Diane Hildebrand

Diane Hildebrand (April 13, 1945 - February 19, 2025) was an American pop singer-songwriter. She wrote for several musicians during the 1960s and 1970s, but is most notable for her work with Screen Gems Music Publishing, penning material for the band the Monkees. In 1969, Hildebrand recorded her debut studio album, Early Morning Blues and Greens. She later released two additional albums under the name Joya Diane Skye.

Biography Hildebrand was born in Roswell, New Mexico in 1945. She began a songwriting career at age 13 while living in São Paulo, Brazil. One of her earliest compositions, "I'm on My Way", was performed by Barbara Dane on an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour in 1963. The following year, Hildebrand penned the debut single, "He Walks Like a Man", for American country singer Jody Miller—a modest U.S. hit, reaching #66 on the Billboard Chart February 1964. The song was subsequently covered by French, Italian, and German artists.

In the mid-1960s, Hildebrand became a staff writer for Screen Gems, a publication company that supplied many of the songs recorded by the NBC television band the Monkees. For the group's second studio album, More of the Monkees, Hildebrand collaborated with veteran songwriter Jack Keller to write "Your Auntie Grizelda". The songwriting duo also wrote "Early Morning Blues and Greens" for the Monkees' 1967 album Headquarters, and the theme music for another ABC series, The Flying Nun. Without Keller, Hildebrand contributed lyrics to the B-side of the Monkees' chart-topping hit "Daydream Believer", titled "Goin' Down".

In 1967, Hildebrand negotiated a one-album deal with Elektra Records to be produced by David Anderle. She wrote half of the material on the album, titled Early Morning Blues and Greens, but also worked with Keller (on two tracks, including a reprise of the title track), Monkees saxophone player Jim Horn, Don Lottermoser, and bassist Colin Cameron. After co-writing the theme for The Ghost Busters with Jackie Mills, in 1975, Hildebrand's songwriting activities declined. In 2006, Collector's Choice Music reissued Early Morning Blues and Greens. In 2017 American Windsong Music released a fourth album for Skye titled “Long Time Comin’.” In 2019 the label released a “Live” album of Skye performing many of her earlier hits and other work titled “Live at the Circle of Light” both albums are available from Americanwindsongmusic.com or can be heard on most streaming platforms.