Lynda Carter may have cast aside the golden lariat and those magic bracelets, but she’s still a wonder— behind the mic.

By Richard Andreoli

Long before she spun onto television screens as Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter knew she was a singer. She performed in clubs and lounges with numerous bands, and even dropped out of Arizona State University so that she could pursue a full-time music career. However, it was during her tenure as the star-spangled super heroine that the whole world learned of Carter’s vocal abilities.

“Wonder Woman took my singing to a level I never had before,” Carter says from her home in Maryland. “I got the [televised] variety specials because of it, opened at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, then played all over to thousands of people. Everywhere from the Palladium to the Sporting Club in Monte-Carlo.” Carter even cut her own album, entitled Portrait, though she jokingly says only 30 people purchased the record.

And then the music seemingly fell silent for 20 years.

“When I had my son, I gave up the road,” Carter says of her singing career. “I never intended to give it up, it just worked out that way.” She pauses for a moment, a new sense of excitement leaking into her voice. “But now it’s like things are coming full circle, and I couldn’t be happier.”

An Intimate Evening with Lynda Carter opens June 22 and runs for three nights at the Catalina Jazz Bar & Grill in Hollywood. Armed with only a five-person band and her own powerful voice—as it was when she first started out—Carter performs an eclectic mix of blues, jazz and some medleys from her old variety shows.

“Performing in a cabaret setting is like singing to a bunch of friends in your living room,” she says. “It’s so immediate. On some elemental level it feels like that’s where I belong.”

The brainchild of event producer Scott Stander, An Intimate Evening with Lynda Carter was not an easy-sell to the former Diana Prince. Stander had approached her to do some kind of show in the past, but between family life, various projects and a distinct case of nerves, it never happened. Then, two years ago, Carter performed Mama Morton in London’s West End production of Chicago, and when positive reviews poured in, Stander suggested she do a small show in a city they both knew would warmly welcome her: San Francisco.

“My son has gone off to college, my daughter will be a junior next year in high school, and I just thought the time is right,” Carter says.

She immediately contacted musical director Johnny Harris, a close friend she’d worked with on her TV specials. The duo put together some song selections, then teamed with Michael Orland, the pianist, arranger and associate musical director for American Idol. Soon the San Francisco show came together, and, as Carter says, “I climbed the ladder, got on the platform, and stepped out on the high wire.”

But did the fans like her?

“Oh my God, did they ever!” exclaims Stander. “She came on stage and it was like an earthquake. This was an audience that was so glad to see her on stage, looking and sounding so great. Every performance was like that and the critics liked her, so it was a great success in every way.”

“I was a little bit overwhelmed by the reception, to tell you the truth,” Carter says, the smile evident in her voice. “Putting the nerves aside, it really felt familiar, in a way that your hometown feels familiar. There’s a cliché of riding a bike again, but this was more than that. There was a feeling of familiarity that was really moving. It was the reason why singing was my first love.”

With San Francisco selling out and Los Angeles looking to do the same, Stander and his team are targeting other major cities with similar-sized venues.

“She’s such a natural up there,” Stander says. “A lot of people don’t want to play small rooms, but there’s a connection with a smaller audience. You see their faces, and there’s a spontaneity to the performance. Lynda gets that.”

Between these cabaret evenings, her recent success on the CW show Smallville, and the enormous attention she garnered for being in feature films Dukes of Hazard and Sky High, Carter’s star is on the rise once again. And yet when asked about what cities she’ll hit after Los Angeles, or if the rumors about recording a new CD are true, she takes a very cautious tone.

“San Francisco was the big experiment, and if I fell on my face I probably wouldn’t be singing in L.A.,” she says of the cabaret acts. “My daughter is still in high school, and I don’t want to commit to a tour where I’m working all the time, but yes. Short answer: yes.”

As for the CD, “At this particular point, I would have to say … ” she stops, considering how best to answer the question. “It is all in the works and, yes, it’s being talked about seriously. I probably will do that in the next couple months.”

Her reticence to offer up definite plans—as if doing so may jinx them— is understandable. Following Wonder Woman, Carter’s acting career revolved around occasional TV movie roles and a few short-lived series. She then found herself under the media’s spotlight when her second husband, Robert Altman, became embroiled in a financial scandal involving the Bank of Credit and Commerce International. He was acquitted of all charges, but it was Carter’s diligent presence during the trial that often stood out in the public eye.

But while these experiences may shape how Carter discusses future plans, she acknowledges that they have also influenced her outlook on both life and work.

“People can have a beautiful voice, but unless the heart is behind it, it doesn’t mean much,” she observes. “I’m a different person than I was 20 years ago, and living life has changed my approach to the music in a subtle, refined way.” And as for the future, Carter just keeps things in very simple perspective.

“Right now I’m enjoying this intimate, palpable experience,” she says. “As long as I can do that I will continue the ride.”

For Los Angeles tickets and show information, call 323-466-2210 or visit www.catalinajazzclub.com; to find out about Lynda Carter’s future performances, visit www.scottstander.com.