Broadway star and recording artist Laurie Beechman grew up in the Philadelphia area, the daughter of a singing restaurant owner and a mother who worked in community theater. She studied drama at New York University, but dropped out after two years and remained in New York singing in a rock band. In 1977, she made her Broadway debut in Annie, also making her recording debut on the cast album, and voiced a character in the children's television movie The Fourth King. She appeared in the film version of the Broadway musical Hair in 1979 and was on the soundtrack album. In 1980, h...