Karen Carroll (born January 30, 1958, Chicago, Illinois, United States) is an American Chicago blues singer.[1] She was born to parents Mack Carroll and Alberta Simmons Carroll (stage name: Jeanne Carroll).[2] Her godparents were the jazz guitarist George Freeman and blues vocalist Bonnie Lee.[1]
Carroll started singing in church at the age of six.[3] Her first appearance was on stage playing guitar with her mother's band at age 14.[4] Early in her career she worked with Katie Webster and Albert King.[5] She recorded her first song with Carey Bell on his album, Son of a Gun in 1983.[6] Carroll went on to tour with Eddie Lusk in Canada, after recording his album Professor Strut in 1989.[7] She went on to play at some big Chicago blues clubs. In 1995, Carroll worked on an album with five other female blues artists called Women of Blue Chicago,[8] and it is still being played on the radio today.[9] She was offered her own recording contract by Delmark Records in 1995, subsequently making the album Had My Fun.[10] This was followed by another recording, Talk to the Hand in 1997. Some of the tracks on the album Carroll wrote and holds copyright for.[11]
Over the years she has worked with many Chicago blues musicians such as Carey and Lurrie Bell, Rudy Rotta, Otis Grand, Angela Brown, Billy Branch, Melvin Taylor, Eddy Clearwater, Lonnie Brooks, Alvin Lee, Byther Smith and Sugar Blue.[12]
In 2008, she released Be My Guest! on Indigoteam Records.[1]