Kim Carnes | |
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Kim Carnes with Michael McDonald in 2008
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Background information | |
Also known as | Kim Carnes Ellingson |
Born |
Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
July 20, 1945
Origin | Hollywood, California, U.S. |
Genres | Rock, country, blue-eyed soul |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician |
Instruments | Vocals, Background Vocals, keyboards |
Years active | 1967–present |
Labels |
A&M EMI MCA Sparky Dawg Records |
Associated acts | Kim & Dave, David Cassidy, Gene Cotton, Randy Meisner, Kenny Rogers, USA for Africa, James Ingram, Barbra Streisand, Smokey Robinson, Clarence Clemons, Neil Diamond, Angelo Petraglia, Jeff Bridges, Jeffrey Osborne, Anders Osborn, Matraca Berg, Mariya Takeuchi, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Rod Stewart: Absolutely Live |
Website | Official website |
Notable instruments | |
Acoustic guitar Fender Rhodes Acoustic piano Piano Melodica Keyboard Synthesizer |
Kim Carnes (born July 20, 1945) is a two-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter. Born in Los Angeles, California, Carnes now resides in Nashville, Tennessee, where she continues to write music. She began her career as a songwriter in the 1960s, writing for other artists while performing in local clubs and working as a session background singer with the famed Waters sisters (featured in the documentary, 20 Feet from Stardom). After she signed her first publishing deal with Jimmy Bowen, she released her debut album Rest on Me in 1972.
As a solo artist, Carnes saw some success with her singles "More Love," "Crazy in the Night (Barking at Airplanes)," "Make No Mistake (He's Mine)," with Barbra Streisand, and "I'll Be Here Where the Heart Is." Her most successful single was "Bette Davis Eyes," released in 1981. The song won two Grammy Awards; Song of the Year and Record of the Year, and became the best-selling single of the year in the United States.
Carnes' self-titled debut album primarily contained self-penned songs, including her first charting single "You're a Part of Me", which reached number thirty-five on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in 1975. In the following year, Carnes released Sailin', which featured "Love Comes from Unexpected Places". The song won the American Song Festival and the award for Best Composition at the Tokyo Song Festival in 1976. Other successes as a songwriter include co-writing the number one duet "The Heart Won't Lie" with Donna Weiss, recorded by Vince Gill and Reba McEntire, and co-writing the songs for Kenny Rogers' concept album Gideon (1980).