Her poetry was first published at the age of five, and she was soon singled out as a child who was multi-gifted in music, dance, and art, winning various awards for her visual works all through school, as well as scholarships and statewide musical recognition for her vocal abilities.

"Growing up in rural Illinois and Wisconsin allowed me to get deep in touch with the essence of who I was, and what my life purpose would be. I spent my time riding wild ponies in the wheat fields, and deep in the forests listening to the Treesongs, the pure essence of God. It was there that I developed my keen sense of intuition and connection to Gaia, the Earth, and knew I needed to just CREATE."

In high school, Linda began to haunt the blues clubs, sitting in whenever possible as a vocalist, and soon after graduation, joining a touring show band which took her all over the country and into Canada. During her travels, in 1982, she met Rick James, who immediately recognized her as a strong musical talent, brought her to New York, and encouraged her to move into the professional realm of the industry, offering her a production deal and recording contract on the spot.

"He had an idea for a girl band, and wanted me as a member. But I felt that I still needed to explore who I was as a complete artist and visualist, and turned down the opportunity, which soon after developed into The Mary Jane Girls. He was the first of a series of extremely successful musicians in the industry at that time to recognize what I was about, acknowledge my talents, and validate my aspirations to become a songwriter and performer. The encouragement and blessings of my professional peers along my journey really kept me going."

Feeling a call to move to Chicago, she began to educate herself further in the arts, while sitting in at all the blues clubs, welcomed with open arms by the "old greats," and attending churches where she participated in Southern Gospel atmospheres, providing inspiration to her developing vocal style and profoundly shaping who she is as a performer today.

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