Kim Carnes

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Kim Carnes

Kim Carnes (born July 20, 1945 in Los Angeles, California) is an American singer-songwriter. She is noted for her distinctive, raspy voice which she attributes to many hours spent singing in smoky bars and clubs.

Carnes was a member of New Christy Minstrels in 1967. Kenny Rogers was also a member, and during this time Carnes met and married Dave Ellingson, with whom she would write most of her songs. For a short while in the early 1970s, she and Ellingson formed the folk duo Kim and Dave, which was not successful. She began releasing albums during the early 1970s. Her self-titled album in 1975 contained her first hit, "You're A Part Of Me," a duet with Gene Cotton (and a cover of a minor hit for Canadian singer Susan Jacks earlier that year) that went to #36 on the charts. This album was followed in 1976 with Sailin'. One track, "Love Comes From Unexpected Places," won best song at the 1977 American Song Festival and gained some additional notice after it was recorded by Barbra Streisand on her 1977 album Streisand Superman.

In 1980, a duet with Kenny Rogers titled "Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer" became a major hit on the country and western charts and also became a pop hit. Her cover version of the Smokey Robinson & The Miracles song "More Love" became her first solo hit single in 1980 when it reached the U.S. Top 10.

In 1981, she recorded the Jackie DeShannon and Donna Weiss song "Bette Davis Eyes". As the first single released from the album Mistaken Identity, it spent 9 weeks at number one on the US singles charts and became a worldwide hit. The single went on to become the #1 bestseller for the year and won Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Record of the Year. It is second only to Olivia Newton-John's "Physical" (released later in 1981 and late enough to be the number one single of 1982), which spent 10 weeks at number one, as the biggest hit of the entire decade of the 1980s. Carnes was one of the singers invited to perform on USA for Africa's 1985 famine relief fundraising single We Are the World and can be heard singing the last line of the song's bridge with Huey Lewis and Cyndi Lauper.

Ironically, Carnes' best known and most popular song, "Bette Davis Eyes", written in 1974, was originally rejected by Carnes. It was only after a new instrumental arrangement was done by Bill Cuomo that Carnes agreed to record the song and it became a huge hit. Bette Davis admitted to being a fan of the song and approached Carnes and the songwriters to thank them. Davis wrote to Carnes after the song was released and stated that she was very pleased with the song as it made her seem very up-to-date with her grandson. She had Carnes sing the song live for her at a tribute held just before her death.

Carnes continued to record and released several albums into the 1990s. Carnes had mild success with the following songs "Draw Of The Cards" No. 28 in 1981, "Voyeur" a No. 29 pop hit in 1982 and "Crazy in the Night (Barking at Airplanes)" at No. 15 in 1985, which was her last song to hit the US Top 20.

These releases failed to reach the level of success of "Bette Davis Eyes", but by this time she was a highly respected songwriter, and collaborated with such artists as Barbra Streisand. Carnes has written three number one country songs: "The Heart Won’t Lie", a hit duet for Reba McEntire and Vince Gill, "Don’t Fall In Love With A Dreamer", a huge hit duet she performed with Kenny Rogers, and "Make No Mistake She’s Mine", a duet performed by Kenny Rogers and Ronnie Milsap. The latter song was originally "Make No Mistake, He's Mine," a No. 51 Pop hit in 1984 for Carnes and Streisand featured on Streisand's album Emotion. Also in 1984, Carnes sang on the No. 1 Adult Contemporary hit "What About Me?" with Rogers and James Ingram.

Co-writing with others, Carnes has had songs covered by such country stars as Deana Carter, Kevin Sharp, Sawyer Brown, Suzy Bogguss, Pam Tillis and Tanya Tucker. She wrote "You Don't Love Me Anymore," a hit song on Tim McGraw's album A Place In The Sun.

In 1982, 1983 and 1984, Kim Carnes was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance (Female) Grammy for "Bette Davis Eyes"(Which she won), "Voyeur" and "Invisible Hands" respectfully.

