Biography
Lionel Cartwright emerged in the late 1980s as a versatile performer and songwriter whose contemporary country-pop approach aligned him with contemporaries Garth Brooks, Travis Tritt, and Alan Jackson. His musical foundation was laid through childhood piano instruction, after which he also achieved proficiency on guitar and eight additional instruments. At ten he began appearing at local gatherings in Glendale, WV, and during high school he became a fixture on a country radio program broadcast from Milton, WV, while also performing on Columbus, OH’s Country Cavalcade. After signing on as pianist with the Wheeling Jamboree in West Virginia, he advanced to featured performer and ultimately served as the program’s musical director.
Beginning in 1981 Cartwright contributed to the Nashville Network’s music-and-comedy series I-40 Paradise and its later spinoff Pickin’ at the Paradise, functioning on both programs as performer, arranger, and musical director while also composing and singing their theme songs. During that period he met Cindy Stewart, who became both his songwriting partner and spouse, and he encountered Boudleaux and Felice Bryant, the songwriters responsible for numerous Everly Brothers classics, who urged him to refine his compositional craft. A live appearance in Knoxville brought him to the attention of MCA producer Tony Brown, who recognized his potential yet advised further seasoning before pursuing a recording deal.
Cartwright traveled to Nashville in 1986 carrying his strongest material and auditioned formally for Brown, resulting in a contract with MCA. His first single, “You’re Gonna Make Her Mine,” appeared in 1988 and reached the Top 50; the self-titled album issued the following year included that track plus three additional Top 20 singles, among them the Top Five hit “Give Me His Last Chance.” The 1990 follow-up I Watched It on the Radio yielded further chart entries, while Chasin’ the Sun supplied his initial number-one single, “Leap of Faith,” in 1991.
Beginning in 1981 Cartwright contributed to the Nashville Network’s music-and-comedy series I-40 Paradise and its later spinoff Pickin’ at the Paradise, functioning on both programs as performer, arranger, and musical director while also composing and singing their theme songs. During that period he met Cindy Stewart, who became both his songwriting partner and spouse, and he encountered Boudleaux and Felice Bryant, the songwriters responsible for numerous Everly Brothers classics, who urged him to refine his compositional craft. A live appearance in Knoxville brought him to the attention of MCA producer Tony Brown, who recognized his potential yet advised further seasoning before pursuing a recording deal.
Cartwright traveled to Nashville in 1986 carrying his strongest material and auditioned formally for Brown, resulting in a contract with MCA. His first single, “You’re Gonna Make Her Mine,” appeared in 1988 and reached the Top 50; the self-titled album issued the following year included that track plus three additional Top 20 singles, among them the Top Five hit “Give Me His Last Chance.” The 1990 follow-up I Watched It on the Radio yielded further chart entries, while Chasin’ the Sun supplied his initial number-one single, “Leap of Faith,” in 1991.
Albums
