Kim Carnes | |
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 Carnes performing in 1981 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1945-07-20)July 20, 1945 (age 80) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Works | Kim Carnes discography |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Labels |
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| Website | kimcarnes |
Kim Carnes (/kɑːrnz/; born July 20, 1945) is an American singer and songwriter best known for her smash 1981 hit single, "Bette Davis Eyes". She embarked on a solo career as a songwriter and performer in the early 1970s and also worked for several years as a session background singer with the famed Waters Sisters,Maxine Waters Willard andJulia Waters Tillman, who were later featured in the acclaimed 2013 documentary20 Feet from Stardom. In 1971, Carnes released her debut album,Rest on Me. Released in 1975, Carnes'self-titled second album included her first charting single, "You're a Part of Me", which reached No. 32 on theBillboardAdult Contemporary chart. The following year, Carnes releasedSailin', 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.
In her breakthrough year, 1980, Carnes and her husband, David Ellingson, were commissioned byKenny Rogers to co-write the songs for his concept albumGideon. Her duet with Rogers, "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer", hit No. 4 on theBillboard Hot 100 and earned the duo aGrammy Award nomination. Later that year, Carnes' cover ofSmokey Robinson's "More Love", from her fifth album,Romance Dance, hit No. 10. In 1981, Carnes releasedMistaken Identity, which featured the chart-topping "Bette Davis Eyes". A worldwide hit, it became the best-selling single of the year in the United States. "Bette Davis Eyes" spent nine weeks at No. 1 on theBillboard Hot 100, wentGold, and won the Grammy Award forRecord of the Year and theSong of the Year.Mistaken Identity reached No. 1 on theBillboard 200, was certifiedPlatinum, and was nominated for theGrammy Award for Album of the Year.
Carnes also had success with the singles "Draw of the Cards", "Crazy in the Night (Barking at Airplanes)", "Make No Mistake, He's Mine" withBarbra Streisand, "What About Me?" featuring Kenny Rogers andJames Ingram, and the Grammy Award-nominated singles "Voyeur" and "Invisible Hands". Her successes as a songwriter include co-writing the No. 1 duet "The Heart Won't Lie" withDonna Weiss; it was recorded byVince Gill andReba McEntire and was released on McEntire's 1993 albumIt's Your Call. Her most recent studio album isChasin' Wild Trains (2004).
Kim Carnes was born on July 20, 1945, in Los Angeles.[3][4][5] Her father, James Raymond Carnes,[6] was an attorney and her mother was a hospital administrator.[7] Kim Carnes knew she would be a singer and songwriter from the age of three, despite the fact that she was not born into a musical family. "My mother didn't get my career, and my father, who was an attorney, didn't think singing and writing was even a job."[7]
Kim Carnes signed her first publishing deal with producerJimmy Bowen. During this period, she shared demo-recording time with Bowen's other writers, includingDon Henley,Glenn Frey, andJD Souther. Carnes also sang "Nobody Knows", written byMike Settle, which was featured prominently in the 1971 filmVanishing Point.[8] The film also featured Carnes' first cut as a songwriter, "Sing Out for Jesus", which was recorded byWillie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton.[9] After signing withAmos Records, her first solo albumRest on Me was released in 1971. It was produced byJimmy Bowen.
In the early 1970s, Carnes and husband Dave Ellingson co-wrote several songs withDavid Cassidy, who was then at the peak of his career as an international idol. Carnes and Ellingson toured the world with Cassidy as an opening act. Cassidy's albumsRock Me Baby,Dreams are Nuthin' More than Wishes, andCassidy Live! include several songs penned by Carnes along with Ellingson and Cassidy. Carnes also provided backing vocals for these albums.
In 1975, Carnes released her self-titled second album onA&M Records, and her first chart hit, "You're a Part of Me", written by Carnes, reached No. 32 on the US Adult Contemporary chart.[3] Also recorded by bothRita Coolidge andAnne Murray, Carnes re-recorded this track withGene Cotton three years later. The majority of tracks on this second album were written by Carnes and Ellingson.
