Whole Story

Whole Foods Market’s “Special Release” CD for May is AM/FM by Rita Wilson. AM/FM explores a collection of Rita’s favorite songs from the 60’s and 70’s. She has a fantastic voice – and the production values (produced by Fred Mollin) are very tasteful. You can hear a bit of Eva Cassidy and Rita Coolidge in her smooth and heartfelt vocal storytelling.

Growing up in Los Angeles, cars were a big part of how we heard music. I remember sitting in the back of my parents’ 1958 Plymouth Belvedere in the sixties -- listening to the AM radio and hearing the songs that made me wonder about love, romance, marriage… I became the person in the song.

Sometimes I was the woman being sung about or sometimes I was the person singing. When I finally got my license and earned enough money to buy my own car, (a 1971 Datsun 2000 Roadster), FM radio had come about. I associate those FM songs with the reality of what life must be like. By then, some boy had already broken my teenaged heart.

I was convinced that the singer-songwriters of that period knew exactly the pain I was feeling. The material had somehow shifted from the innocence of young love to the complexities of a more mature relationship.

On my album, AM/FM, I chose songs that tell a story. I hope that listening to the album you will reflect on the stories you all may have from your own lives.

You can stream Rita’s CD from her Facebook’s page.

Also, Rita is also donating her guitar – signed by some incredible artists —to an upcoming online auction online with proceeds benefitting Whole Planet Foundation. Sign up for Whole Planet Foundation’s newsletter or like them on Facebook and you’ll be notified when the auction is taking place.

Thanks to Jimmy Dunne, President of Inspire – a music and branding company partnering on entertainment initiatives with Whole Foods Market – for celebrating artists, such as Rita Wilson, who use the arts and their talents to make the world a better place.