Kristen Vigard

Kristen Vigard (born May 15, 1963) is an American actress and singer. She is known for being the first actress to play the title role in Annie in its pre-Broadway run and for her two-year run as Morgan Richards on Guiding Light (1980–81). She also had a two-year run on One Life to Live (1984–85). She has appeared in two feature films, The Black Stallion and The Survivors (1983), and had roles in two TV movies, Home to Stay (1978) and License to Kill (1984), as well as guest appearances on three TV series.

Kristen Vigard released her eponymous debut album in 1988. She recorded and toured as a backup singer with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Fishbone in the late 1980s and early 1990s, appearing on RHCP's Mother's Milk (1989) and One Hot Minute (1995) and Fishbone's The Reality of My Surroundings (1991) and Give a Monkey a Brain (1993).

Vigard sang the lead vocals for Illeana Douglas for the 1996 film Grace of My Heart, including "God Give Me Strength", which was nominated for Best Original Song at the 1st Golden Satellite Awards.

She released her second album, God, Loves and Angels in 2004. More recently, she was a founding member of the downtempo acoustic rock band New White Trash, which released three albums between 2011 and 2014.

Early life and education Vigard was born on May 15, 1963, in St. Paul, Minnesota, the daughter of actress Mallory Millett Danaher and Ronald Vigard, who worked for 3M. In the late 1960s, she moved with her family to New York City where she made her acting debut at the age of 6.

Music Vigard then pursued a music career, initially singing solo in Paris subway stations before joining the underground music scene in Los Angeles. In the late 1980s and early 1990s she recorded and toured as a backup singer with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Fishbone, appearing on the former's Mother's Milk (1989) and One Hot Minute (1995) and Fishbone's The Reality of My Surroundings (1991) and Give a Monkey a Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe (1993).

In 1988, she released her eponymous debut album on the Private Music label. It was chosen as one of the top 100 albums of the year by Playboy and reached the Billboard Top 30. Reviewer Tim Marklein of The Stanford Daily gave the album an "A+" and compared her to Paul Simon, writing that "Twenty-six year old Kristen Vigard may look young, but her debut album shows that she has as much experience merging different forms of music as Paul Simon."

In 1996, she sang the lead vocals for Illeana Douglas for the film Grace of My Heart. Vigard's second album, God, Loves and Angels, released in 2004, includes Vigard's performance of "God Give Me Strength", which was not included on the soundtrack CD.

New White Trash From 2009 through 2013, Vigard was a member of the band New White Trash, a downtempo acoustic rock band. Vigard was a founding member, along with Michael C. Ruppert, drummer Andy Kravitz, and guitarist Doug Lewis. The band released two albums, Doublewide (2011) and Age of Authority (2013). Following Ruppert's suicide in 2014, the band announced its intention to release a tribute album. Beyond the Rubicon was released on December 11, 2014.

Personal life Vigard lives with her husband and her daughter in Taos, New Mexico, where she has appeared in local plays.

In popular culture Vigard's short-lived role as Annie is mentioned in the 2008 film Phoebe in Wonderland.

Selected discography

With Red Hot Chili Peppers

With Fishbone

With New White Trash

Music videos

Other credits