio man; Radio Man Blues is for him.
• And Big Will the Pirate was written for my great-nephew William Montgomery. He's five! He really has 3 giant uncles named Griffy, Tuggy, and Ben.

We’ve stretched the genre on this CD. There are 4 new songs for kids, and a lullaby for the babies, but for the rest of the family we added a blues song in close harmony, 2 cowboy songs, 2 tender love songs, and a song for everyone’s holiday gathering. I was able to arrange a great Schumann canon with a Kipling poem to render Seal Lullaby for Celeste to sing. With the Handel intro, this song spans 4 centuries! I was thrilled to work with all these great musicians, including Mollie O’Brien, who stars with Jane Simms and Barbara Kuepper in the classic Bb jazz blues Radio Man Blues. That was a great delight!

Pirates & Cowboys is now available from
Songs for You & Me is also available:

I continue to work on new music: jazz, blues, choral works for Swallow Hill, and more songs for children. There will be another CD next year!