# Wendy Moten

Wendy Moten (born November 22, 1964) is an American jazz singer from Tennessee. Born in Memphis and based in Nashville, Moten has had a successful career in music, including several major-label solo records, some international hit songs, and a second career as a touring musician.
At age 56, she entered the American national talent competition The Voice. She finished as the runner-up on the show, but her career was buoyed by the national exposure. Moten is best known for the single "Come In Out of the Rain", which was a No. 8 hit in the UK in February 1994.

## Early life and career

The daughter of a pastor, Moten began singing in a church choir as a child. She attended Overton High School in Memphis and sang in the Overton Choir under the direction of the late Lulah M. Hedgeman. She won a Mid-South Fair singing competition at age 16, and got a job singing at a theme park. She attended Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis) as a music business major at the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music. She was discovered by promo man Dick Williams who heard her as she was singing on a jingle in a Memphis studio. She got her first break singing with Michael Bolton at a benefit concert; after signing with EMI, in 1992 she released her self-titled debut album and opened for Bolton on tour. Moten's biggest hit single was "Come In Out of the Rain", which, although only peaking at #55 in 1993 on the Billboard Hot 100, was a No. 5 adult contemporary hit, and also reached the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart, where it peaked at No. 8 in 1994. A follow-up single, "So Close to Love" did not chart in the U.S. but reached No. 35 in the UK Top 40. She had a starring role in an off-Broadway production, "Mama I Want to Sing". Moten also landed a feature song "Whatever You Imagine" in children's movie The Pagemaster starring Macaulay Culkin in 1994. In the late 1990s, with her personal career at a crossroads, she accepted an offer to tour with Julio Iglesias, a working relationship that continued for the next 15 years. She said, "I toured the whole world with him, singing in four languages . . . flying around in private jets and singing in front of massive audiencies."
In 2006, Moten sang back-up vocals on the Soul2Soul II Tour with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. She continued touring with McGraw and Hill from 2005-2018. She contributed backing vocals to Bonnie Tyler's 2013 album Rocks and Honey. She also toured with Martina McBride from 2014-2016 providing background vocals. Moten was a harmony singer for Vince Gill and was a member of his Time Jumpers for several years, but in 2020, Gill took her on tour as a featured vocalist.

## The Voice

Moten said that in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the touring business and live music venues, she found her career to be at a critical juncture. She was not sure that her lucrative work as a backup singer on high-profile tours would be still be in existence. When the chance for The Voice came, Moten said, "Deciding to do The Voice was hard. Because I've been on a certain level for like 30-plus years... and to be in a situation where you are trying to get people to love you and vote for you...it's tough. But decided to take a risk". Moten competed in the 21st season of The Voice and finished as the runner-up of the season. While working on the show, Moten fell over a monitor, fracturing her elbow. She was told at a Burbank hospital that it would require surgery, but she was determined to remain on the show for 3 more episodes and then had surgery to repair the fracture with titanium plates. As of 2022, Moten is assembling a professional team to help re-launch her solo career following the surge in her media exposure on the show.
Performances on The Voice season 21 :
| Round | Theme | Song | Original Artist | Order | Original Air Date | Result |
| Blind Auditions | — | "We Can Work It Out" | The Beatles | 1.11 | September 20, 2021 | All four chairs turned; John Legend blocked; joined Team Blake |
| Battles (Top 48) | — | "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" (vs. Manny Keith) | Sting | 9.9 | October 18, 2021 | Saved by coach |
| Knockouts (Top 32) | — | "Ain't No Way" (vs. Jonathan Mouton) | Aretha Franklin | 11.1 | October 25, 2021 | Saved by coach |
| Live Playoffs (Top 20) | — | "I Will Always Love You" | Dolly Parton (Whitney Houston cover) | 15.20 | November 8, 2021 | Saved by public's vote |
| Live Top 13 | "Dedications" | "Blue Bayou" | Linda Ronstadt | 17.1 | November 15, 2021 | Saved by public's vote |
| Live Top 11 | "Fan Week" | "Freeway of Love" | Aretha Franklin | 19.1 | November 22, 2021 | Saved by public's vote |
| Live Top 10 | "Challenge Week" | "Jolene" | Dolly Parton | 21.2 | November 29, 2021 | Saved by public's vote |
| Live Top 8 (Semifinals) | "'90s Duet with a fellow artist" | "Change the World" (with Paris Winningham) | Eric Clapton | 23.3 | December 6, 2021 | Saved by public's vote |
| Live Top 8 (Semifinals) | — | "You're All I Need to Get By" | Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell | 23.9 | December 6, 2021 | Saved by public's vote |
| Live Finale (Final 5) | "Up-tempo Song" | "How Will I Know" | Whitney Houston | 25.5 | December 13, 2021 | Runner-Up |
| Live Finale (Final 5) | "Ballad" | "Over the Rainbow" | Judy Garland (Patti LaBelle cover) | 25.10 | December 13, 2021 | Runner-Up |
| Live Finale (Final 5) | "Duet with Coach" | "Just a Fool" (with Blake Shelton) | Christina Aguilera & Blake Shelton | 26.15 | December 14, 2021 | Runner-Up |

## Discography

* Wendy Moten (1992)
* Time for Change (1995)
* Christmas Time (1995 EP)
* Life's What You Make It (1996)
* Tis the Season (2009)
* Timeless - Wendy Moten Sings Richard Whiting (2014)
* I've Got You Covered (2020)