Carlene Carter
(born Rebecca Carlene Smith
; September 26, 1955) is an American country singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of June Carter and her first husband, Carl Smith.
Between 1978 and the present, Carter has recorded twelve albums, primarily on major labels. In the same timespan, she has released more than twenty singles, including three #3-peaking hits on the Billboard
Hot Country Songs charts.
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CARLENE CARTER TICKETS
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Career
In 1987, Carlene Carter joined with the singing trio
The Carter Sisters, consisting of her mother June Carter Cash and June's sisters
Helen and
Anita Carter in a revived version of The
Carter Family, and were featured on a 1987 television episode of
Austin City Limits along with Carlene's stepfather
Johnny Cash.
[1]
Her solo recording career had begun in the late 1970s with her eponymous debut album. In 1977, during a concert at
New York's
Bottom Line, she introduced a song by stating, "If this song don't put the
cunt back in country, I don't know what will." The comment was quoted widely in the press, and Carter spent much of the next decade trying to live the comment down.
[2] It was with 1990's
I Fell in Love
that Carter's career really took off, with the album and title song topping the US country albums and singles charts, respectively. Following a stint in the
UK and in the run-up to her divorce from the English singer-songwriter
Nick Lowe, Carter had returned to
America, where in 1988 she met musician
Howie Epstein. Epstein helped Carter get her career back on track, producing
I Fell in Love
and co-authoring its title track with longtime collaborator, Milwaukee writer
Perry M. Lamek. In 1991, the song 'I Fell In Love' earned a
Grammy nomination for
Best Female Country Vocal Performance
. The album, which featured straight-ahead, retro-sounding country unlike her prior work which had combined country, rock and roll and pop sounds, was among the first successes of the 1990s "neotraditionalist" movement in country.
Three years later, Epstein produced Carter's follow-up CD
Little Love Letters
, which featured the hit "Every Little Thing", which was accompanied by one of the top-rated music videos of the year. Epstein and Carter were engaged in the mid to late 1990s, but never married.
Carter provided the voice of "Red" in the 1994
Williams pinball machine,
Red & Ted's Road Show, designed by
Pat Lawlor. A clip of Carter's hit, "Every Little Thing," is played after the player scores a jackpot. A picture of Carter appears in the game's backglass artwork.
Carter had a
cameo appearance in the 1994 film
Maverick
. She played a waitress on the gambling casino ship run by Commodore Duvall (
James Coburn).
In 1995 Carter's
Little Acts of Treason
was critically well received but failed to achieve the commercial success of Carter's two previous releases. In 1996, Carter released
Hindsight 20/20
, a greatest hits album but it too failed to achieve success.
She also found limited amounts of fame with the song "It Takes One to Know Me," which was released on the albums
Johnny Cash: The Legend
and
Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash: Duets
. Originally recorded in 1977 with a full string backing group, it was lost in a tape collection in Hendersonville and uncovered in 2003. It was then remastered by her brother
John Carter Cash. In the remastered version John added his and his wife Laura's (her sister-in-law) backing vocals and a guest appearance from Carlene herself—more than 25 years after she wrote and recorded the song.
In 2001, a
New Mexico police officer pulled over Carter and
Epstein. A search of the vehicle revealed that it was stolen and drugs were found.
[3]
She was played by Victoria Hester in the movie
Walk the Line
.
On August 8, 2009, Carlene Carter played a live acoustic set at Hecksher Park in Huntington, NY. During the performance, she stated that it was the first time in more than 30 years that she performed by herself. During her hour-long set, she played the title track from her latest release, "Stronger," and said it was written in memory of her younger sister, who passed away 6 years ago. The track was performed on the piano and brought Carter to tears. Her younger sister is also mentioned in her track "Wildwood Rose." She ended the set playing "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" with the opening band "The Homegrown String Band" a family band from the area. She said it brought back memories of playing with her own family.
