Linda Tillery first came to prominence as the lead singer in San Francisco group The Loading Zone from 1968 to 1969. She recorded her debut album for CBS Records, and worked as a studio musician through much of the 1970s, playing drums on albums by Santana, Mary Watkins, and Teresa Trull. She became a producer and staff artist at Olivia Records late in the decade, and released a second full-length album on the label in 1978.
Tillery’s association with Olivia Records led her into the genre of women’s music; she has collaborated with June Millington, Deirdre McCalla, Barbara Higbie, Holly Near, and Margie Adam, as well as with pop musicians like Kenny Loggins, Huey Lewis, and Bobby McFerrin.
She produced the music for the documentary film “A Question of Color”, and created and performed the music for the dance, Invisible Wings, with choreographer Joanna Haigood.
In the 1990s, she began exploring African music, forming the group Cultural Heritage Choir. She also plays with her own band Skin Tight, a jazz/blues outfit.