Carla Olson

For more than three decades Carla Olson has maintained a prominent position as a roots-rock innovator, working across roles as vocalist, composer, guitarist, and producer amid the intersecting worlds of rock and Americana. She first surfaced in the late 1970s fronting the Textones, whose sound merged blues, country, and classic rock & roll. Her weathered, soul-inflected singing and incisive guitar work helped the band cultivate a devoted audience through its 1984 debut, Midnight Mission. Respect from earlier folk-rock figures followed, notably the Byrds’ Gene Clark, with whom she recorded the 1987 album So Rebellious a Lover; she also collaborated with ex-Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor. Independent of the Textones she has released Reap the Whirlwind in 1993, Have Harmony, Will Travel in 2013, and the 2019 Todd Wolfe project The Hidden Hills Sessions, each reflecting her melodic, earth-toned songcraft and deep command of roots traditions.

Austin-born in 1952, Olson received her earliest musical exposure at age five from her father, a classical pianist. After beginning on piano she turned to acoustic guitar at thirteen, spending countless hours replicating recordings by Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, the Everly Brothers, the Rolling Stones, and the Byrds. By 1967 she had traded the acoustic instrument for an electric model and joined local bands, during which time she met Don Henley, then performing alongside guitarist Eric Johnson. Following high school she spent several months in Italy before returning to Austin, where in 1977 she launched the punk band the Violators alongside future Go-Go’s guitarist Kathy Valentine. A year later Olson and Valentine relocated to Los Angeles and formed the Textones. The group developed a following at venues including the Whisky, Starwood, and Madame Wong’s, issuing a three-song EP on Britain’s Chiswick label that featured “Vacation,” later a hit for the Go-Go’s; they also cut Valentine’s “We Don’t Get Along” (subsequently recorded by the Go-Go’s) with Phil Seymour for his 1980 debut.

After Valentine departed to join the Go-Go’s full-time, Olson guided the Textones as a trio, later adding guitarist George Callins and saxophonist-keyboardist Tom Junior Morgan. Subsequent personnel shifts brought bassist Joe Read and drummer Phil Seymour into the lineup, the latter replacing Mark Cuff; Dave Provost had already left for the Dream Syndicate. This configuration signed with A&M and delivered Midnight Mission in 1984, produced by Barry Goldberg. Prior to those sessions Olson had connected with Gene Clark, who, alongside Don Henley, supplied backing vocals; Ry Cooder contributed slide guitar. The album reached number 76 on the Billboard 200 and yielded singles “Standing in the Line” and “Midnight Mission.” During ensuing tour dates Seymour received a lymphoma diagnosis and exited (he died from the illness in 1993). The Textones’ follow-up, Cedar Creek, appeared in 1987 with drummer Rick Hemmert aboard and contributions from Ian McLagan and Howie Epstein.

Also in 1987 Olson and Gene Clark issued So Rebellious a Lover, frequently cited among the earliest authentic Americana recordings for its spontaneous, harmony-rich approach. The next year she released her self-titled solo album, recorded in Malmö, Sweden, and later reissued as Rubies & Diamonds; George Callins and members of Wilmer X participated. In 1990 she shared a stage with Mick Taylor at Hollywood’s Roxy Theatre, an event documented on the 1991 live album Too Hot for Snakes, which mixed original material with a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Sway.” Olson had earlier stood in for Taylor in Bob Dylan’s 1983 “Sweetheart Like You” video.

Within an Ace, her 1993 solo album, blended rock, blues, and country; Reap the Whirlwind followed the next year. A stretch of reduced solo activity ensued as Olson concentrated on production for Mare Winningham, Davis Gaines, Phil Upchurch, and others. She resumed recording with 2001’s The Ring of Truth, again featuring Mick Taylor, then continued producing for Percy Sledge, Barry Goldberg, Joe Louis Walker, and Doña Oxford. Olson returned to her own catalog in 2013 with Have Harmony, Will Travel, a covers collection that enlisted Peter Case, Juice Newton, Scott Kempner, and John York. Omnivore Records issued expanded editions of Midnight Mission and Cedar Creek in 2015, while Sunset Blvd Records supplied the first U.S. release of her 1988 debut as Rubies & Diamonds in 2017. In 2018 the Textones delivered Old Stone Gang, recorded across six years and featuring Barry Goldberg, Todd Wolfe, the late Phil Seymour, and Kathy Valentine. Olson rejoined Wolfe for The Hidden Hills Sessions in 2019, then released Have Harmony, Will Travel 2 in 2020 with guests Timothy B. Schmit, Percy Sledge, Peter Noone, and Mare Winningham.