Linda LaFlamme, Who Co-Wrote ‘White Bird’ for It’s a Beautiful Day, Dies

Linda LaFlamme, who, as a member of the San Francisco band It’s a Beautiful Day, co-wrote their best-known song, “White Bird,” died Oct. 23, 2024, in Harrisonburg, Va. She was 85 and died from vascular dementia, according to a New York Times obituary that cited her daughter, Kira LaFlamme Newman, as its source. LaFlamme, who was with the group from 1967-69, had suffered a stroke in April.

Her full name, according to an official obituary posted online, was Linda Sue Rudman LaFlamme, but she went by her Hebrew name, Neska.

As a member of It’s a Beautiful Day, Linda LaFlamme, who was married at the time to the band’s leader, violinist David LaFlamme, played keyboards. She appeared only on the band’s self-titled debut album, which was released on Columbia Records in 1969. That album led off with the band’s signature song, “White Bird,” which was written by both David and Linda LaFlamme and sung by David with vocalist Pattie Santos.

It’s a Beautiful Day, with Linda LaFlamme seated at left. (Undated and uncredited publicity photo)

According to the It’s a Beautiful Day entry in Wikipedia, “White Bird” was “inspired by the experiences David and Linda LaFlamme had while living in Seattle, Washington. For a few weeks in December 1967 the group members lived in the attic of an old house while playing and rehearsing at a Seattle venue originally known as the Encore Ballroom. The band’s manager, Matthew Katz, had recently assumed control over the club and renamed it ‘San Francisco Sound.’ In an ironic twist on the band’s name, the song was partly inspired by Seattle’s rainy winter weather.”

That same entry quotes David LaFlamme, who died in 2023, as saying, “Where the ‘white bird’ thing came from…We were like caged birds in that attic. We had no money, no transportation, the weather was miserable. We were just barely getting by on a very small food allowance provided to us. It was quite an experience, but it was very creative in a way.”

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The album reached #47 in Billboard in the U.S. The “White Bird” single missed the top 100 but reached #118 in the trade magazine. Its stature as an emblem of the San Francisco psychedelic music scene has grown over the years, however.

Linda LaFlamme in a later photo (from her official obituary)

Linda Sue Rudman was born April 13, 1939, in St. Louis. A classically trained keyboardist, she moved to San Francisco after graduating from the University of Wisconsin in 1961. She met David LaFlamme, who was a classically trained violinist, two years later and the couple formed It’s a Beautiful Day in 1967.

The band’s manager, Matthew Katz, had previously worked with Jefferson Airplane and Moby Grape, whose problematic relationships with him led to protracted legal issues that persisted for years. It’s a Beautiful Day was not immune: According to the Wikipedia entry, “Katz prevented It’s a Beautiful Day from performing in San Francisco, telling them they were not ready.” It continues by noting that the band became “frustrated by Katz’s attempts to manipulate their career. In desperation, they began playing at a few clubs without his approval.” Eventually, “The band first began a long process of trying to disentangle themselves from Katz.”

The band’s debut album was produced by David LaFlamme but by the time it finished its run, Linda LaFlamme had ended both her marriage to David and her involvement with the group. She went on to form two other bands, Titus’ Mother and A Thought in Passing, neither of which received national recognition.

In 1997, a singer formerly named Linda Baker, who had married David LaFlamme, joined the then-current lineup of It’s a Beautiful Day, becoming the group’s second Linda LaFlamme and leading to some confusion in historical accounts. She remains its vocalist today.

Related: Musicians we’ve lost in 2024

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Jeff Tamarkin

Best Classic Bands Editor Jeff Tamarkin has been a prolific music journalist for more than four decades. He is formerly the editor of Goldmine, CMJ and Relix magazines, has written for dozens of other publications and has authored liner notes for more than 80 CDs. Jeff has also served on the Nominating Committee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and as a consultant to the Grammys. His first book was 'Got a Revolution! The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane.' He is also the co-author of 'Shell Shocked: My Life with the Turtles, Flo and Eddie, and Frank Zappa, etc.,' with Howard Kaylan.

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