Jennie’s Review

Darlene Koldenhoven has certainly lived a fascinating and accomplished life, and this memoir chronicles her many experiences in impressive detail. From her professional achievements to the personal moments that shaped her journey, readers are given a comprehensive look at a life filled with creativity, determination, and opportunity.

While I admired everything Koldenhoven has accomplished, I found myself wishing for a deeper emotional connection to some of the stories. The memoir leans heavily into recounting events and experiences, and as a reader, I tend to gravitate toward memoirs that spend more time exploring the feelings, motivations, and personal reflections behind those moments.

That said, readers who enjoy detailed life stories, behind-the-scenes accounts of a successful career, and firsthand recollections of a wide range of experiences will likely find much to appreciate here. Also, the sprinkling of famous names adds to the book’s entertainment. Koldenhoven’s life has been anything but ordinary, and her memoir serves as a thorough record of the many paths her journey has taken.

To Pre-Order this book, CLICK HERE – Release Date August 7, 2026

Book Summary

Music gave her a life she could never have imagined.

Put Your Dress Down and Sing is the inspiring and often hilarious story of Darlene Koldenhoven, globally known as the tambourine-waving choir nun in both “Sister Act” movies with Whoopi Goldberg and as the featured soprano soloist in “Yanni, Live at the Acropolis,” a most popular PBS-TV Special and video which ranked #2 on the Billboard Charts for years. We follow her journey as she overcomes many obstacles growing up in a strict, repressive, Dutch Calvinist household on the South Side of Chicago to finding her freedom creating and maintaining a 40+-year career as an independent vocal artist in the Hollywood entertainment industry, proving that with persistence, determination, and hard work, dreams can come true — she won a GRAMMY® Award just a few years after she arrived in Los Angeles. This memoir includes insider stories of her work with A-List celebrities as a studio singer for the likes of Pink Floyd and stage background singer for Paul McCartney, who kissed her on the cheek onstage at the Hollywood Bowl. (Nothing could have prepared her for That!) Mid-career, she made her way to the front of the stage as a successful indie artist herself on the Billboard Charts at #4 and #8 in 2021. The book contains a selection of the 300 career pictures shown on the author’s website of the book and listening links to the music mentioned in the book. There is a companion solo piano album by the author titled “A Grand Memoir,” of music inspired by and during the writing of this book.

About the Author

GRAMMY® Award winner and 3-time nominee Darlene Koldenhoven, M.M.V., B.M.Ed., Indie Hall of Fame inductee, and Top Ten Billboard charting artist, has sung on more than 1,000 recordings for film, television, and albums. She has worked with a plethora of top celebrities, and as a solo artist herself, has several number-one albums on the radio charts. Primarily a vocalist, Darlene is also an actor, pianist, composer, lyricist, sonic therapist, voice teacher, and the author of Tune Your Voice: Singing and Your Mind’s Musical Ear.