Paulette Carlson
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Paulette Carlson (b. October 11, 1952, Northfield, Minnesota) is a country singer-songwriter who rose to fame in the 1980s as the lead vocalist for the country band Highway 101. Her songs have been recorded by Gail Davies and Tammy Wynette, and she also sang backup vocals for Davies.
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[edit] Biography
Paulette began singing in bars in her Minnesota hometown and later moved to Nashville where she found work as a songwriter for the Oak Ridge Boys’ Silverline Publishing Company.
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".
[edit] Highway 101
With the help of her 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", also reaching #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.
Highway 101 won their second ACM and CMA awards for Vocal Group of the Year in 1989. In the fall, their third album, Paint The Town, 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.
In 1989 Carlson contributed a track to the Country Music Association's Album of the Year by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. 2.
On television she performed that song on a 1990 Austin City Limits special episode celebrating the album. [1] In 1990 Highway 101's Greatest Hits was released along with their 12th single, "Someone Else’s Trouble Now".
[edit] Departure from Highway 101
In 1990 Carlson announced her plans to depart Highway 101 in order to once again pursue her solo career. [2]
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 30. "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 Carlson reunited with two original members and briefly called themselves Paulette Carlson & Highway 101. They released two albums Reunited and Latest & Greatest on the independent label, Intersound/Willow Tree Records. Carlson split again from Highway 101.
[edit] Present
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.
[edit] Personal life
In 1989, Paulette married Randy Smith and in the summer of 1991 she gave birth to their daughter, Cali.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Paulette Carlson (1983)
- Love Goes On (1991)
- Christmas Is For You (1993)
- It's About Time (2005)
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | US Country | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | "You Gotta Get to My Heart (Before You Lay a Hand on Me)" | Paulette Carlson | |
| 1984 | "Can You Fool" | 72 | |
| "I'd Say Yes" | |||
| 1991 | "I'll Start With You" | 21 | Love Goes On |
| 1992 | "Not With My Heart You Don't" | 68 | |
| "The Chain Just Broke" | |||
| 2005 | "Thank You Vets" | It's About Time | |
| 2006 | "I Knew a Good Thing When I Had it" | ||
| "That Old Glass Case" |
[edit] References
- ^ Will The Circle Be Unbroken” with The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, John Denver and Friends, Austin City Limits, 1990
- ^ Spotlight on Paulette Carson (sic), Thanks for the Music, Country Music News, 2006
