POTOMAC, Md. — On a Friday evening in March, 10 studio musicians, most from Nashville, were tightly clustered in a living room here, tuning their instruments and waiting for Lynda Carter, the actress best known for playing Wonder Woman in the 1970s TV series of the same name.

After a few minutes, Ms. Carter entered the room, huddled with her band and apologized for the delay. She explained that she had just gotten off the phone with Representative Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader, and her husband, Paul.

“They called to say congratulations on the new album and they’re sorry they can’t be with us this time around,” said Ms. Carter, 66, wearing not leotard, high red boots and gold cuffs but a navy blazer, black pants and slip-on sneakers, her hair in a high ponytail, earlobes dripping with diamonds. “They’re at the Houston rodeo with the family. Isn’t that nice?”

For over three decades, this onetime beauty queen turned actress and singer has cut a glamorous figure in this well-heeled suburb of Washington, D.C. The following evening, Ms. Carter and her band would be performing at the Kennedy Center, after which they were hitting the road for a brief tour, stopping in Los Angeles, New York and Nashville to celebrate the release of her fourth studio album, “Red Rock n’ Blues.”