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(Back in the days when there were such a thing as 45's and LP's) Low and behold, within 18 months her song had climbed to the top of the charts and she was a star. Unfortunately I don't remember any other tunes that were as great a success for Muldaur, but still she had reached stardom and I had seen her up close before anyone had heard of her and I felt privileged.
It's not always fair and just, where the fickle finger of fate points its finger to designate who are the rising stars in the music industry, but if I had my say I would certainly put local Maryland girl Courtlyn Carr on the list. She writes a lot of her own material, for one thing, an unusual feat in this day and age. The venue in which I heard her perform (49 West) was small for such a big sound, Carr was performing two shows last Friday night with her complete band-- drums, violin, guitar, and bass plus Carr often on the keyboard. Several of her talented band members play more than one instrument, so at various times during the set a song was enhanced by the sounds of a banjo or a second guitar. Particularly impressive was the virtuosity of the violinist, although sometimes-- and maybe it was the small space-- I felt as though there was a little too much ornamentation of the melody line with so many instruments.
While "Turn Blue" has critically been receiving the most favorable feedback from reviewers, according to Carr, my personal favorite is "Oh Atlanta" so much so that I am convinced that if it was played enough times on the radio it would quickly make its way up to the top of the country music charts. Carr's band recently recorded an EP at the Washington Area Music Award-winning BIAS STUDIOS with some impressive help from music industry veterans that include four-time WAMMIE and two-time Grammy winning engineer, Jim Robeson. Robeson was also behind the board for Mary Chapin Carpenter's Grammy nominated album, Time*Sex*Love* and Rickie Simpkins, the current mandolin and fiddle player for Emmylou Harris and the Tony Rice Unit..
Other notable tunes I heard that evening include "Greater Gift" and Courtyln's favorite song right now, "Leave this Town Tomorrow.", You can hear some of her music and judge for yourself by following this link. Let us know what you think.
To listen to Courtlyn Carr and see where she's playing next visit here website courtlyncarr.com