Her third albumSailin' was produced byJerry Wexler and released in 1976. One track, "Love Comes from Unexpected Places", won Grand Prize at the 1976 American Song Festival. The song also earned the award for Best Composition at the Tokyo Song Festival. It gained additional notice after it was recorded byBarbra Streisand on her 1977 albumSuperman. Streisand also recorded Carnes's "Stay Away" on her 1978 albumSongbird. In spite of Streisand's endorsement of her material, Carnes's own Top 40 breakthrough did not occur until 1978 whenGene Cotton recruited her to record a duet version of "You're a Part of Me", which reached No. 36 on theBillboard Hot 100.[10]
In 1979, using the pseudonym "Connie con Carne", Carnes recorded a song titled "She Dances with Meat", written by herself and Dave Ellingson. The song was also recorded by country comedy duoPinkard & Bowden on their 1989 live album.[11][12]
In 1980, her duet withKenny Rogers "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer" became a major hit on the Pop (No. 4), Country (No. 3) and Adult Contemporary (No. 2) charts.[3] The song was culled from Rogers'concept albumGideon, written entirely by Carnes and her husband Dave Ellingson. Later that year, her cover version of theSmokey Robinson & The Miracles song "More Love" became her first solo top-10 hit (number 10 in the pop charts and number six in the Adult Contemporary charts).[3] Robinson was, indeed, so impressed with Carnes's recording and success with the song that he later wrote and composed "Being with You" for her. However Robinson's then producerGeorge Tobin insisted instead that he record and release the song himself. "The record that went number one for me is a demo for Kim," Robinson toldThe Huffington Post.[13] In 1981, Carnes provided backing vocals onDionne Warwick'sNo Night So Long album.[14]
In 1981, Carnes recorded theJackie DeShannon andDonna Weiss song "Bette Davis Eyes", originally written and composed in 1974. As the first single released from the albumMistaken Identity, it spent nine weeks at number one on the U.S. singles charts and became a worldwide hit. The song's success propelled the album to number one on theBillboard 200 for four weeks. The single became the biggest hit of the entire year for 1981,[3] and is second only toOlivia Newton-John's "Physical" as the biggest hit of the 1980s in the U.S., according toBillboard. The song earned both theRecord of the Year andSong of the Year awards at the1982 Grammy Awards. Carnes was nominated for Best Pop Female, andMistaken Identity also earned a nomination for Album of the Year. Two follow-up singles were released from the album, the title track and "Draw of the Cards", which also charted in the UK and Australia.
Carnes and her band rehearsed "Bette Davis Eyes" in the studio for three days to take the melody and overall sound of the record to a darker, more haunting place. Produced byVal Garay, the song's signature instrumental lick was created by keyboard player Bill Cuomo. Carnes and her band, including Cuomo, recorded a completely new arrangement of the song, the next day, with no overdubs.[15]
Bette Davis admitted to being a fan of the song and approached Carnes and the songwriters to thank them. Davis wrote to Carnes after the song was released, saying she loved the song. "It was a thrill to become a part of the rock generation," she said in her memoirThis 'N That. Davis' grandson Ashley told the screen legend she had "finally made it". Carnes and Davis struck up a special friendship, with the singer visiting her at her home several times before Davis' death in 1989. In what she considers a career highlight,[15] Carnes performed the song live for Davis at a tribute to the legendary actress held just before her death. More recently, the song was used in a 2008Clairol Nice 'n Easy TV commercial in the United Kingdom, and the ad featuring the song expanded into South Africa and other territories around the world. In 2008, the song was featured in the opening scene of the documentary filmValentino: The Last Emperor and continues to be licensed for film and TV use. In November 2015, the song was the set piece for the back-story ofLiz Taylor in the TV anthologyAmerican Horror Story: Hotel.[16]
Carnes' later hits included two more singles that just missed the pop top 10: "Crazy in the Night" (fromBarking at Airplanes) and "What About Me?" withKenny Rogers andJames Ingram. Kim also reached the Adult Contemporary Top 10 four times after "Bette Davis Eyes"–with "I Pretend" (No. 9), "What About Me?" (No. 1), "Make No Mistake, He's Mine" withBarbra Streisand (No. 8) (co-produced by Carnes with Bill Cuomo) and "Crazy in Love" (No. 10). On January 19, 1985, Carnes had the distinction of being on theBillboard Hot 100 with three singles simultaneously, "What About Me", "Make No Mistake, He's Mine", and "Invitation to Dance" from the soundtrack to the filmThat's Dancing! It meant she was on the chart as a solo artist in addition to being part of a duo and a trio.
Carnes was nominated for aGrammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance Female forVoyeur. The song "Looker" from that album was on the soundtrack for the 1981 filmLooker. In 1983 she was nominated again as Best Rock Vocal Performance Female for "Invisible Hands" in 1984. The Carnes song "I'll Be Here Where the Heart Is" was on the soundtrack for the 1983 filmFlashdance soundtrack.
Carnes was among the artists who collaborated on the USA for Africa fundraising single "We Are the World" in 1985, shown in the music video and heard singing the last line of the song's bridge withHuey Lewis andCyndi Lauper. Carnes sang "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own" in a duet withJeffrey Osborne for the soundtrack to the 1987 parodySpaceballs. In the same year, Carnes recorded "The Heart Must Have a Home" for the American drama filmSummer Heat.[17]
Carnes reunited with producerJimmy Bowen for her eleventh albumView from the House, released in July 1988. It peaked at no. 36 on theBillboard Top Country Albums chart. Featuring musicians includingVince Gill,Lyle Lovett,Steve Wariner andBruce Hornsby, the album was described as a return to the country and folk influences of her early albums.[18] "Crazy in Love" was released as the album's lead single, peaking at no. 13 onBillboard'sAdult Contemporary chart.
