Deana Carter

Deana Carter launched her recording career later than most, yet her 1996 debut Did I Shave My Legs for This? rocketed to the summit of the country charts in defiance of industry norms. Her ascent proved especially striking because she resisted the usual template for contemporary female country vocalists, blending the commercial reach of country chanteuses with the introspective approach of folk singer/songwriters such as Mary Chapin Carpenter. The album earned both critical praise and robust sales, marking Carter as one of the more gratifying breakthroughs among artists who followed in the wake of Garth Brooks.

Growing up as the daughter of Nashville session guitarist Fred Carter, Jr., she was immersed in music from an early age and absorbed an eclectic range of sounds. Her father had backed artists including Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Waylon Jennings, and Simon & Garfunkel, and those influences gradually shaped the style Deana would develop. At seventeen she first sought a record deal, aided by her father’s connections, but the effort proved unsuccessful, prompting her to enroll in nursing studies at the University of Tennessee. During her student years she sang occasionally for enjoyment without treating music as a serious pursuit.

Following graduation, she took positions at several hospitals before choosing, at age twenty-three, to commit fully to a musical path. She taught herself guitar and began composing original material. For the next several years she balanced various temporary jobs with steady efforts to refine her songwriting and perform in Nashville clubs. One of her demo recordings eventually reached Willie Nelson, while another arrived at Capitol Nashville. Recalling her childhood, Nelson responded enthusiastically to the songs and invited her to appear at Farm Aid VII in 1994, where she performed as the sole female artist on the bill. Within twelve months, Capitol Nashville offered her a contract.

Her debut album, Did I Shave My Legs for This?, contained six tracks she had co-written and arrived in late summer 1996 to favorable notices. By year’s end it had ascended the upper tiers of the country charts, crossed over onto pop listings, and achieved gold status. Everything’s Gonna Be Alright appeared in late 1998. In 2001 Carter fulfilled a long-held ambition by recording the holiday collection Father Christmas with her father contributing guitar. Two years later she released the more adult-pop-oriented I’m Just a Girl on Arista Nashville. The Story of My Life came out on Vanguard in 2005, followed in 2007 by the label’s second Carter project, The Chain.

A series of personal circumstances led her to focus primarily on songwriting for an extended period. She secured a publishing agreement with Warner Chappell and resumed regular visits to Nashville. Together with Matraca Berg she had written “You and Tequila,” and both had recorded versions that attracted limited attention. When Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter released their rendition in 2011, however, the single reached the Top Five on the country charts and surpassed one million digital downloads. Already working as a full-time writer, Carter decided to resume recording, established her own imprint Little Nuggett Records, and issued Southern Way of Life in March 2014.