Karla DeVito (born May 29, 1953) is an American singer, actress and voice artist.
DeVito and her three brothers were raised by their mother Vivienne, who, when not working to support the family, was singing at home. Karla attended Willow Crest Grade School in Mokena, where she was a cheerleader.
Karla attended Lincoln-Way High School in New Lenox, Illinois. Her senior year, Karla appeared in the high school's production of "Brigadoon" and "The Odd Couple". She was also runner-up to the Homecoming Queen.
At Loyola University Chicago, she majored in theatre. During her freshman year, she joined the Chicago cast of "Godspell." In 1971-72 Karla studied with Jo Forsberg at Second City Company in Chicago and was part of the Children's Theatre group, with Bill Murray and many other improvisational actors. In 1973, she was in the cast of the popular play Hair.
She subsequently became a backup singer for Meat Loaf, supporting the Bat out of Hell tour (and also performed lip sync to Ellen Foley's vocals in the music videos). Karla then contributed background vocals for such groups as Blue Öyster Cult and the Sorrows. Later she became a solo performer in her own right and opened for such prominent artists as Hall & Oates and Rick Springfield, as well as headlining solo concerts at New York's The Bottom Line.
In the early days of MTV, Karla was featured on the channel's first New Year's Eve concert and hosted the series Rock Influences. When she sang "Where The Boys Are" on the David Letterman show, Letterman affectionately called Karla "The Sweetheart of Rock and Roll."
In 1981, Karla DeVito released her debut solo album, Is This a Cool World or What? In addition to original material, the album contained covers of three well-known songs: Jim Steinman's "Heaven Can Wait", The Grass Roots' "Midnight Confessions," and John Fogerty's "Almost Saturday Night".
Also in 1981, Karla covered the leading role played by Linda Ronstadt in The Pirates of Penzance on Broadway. She won critical and audience acclaim when she went on for Ronstadt during a press preview, then took over the role when Ronstadt left the show. Former teen heartthrob Robby Benson later joined the company as the romantic lead.
A musician himself, Benson was impressed by Karla's performance. He marveled at her ability to belt out rock tunes and yet effortlessly master the operatic range of Gilbert and Sullivan. Benson fondly recalled a rare moment when Karla's voice broke onstage, and her characteristic reaction: she laughed. Benson and DeVito were married in 1982 and have two children, Lyric and Zephyr Benson.
After becoming a mother, Karla chose to concentrate on her family. Karla's second album, "Wake 'Em Up in Tokyo" - featuring more songs written by Robby and Karla - was released by A&M in 1986. It has not been issued on CD.
One of Robby and Karla's songs, "We Are Not Alone", was prominently featured in the motion picture The Breakfast Club (1985). Another, "Nobody Makes Me Crazy Like You Do", was covered by Diana Ross in her album "Swept Away."
Karla can also be heard in two solo tracks "White Bird" and "Don't Walk Away, Renee" on the album "Desolation Angels Anthem" and a duet, "Gimme The Word", with Paul Anka on one of his later albums.
In 1990, Karla co-starred with Benson in the film Modern Love for which she sang two songs for the soundtrack. That film was also the debut of daughter Lyric Benson.
After Robby voiced the title role in Disney's classic 1991 animated feature "Beauty and the Beast," Karla voiced a role in Disney's popular "Bonkers" animated TV series.
In 2002, Karla sang the part of Elizabeth for the CD recording of Graham Russell's rock opera The Heart of the Rose. In 2004, Robby wrote an acclaimed new musical called "Open Heart" that he has dedicated to, and performed with, Karla. The recording of "Open Heart" is available through iTunes and Amazon.
In 2011, Karla executive produced "Lyric's Love Light Revolution" the debut album of her daughter Lyric Benson. The album was engineered and produced by Robby Benson. In interviews following the release of that album, Robby announced that his next project, after finishing his Medical Memoir "I'm Not Dead... Yet" would be to produce an album to showcase Karla. "Karla 58" is now in production. Robby's memoir was released as a multimedia eBook, featuring his own photographs, slide shows, and songs, including some by Karla. An album of those songs is now available online at CD Baby.
In July of 2012, Karla DeVito and Robby Benson marked their 30th wedding anniversary. The couple lives in Cape Cod, Mass, where both are pursuing creative projects.