In 1991, Carnes recorded the single "Hooked on the Memory of You" as a duet withNeil Diamond for his albumLovescape.[19] A second track titled "Hard Times for Lovers" was released as a bonus track.[20] In 1992, Diamond released a compilation album titledThe Greatest Hits: 1966–1992 which featured a third duet with Carnes, a cover of "Heartbreak Hotel".[21]
In 1993, Carnes releasedGypsy Honeymoon: The Best of Kim Carnes. The title track peaked at No. 65 in Germany.[22]
In 1997, Carnes co-wrote "Just One Little Kiss" with Greg Barnhill forLila McCann's debut albumLila.
Numerous country artists recorded Carnes' songs in the late 90s and early 2000s, includingSmokie's version of "When the Walls Come Down" forWild Horses – The Nashville Album (1998),[23]Tim McGraw's version of "You Don't Love Me Anymore" forA Place in the Sun (1999), andCollin Raye's version of "Gypsy Honeymoon" forCan't Back Down (2001). Carnes provided backing vocals on the latter two recordings.[24][25]
In June 2004, Carnes released her thirteenth and latest studio album,Chasin' Wild Trains, featuring songs co-written withAngelo Petraglia,Matraca Berg,Kim Richey,Al Anderson,Jeffrey Steele,Marc Jordan,Anders Osborne, andChuck Prophet. The album was noted for itsAmericana andalt-country influences; it was compared to the musical styles ofStevie Nicks,Lucinda Williams andMelissa Etheridge.[26] In the same year, Carnes provided backing vocals for two tracks onTim McGraw's albumLive Like You Were Dying.[27]
Throughout the 2000s Carnes continued to write and record songs for movie soundtracks, including "Ring of Fire" withJeff Bridges forThe Contender (2000),[28] "The Silver Cord" forLoggerheads (2005),[29] and "It's a Mighty Hand" forChances: The Women of Magdalene (2006).
In 2007, Carnes recorded "It's Clear Sky Again Today" for a tribute album to the Japanese singer-songwriterNoriyuki Makihara,[30] and a cover ofthe Rolling Stones' song "Tumbling Dice" withJill Johnson for her albumMusic Row.[31] Subsequent songwriting credits include "Enough" forDana Cooper on his albumThe Conjurer (2010), "Live to Tell" forAlyssa Reid's albumThe Game (2011), and three tracks for the Australian country duoO'Shea.
In October 2012, American label Culture Factory reissued Carnes'Mistaken Identity,Voyeur andCafe Racers albums.Light House andBarking at Airplanes followed in August 2013. In 2013, Carnes featured in an episode of theLMN seriesThe Haunting of....
In May 2015, Carnes was interviewed by singer-songwriter Peter Cooper at theCountry Music Hall of Fame and Museum inNashville.[32] In the same year, Carnes co-wrote and performed backing vocals on two tracks from Dana Cooper's albumBuilding a Human Being. She also recorded a cover of "Under My Thumb" byThe Rolling Stones for80s Re:Covered, aconceptual compilation album featuring songs from the 70s recorded with the production style of the 80s. In the following year, Carnes was featured on "To Be with You Again" fromFrankie Miller's duets album,Double Take.[33]
In 2021, Carnes performed at the Rheneypalooza Jam, an online concert and auction to raise funds forSt. Jude Children's Research Hospital inMemphis.[34]
Carnes' voice has been described as "distinctively raspy" and "throaty", leading to comparisons to the voices ofRod Stewart andBonnie Tyler.[35] In 1993, Keith Tuber ofOrange Coast magazine referred to Carnes as "The Queen of Rasp 'n' Roll" in one of his articles.[36]
Carnes resides inNashville with husband Dave Ellingson (since 1967).[37] They have two sons, Collin and Ry.
Ry, who is named after musicianRy Cooder, accompanies her vocally on the song "Rough Edges" from her albumBarking at Airplanes. Collin is featured on this album at the beginning of the song "Crazy in the Night".[38] Collin co-wrote, with his mother, the songs "Divided Hearts", "Gypsy Honeymoon", "Don't Cry Now", and "River of Memories".
The Grammy Awards are awarded annually byThe Recording Academy of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry. Often considered the highest music honour, the awards were established in 1958.[39] Carnes has won two awards, from eight nominations.
| Award | Year | Recipient(s) | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy of Country Music Awards | 1981 | "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer" | Top Vocal Duet | Nominated | [44] |
| American Music Awards | 1981 | "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer" | Favorite Country Single | Nominated | [45] |
| American Music Awards | 1982 | "Bette Davis Eyes" | Favorite Pop/Rock Single | Nominated | [46] |
| Juno Awards | 1982 | "Bette Davis Eyes" | International Single of the Year | Won | [47] |
| TNNMusic City News Country Awards | 1994 | "The Heart Won't Lie" | Single of the Year | Nominated | [48] |
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