Paulette Carlson

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Paulette Carlson promotional photo from her new album “It’s About Time”.

Paulette Carlson (born October 11, 1952 in Northfield, Minnesota), is a country singer who rose to fame as the lead vocalist for the country band Highway 101. Paulette begin singing in bars in her hometown and later moved to Nashville where she found work as a songwriter for the Oak Ridge Boys’ Silverline Publishing Company. Her songs have been recorded by Gail Davies and Tammy Wynette, and she also sang backup vocals for Davies. In 1983, she signed a solo recording contract with RCA Records and recorded her self-titled debut album. Three singles were also released in 1983 and 1984, “You Gotta Get To My Heart (Before You Lay A Hand On Me)”, “Can You Fool” and “I’d Say Yes".

With the help of manager Chuck Morris, she helped put together Highway 101 in 1986. The following year they signed a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records and released their self-titled debut album, Highway 101. They also charted three Top 10 singles, “The Bed You Made For Me”, “Whiskey, If You Were A Woman” and “Somewhere Tonight”, which became their first #1 single. “Cry, Cry, Cry”(#1) followed in early 1988 and was also their first music video.

In 1988, Highway 101 won their first ACM and CMA awards for Vocal Group of the Year. They also released their second album, Highway 101² and charted their third #1 single, “Just Say Yes”. Follow up singles “All the Reasons Why”, “Setting Me Up” (a Dire Straits song) and “Honky Tonk Heart” all charted in 1988 and 1989 in the Top 10. Paulette also contributed a track to Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. 2 album.

Highway 101 won their second ACM and CMA awards for Vocal Group of the Year in 1989. In the fall, Paint The Town, their third album was released. “Who’s Lonely Now”, the first single off the album, went to #1 and became their third music video. “This Side of Goodbye” and “Walkin’, Talkin’, Cryin’ Barely Beatin’ Broken Heart” followed. Greatest Hits was released along with their 12th single “Someone Else’s Trouble Now” in 1990, that winter Paulette announced her plans to depart Highway 101 in order to pursue her solo career. In 1989, she married Randy Smith and in the summer of 1991, she gave birth to their daughter Cali.

She signed with Capitol Nashville and released Love Goes On in November 1991. Her first single “I’ll Start With You” charted into the Top 20. “Not With My Heart You Don’t” and “The Chain Just Broke” were released as singles in 1992. She was also nominated for New Female Vocalist at the 1992 ACM Awards, the award went to Trisha Yearwood. Christmas Is For You, her Christmas album was released in 1993.

Marking Highway 101's 10th year anniversary, Paulette reunited with two original members and briefly called themselves Paulette Carlson & Highway 101. They released two albums Reunited and Latest & Greatest on the independent Intersound/Willow Tree Records. She would once again leave Highway 101. In the fall of 2004, Paulette wrote “Thank You Vets!”, a song inspired by her brother, who was a Vietnam Vet. She released It's About Time in the fall of 2005.