In 1983, Kim's song "I'll Be Here Where The Heart Is" was included on the "Flashdance" soundtrack which received a Grammy for Best Album Of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture at 26th Annual Grammy Awards.

In 2004, she re-appeared with a self-released album Chasin' Wild Trains.

She currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee with husband Dave Ellingson. She has 2 sons, Collin and Ry.

Her son Ry is named after musican Ry Cooder, who guests on the song "Rough Edges" on the album "Barking At Airplanes" Son, Collin, is featured in the beginning of the song "Crazy in the Night"

Kim is hinted at in the Tori Amos song "Glory of the 80's" It says, "In the glories of the 80's, I may not have to die. I'll clone myself like that blonde chick that sings Bette Davis Eyes"

[edit] Discography

Rest on Me (1972)
Kim Carnes (1975)
Sailin' (1976)
St Vincent's Court (1979)
Romance Dance (1980) US #57
Mistaken Identity (1981) US #1
Voyeur (1982) US #49
Cafe Racers (1983) US #97
Barking at Airplanes (1985) US #48
Light House (1986) US #116
View from the House (1988)
Checking Out The Ghosts (1991)
Chasin' Wild Trains' (2004))

[edit] Hits charted on Billboard magazine

01. "You're A Part Of Me" (solo version)- Adult Contemporary #32 (1976)
02. "You're A Part Of Me" (duet with Gene Cotton)- Adult Contemporary #6, Pop Singles #36, Country Singles #99 (1978)
03. "It Hurts So Bad" - Pop Singles #56 (1979)
04. "Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer" (with Kenny Rogers)- Adult Contemporary #2, Pop Singles #4, Country Singles #3 (1980)
05. "More Love" - Pop Singles #10, Adult Contemporary #6 (1980)
06. "Cry Like A Baby" - Pop Singles #44 (1980)
07. "Bette Davis Eyes" - Pop Singles #1, Adult Contemporary #15, Mainstream Rock #5 (1981)
08. "Draw Of The Cards" - Pop Singles #28 (1981)
09. "Mistaken Identity" - Pop Singles #60 (1981)
10. "Break The Rules Tonite" - Mainstream Rock #46 (1981)
11. "Voyeur" - Pop Singles #29, Club Play Singles #52 (1982)
12. "Does It Make You Remember" - Pop Singles #36 (1982)
13. "Invisible Hands" - Pop Singles #40, The Billboard Hot 100 #40 (1983), (1983), The Billboard Hot 100 #97 (1984)
14. "You Make My Heart Beat Faster" - Hot Dance Music/Club Play #15 (1984), The Billboard Hot 100 #54 (1984)
15. "I Pretend" - The Billboard Hot 100 #74 (1984), Adult Contemporary #9 (1984)
16. "Hurricane" - Hot Dance Music/Club Play #16 (1984)
17. "What About Me" (with Kenny Rogers and James Ingram)- The Billboard Hot 100 #15, Adult Contemporary #1, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks #57, Hot Country Singles & Tracks #70 (1984)
18. "Make No Mistake, He's Mine" (duet with Barbra Streisand)- Adult Contemporary # 8, The Billboard Hot 100 #51 (1984)
19. "Invitation To Dance" - Hot Dance Music/Club Play #13, Hot Dance Music /Maxi-Singles #13, The Billboard Hot 100 #68 (1985)
20. "Crazy In The Night" - The Billboard Hot 100 #15, Hot Dance Music/Club Play #24 (1985)
21. "Abadabadango" - The Billboard Hot 100 #67 (1985)
22. "Divided Hearts" - The Billboard Hot 100 #79 (1986)
23. "Speed Of The Sound Of Loliness" - Hot Country Singles & Tracks #70 (1988)
24. "Crazy In Love" - Adult Contemporary #13, Hot Country Singles & Tracks #68 (1988)
25. "Hooked On The Memory Of You" (duet with Neil Diamond)- Adult Contemporary #23 (1992)

[edit] External link

Kim Carnes - Official Web Site

Persondata
NAME	Carnes, Kim
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	American singer and songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH	July 20, 1945
PLACE OF BIRTH	Los Angeles, California
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH