Sally Dworsky Informations

Sally Dworsky (born July 13, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter and playback singer in animated films. She is notable for co-writing the song "That's as Close as I'll Get to Loving You", and for singing, with Michelle Pfeiffer, the Academy Award-winning song "When You Believe", in the 1998 DreamWorks animated film, The Prince of Egypt.

Dworsky was born to Robert and Shirley Dworsky, and grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota. She has one sister, Rabbi Susan Dworsky, and two brothers, pianist Richard Dworsky and former lawyer turned drummer and author Alan Dworsky. Dworsky's family is of Jewish background.

In Minnesota, she was a member of the bands Moore by Four and Players. In Moore by Four, her voice was described as "sparkling", "marvellous separately - together [with band members], they're dynamite." She also appeared in lead roles in musicals at the Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis.

After moving to California, where she appeared in a featured role in the Los Angeles production of Les Misérables, she toured with Don Henley as a back-up singer, and was noted by a reviewer for a "strong solo" in "Sunset Grill". She also recorded back-up vocals in the studio for artists including Neil Diamond,Luther Vandross,Bonnie Raitt,Bob Seger,Paula Abdul,Peter Gabriel,R.E.M. and Midge Ure.

She began performing as a singer in films in The Wizard (1989), and also recorded songs for The Lion King, The Prince of Egypt, and Shrek. As the singing voice of Nala in The Lion King, she sang part of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight", which won the 1995 Academy Award for Best Original Song. One of the songs she recorded for The Prince of Egypt was "When You Believe" (in a duet with Michelle Pfeiffer), which won the 1999 Academy Award for Best Original Song. One reviewer wrote about the song, which was also recorded and released by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, "the film version of the song will move you in a wholly good way ... singers Sally Dworsky and Michelle Pfeiffer convey the hope and amazement every living Hebrew must have felt at hearing Pharaoh's own emancipation proclamation."

In 1991, she gave her first solo performances, in the Twin Cities and in Los Angeles, and followed this in 1997 with a solo album, Habit Trail. Ten years later, she released a second solo album, Boxes, about which one reviewer said, "Sally Dworsky weaves a delightful blend of contemporary folk and pop". Dworsky has also performed on A Prairie Home Companion.

Dworsky joined the group Uma (Chris Hickey and Andy Kamman) as a back-up singer after they had signed a record deal with producer Don Gehman's label Refuge, an MCA affiliate, and had begun recording, so the album Fare Well (1997) was re-recorded. It got a lot of airplay on KPCC. One reviewer said "the results are appealing harmony-filled folk-rock that could be labeled as Simon and Sally (instead of Garfunkel)", while another commented "the album comes alive only when Sally Dworsky steps up to the mic. Let the girl sing more often."

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