Kim Carnes

1975–1979: Early chart successes In 1975, Carnes released her self-titled second album on A&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.

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 duo Pinkard & Bowden on their 1989 live album.

1980–1981: Collaboration with Kenny Rogers and "Bette Davis Eyes" In 1980, her duet with Kenny 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. In 1981, Carnes provided backing vocals on Dionne Warwick's No Night So Long album.

In 1981, Carnes recorded the Jackie DeShannon and Donna Weiss song "Bette Davis Eyes", originally written and composed in 1974. As the first single released from the album Mistaken 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 the Billboard 200 for four weeks. The single became the biggest hit of the entire year for 1981,

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 memoir This 'N That. Davis's grandson Ashley told the screen legend that 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's death in 1989. In what she considers a career highlight,

1982–1987: Voyeur and further releases Carnes's later hits included two more singles that just missed the pop top 10: "Crazy in the Night" (from Barking at Airplanes) and "What About Me?" with Kenny Rogers and James 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" with Barbra 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 the Billboard Hot 100 with three singles simultaneously, "What About Me", "Make No Mistake, He's Mine", and "Invitation to Dance" from the soundtrack to the film That's Dancing! It meant that she was on the chart as a solo artist in addition to being part of a duo and a trio.

Carnes was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance Female for Voyeur. The song "Looker" from that album was on the soundtrack for the 1981 film Looker. In 1983, she was nominated again as Best Rock Vocal Performance Female for "Invisible Hands". The Carnes song "I'll Be Here Where the Heart Is" was on the soundtrack for the 1983 film Flashdance 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 with Huey Lewis and Cyndi Lauper. Carnes sang "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own" in a duet with Jeffrey Osborne for the soundtrack to the 1987 parody Spaceballs. In the same year, Carnes recorded "The Heart Must Have a Home" for the American drama film Summer Heat.

1988–1997: Return to Nashville and Japanese releases Carnes reunited with producer Jimmy Bowen for her eleventh album View from the House, released in July 1988. It peaked at no. 36 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Featuring musicians including Vince Gill, Lyle Lovett, Steve Wariner and Bruce Hornsby, the album was described as a return to the country and folk influences of her early albums. "Crazy in Love" was released as the album's lead single, peaking at no. 13 on Billboard'''s Adult Contemporary chart.

In 1991, Carnes recorded the single "Hooked on the Memory of You" as a duet with Neil Diamond for his album Lovescape. A second track titled "Hard Times for Lovers" was released as a bonus track. In 1992, Diamond released a compilation album titled The Greatest Hits: 1966–1992, which featured a third duet with Carnes, a cover of "Heartbreak Hotel".

In 1993, Carnes released Gypsy Honeymoon: The Best of Kim Carnes. The title track peaked at No. 65 in Germany.

In 1997, Carnes co-wrote "Just One Little Kiss" with Greg Barnhill for Lila McCann's debut album Lila.

Since 1998: Further songwriting success and Chasin' Wild Trains Numerous country artists recorded Carnes's songs in the late 1990s and early 2000s, including Smokie's version of "When the Walls Come Down" for Wild Horses – The Nashville Album (1998), Tim McGraw's version of "You Don't Love Me Anymore" for A Place in the Sun (1999), and Collin Raye's version of "Gypsy Honeymoon" for Can't Back Down (2001). Carnes provided backing vocals on the latter two recordings.

In June 2004, Carnes released her thirteenth and latest studio album, Chasin' Wild Trains, featuring songs co-written with Angelo Petraglia, Matraca Berg, Kim Richey, Al Anderson, Jeffrey Steele, Marc Jordan, Anders Osborne, and Chuck Prophet. The album was noted for its Americana and alt-country influences; it was compared to the musical styles of Stevie Nicks, Lucinda Williams and Melissa Etheridge. In the same year, Carnes provided backing vocals for two tracks on Tim McGraw's album Live Like You Were Dying.

Throughout the 2000s, Carnes continued to write and record songs for movie soundtracks, including "Ring of Fire" with Jeff Bridges for The Contender (2000), "The Silver Cord" for Loggerheads (2005), and "It's a Mighty Hand" for Chances: The Women of Magdalene (2006).

In 2007, Carnes recorded "It's Clear Sky Again Today" for a tribute album to the Japanese singer-songwriter Noriyuki Makihara, and a cover of the Rolling Stones' song "Tumbling Dice" with Jill Johnson for her album Music Row. Subsequent songwriting credits include "Enough" for Dana Cooper on his album The Conjurer (2010), "Live to Tell" for Alyssa Reid's album The Game (2011), and three tracks for the Australian country duo O'Shea.

In October 2012, American label Culture Factory reissued Carnes's Mistaken Identity, Voyeur and Cafe Racers albums. Light House and Barking at Airplanes followed in August 2013. In 2013, Carnes featured in an episode of the LMN series The Haunting of....

In May 2015, Carnes was interviewed by singer-songwriter Peter Cooper at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. In the same year, Carnes co-wrote and performed backing vocals on two tracks from Dana Cooper's album Building a Human Being. She also recorded a cover of "Under My Thumb" by The Rolling Stones for 80s Re:Covered, a conceptual 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" from Frankie Miller's duets album, Double Take.

In 2021, Carnes performed at the Rheneypalooza Jam, an online concert and auction to raise funds for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis.

The majority of Carnes's recorded output will be featured in a forthcoming 10-CD boxed set, titled Universal Songs: The A&M, EMI America & MCA Years , set for release on October 23, 2026. Each disc, featuring full studio albums recorded from 1975 to 1988, will also include previously unissued bonus tracks.

In 2026, Carnes relocated back to her hometown of Los Angeles, Ca.

Artistry Musical and vocal style Carnes's voice has been described as "distinctively raspy" and "throaty", leading to comparisons to the voices of Rod Stewart and Bonnie Tyler. In 1993, Keith Tuber of Orange Coast magazine referred to Carnes as "The Queen of Rasp 'n' Roll" in one of his articles.

Personal life Carnes has been married to husband Dave Ellingson since November 1967. In 2026, the couple moved back to California from their Nashville residence, where they had lived since 1994. They have two sons, Collin and Ry.

Ry is named after musician Ry Cooder. Collin is featured on the album “Barking at Airplanes” at the beginning of the song "Crazy in the Night". Collin co-wrote, with his mother, the songs "Divided Hearts", "Gypsy Honeymoon", "Don't Cry Now", and "River of Memories".

Awards Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by The Recording Academy of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry. Often considered the highest music honor, the awards were established in 1958. Carnes has won two awards, from eight nominations.

Year

1981 "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer" (with Kenny Rogers) Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus

Mistaken Identity| Album of the Year

"What About Me?" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices in 1984. The nomination is credited to arranger David Foster. Carnes was one of the various artists featured on the single "We Are the World", which won four Grammy Awards in 1986, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

Other awards

Discography

Rest on Me (1971) Kim Carnes (1975) Sailin' (1976) St. Vincent's Court (1979) Romance Dance (1980) Mistaken Identity (1981) Voyeur (1982) Café Racers (1983) Barking at Airplanes (1985) Light House (1986) View from the House (1988) Checkin' Out the Ghosts (1991) Chasin' Wild Trains'' (2004)