Personal life
Carlene Carter has been married four times:
- Joseph Simpkins Jr. (1971-1972)
- *One child Tiffany Anastasia Lowe (b. February 23, 1972)
- Jack Wesley Routh (1974-1977)
- *One child John Jackson Routh (b. January 15, 1976)
- Nick Lowe (1979-1990)
- Joseph Breen (2006- )
Carter was for many years linked romantically with the late bass player
Howie Epstein, best known for his work with
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
[4]
Discography
Studio albums
Year
| Album details
| Peak chart positions
| Certifications (sales thresholds)
|
US Country
| US
| CAN Country
| CAN
|
1978
| Carlene Carter
- Released: 1978
- Label: Warner Bros. Records
| —
| —
| —
| —
|
|
1979
| Two Sides to Every Woman
- Released: 1979
- Label: Warner Bros. Records
| —
| —
| —
| —
|
|
1980
| Musical Shapes
- Released: 1980
- Label: Warner Bros. Records
| —
| 139
| —
| —
|
|
1981
| Blue Nun
- Released: 1981
- Label: Warner Bros. Records
| —
| —
| —
| —
|
|
1983
| C'est C Bon
- Released: 1983
- Label: Epic Records
| —
| —
| —
| —
|
|
1990
| I Fell in Love
- Released: August 13, 1990
- Label: Reprise Records
| 19
| —
| —
| —
|
|
1993
| Little Love Letters
- Released: June 22, 1993
- Label: Giant Records
| 35
| 196
| 2
| 45
|
|
1995
| Little Acts of Treason
- Released: August 8, 1995
- Label: Giant Records
| 65
| —
| 18
| —
|
|
2008
| Stronger
- Released: March 4, 2008
- Label: Yep Roc Records
| 69
| —
| —
| —
|
|
Compilations and live albums
Year
| Album details
|
1994
| Hurricane: Live at the Crazy Horse
- Released: 1994
- Label: RSM
|
1996
| Hindsight 20/20
- Released: September 10, 1996
- Label: Giant
|
2007
| The Platinum Collection
- Released: August 6, 2007
- Label: WEA International
|
Singles
Year
| Single
| Peak chart positions
| Album
|
US Country
| US
| CAN Country
|
1978
| "Never Together (But Close Sometimes)"
| —
| —
| —
| Carlene Carter
|
"Love Is Gone"
| —
| —
| —
|
1979
| "Do It in a Heartbeat"
| 42
| 108
| 56
| Two Sides to Every Woman
|
"Old Photographs"
| —
| —
| —
|
1980
| "Baby Ride Easy" (with Dave Edmunds)
| 76
| —
| —
| Musical Shapes
|
"Ring of Fire"
| —
| —
| —
|
1981
| "Oh How Happy" (with Paul Carrack)
| —
| —
| —
| Blue Nun
|
"Do Me Lover" (with Paul Carrack)
| —
| —
| —
|
1983
| "Heart to Heart"
| —
| —
| —
| C'est C Bon
|
1990
| "I Fell in Love"
| 3
| —
| 3
| I Fell in Love
|
"Come on Back"
| 3
| —
| 2
|
1991
| "The Sweetest Thing"
| 25
| —
| 8
|
"One Love"
| 33
| —
| 17
|
1993
| "Every Little Thing"
| 3
| —
| 3
| Little Love Letters
|
"Unbreakable Heart"
| 51
| —
| 34
|
1994
| "I Love You 'Cause I Want To"
| 50
| —
| 20
|
"Sweet Meant to Be"
| —
| —
| —
|
"Something Already Gone"
| 43
| —
| 44
| Maverick
(soundtrack)
|
1995
| "Love Like This"
| 70
| —
| 54
| Little Acts of Treason
|
"Hurricane"
| 75
| —
| —
|
1996
| "He Will Be Mine"
| —
| —
| 84
|
2008
| "Bring Love"
| —
| —
| —
| Stronger
|
Guest singles
Year
| Single
| Artist
| Peak chart positions
| Album
|
US Country
| US
| CAN Country
|
1983
| "I Couldn't Say No"
| Robert Ellis Orrall
| —
| 32
| —
| Special Pain
|
1989
| "Time's Up"
| Southern Pacific
| 26
| —
| 19
| County Line
|
Other charted songs
Year
| Single
| Chart positions
| Album
|
US Country
|
1995
| "Rockin' Little Christmas"
| 66
| A Giant Country Christmas, Vol. 1
|