She graduated from Fremont High School and attended San Francisco State University, but left to begin a singing career.

[1] Beretta was a cabaret singer based first in San Francisco,[2] and for most of her career in New York.

"[6] On stage, Beretta appeared in New Faces of 1962, Three Cheers for the Tired Businessman (1963),[7] The Threepenny Opera, Little Mary Sunshine, The Skin of Our Teeth, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1965).

[9] She won an Obie Award for her portrayal of a male character in The Club (1976),[1][10] and she sang a leading role in Doc and Lola (1978), directed by her husband, Rocco Bufano.

[12] She made a return to the microphone in 2006,[13] and recorded a comeback album, Love Life (2006), with pianist Franklin Roosevelt Underwood and bassist John Beal as her accompanists.