Carleen Anderson

Carleen Cassandra Anderson (born May 10, 1957 in Houston, Texas, USA) is a UK resident musician where she has lived since 1990. She was the vocalist, composer, and musician for the Young Disciples and is known for her numerous, varied collaborations. Her solo career began in 1992. She is credited with composing and writing futuristic operas.

By the time Anderson was three years old, she was singing solos in front of the congregation. At age seven, she was composing songs, playing piano by ear and directing the choir where her Paternal Grandfather, Reverend David Anderson, was the Pastor at Anderson Memorial Church of God in Christ. Anderson’s vocal skills were influenced by her paternal aunt, Betty Faye Anderson, a Juilliard scholar, a Gospel singer and a soprano soloist in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Education After a brief marriage that resulted in the 1979 birth of her son, Bobby Anderson, Carleen Anderson lived as a divorced single mother in Los Angeles. She received several scholarships to study classical and jazz music performance, as well as music education, at Los Angeles City College (LACC) and the University of Southern California (USC). Anderson also studied Creative Literature at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA). During her studies, Anderson worked as a student tutor to support herself and her child. Anderson's goal at the time was to become a teacher of music,

From 2002 to 2007, Anderson taught and was Head of the Vocal Department at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music (BIMM). She had a bi-annual residency at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in Soho, performing from 2006 to 2015. She sang a varied repertoire of jazz classics, musical theatre and unreleased material, as well as her commercial hits. In March 2007, in celebration of International Women's Day, Anderson had the honour of singing for Her Majesty the Queen. This was followed by a successful staged preview at Cornwall Playhouse in November 2022. The end of May 2025 saw Carleen Anderson bid an official farewell to her Soul Music live performances with her participation in the Good Times tribute to Norman Jay MBE at London’s Royal Festival Hall. A few days later, in early June 2025, London’s premiere of the SXSW Festival provided a platform presented by Black Lives in Music at The Ditch in Shoreditch Town Hall for her to showcase her Blended-roots Opera, MELIOR Opus Griot. Bill Bankes-Jones, founder and director of Tête-á-Tête Opera Festival, supported Anderson as the interview host at the esteemed event. Inspired by the enthusiastic response from the professional Impresarios in the audience, Anderson continues to progress with the development of MELIOR Opus Griot. for the stage and its audio recordings.

Carleen's father, Dr. Reuben Anderson Sr., is pastor of the Tower of Faith Evangelistic Church of God in Christ, in Compton California.

Carleen Anderson has one son, singer-songwriter/music producer and music lecturer, Bobby Anderson (aka Wilderman), who has one daughter, Carleen’s granddaughter, Atari. (Circa/Virgin, 1994) No. 38 (this EP was classed as a mini-album as it had too many tracks on it to chart as a single) True Spirit (Circa/Virgin, 1994) UK No. 12 True Spirit - Remixes (Circa/Virgin, 1995) Blessed Burden (Circa/Virgin, 1998) UK No. 51 Alberta's Granddaughter (Dusky Sappho Music, 2002) Grace and Favours (live performance DVD/CD, 2004) Up To Now: The Best Of (Virgin, 2004) Soul Providence (Dome, 2005) CAGE STREET MEMORIAL - The Pilgrimage (Freestyle, 2016)

Solo Single Releases "Nervous Breakdown" (1994), UK No. 27 "Mama Said" (1994), UK No. 26 "True Spirit" (1994), UK No. 24 "Let It Last" (1995), UK No. 16 "Maybe I'm Amazed" (1998), UK No. 24 "Woman in Me" (1998), UK No. 74 "Don't Look Back in Anger" (2002)

Under the alias Mardou Fox Subterraneans feat. Mardou Fox, "Taurus Woman" (1993) Numbers, "Ballad of Mardou Fox", "Traffic", "Mardous Lament", "Jack Summerset" (2001)

Collaborations Duet with Omar "Who Chooses the Seasons" (1992) Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 "Sights in the City" (1993) Incognito "Trouble Don't Always Last" (1994) (with Ramsey Lewis) Duet with Lewis Taylor, "18 With a Bullet" (1998) Red, Hot + Cool documentary (1998) The Brand New Heavies, "Saturday Nite", "Apparently Nothing", "Try My Love", "Swinging Big Tom" The London Community Gospel Choir, "Whenever You Call" (2001) Agent K. "Ride Away Getaway" (2002) Andy Hamill, "Falling" (2003) (with Tony Woods) Full Flava's album Colour of My Soul, Carlen performs lead vocals on "Stories" and "You Are (My Destiny)" (2003) The London Community Gospel Choir, "I Surrender All" (2003) Courtney Pine, "When The World Turns Blue" (2003) Mamayo, "The Game", "Born to Love" (2005) Hope Collective, "Give and Let Live" (2005) Duet with Paul Weller, "Wanna Be Where You Are" (2005) Duet with Jocelyn Brown, "Parting the Waters" (2005) Incognito, "Show Me Love" (2005) Incognito, "Summer in the City", "Tin Man", "That's the Way of the World" (2006) Shuya Okino features Carleen on their co-write of “Beautiful Sadness” (2006) Full Flava album, Music Is Our Way Of Life. Carleen performs lead vocals on a cover of Jean Carne's Was That All It Was. (2007) "Bird in Flight", Tuff Scout Records, written by Gil Cang and Carleen Anderson (2014) "Grains of Dust", Welsh National Opera Songs of Occupation Protest (2014)