Caroline Kennedy-McCracken facts for kids

Caroline Frances Kennedy-McCracken (born Caroline Frances Kennedy in 1967) is an Australian artist who creates both music and visual art. She has been a singer, songwriter, and guitarist in several bands. These include The Plums (from 1992 to 1995), Deadstar (from 1995 to 2001), and The Tulips (from 2002 to 2006).

In 2013, she sang on Don't Tell The Driver, which was a solo album by Mick Turner from the band Dirty Three. Caroline Kennedy-McCracken also works as a visual artist. She mainly creates paintings and sculptures.

Discovering Caroline Kennedy-McCracken's Life

Caroline Frances Kennedy was born in Melbourne, Australia. She became Kennedy-McCracken after she married musician Pete McCracken. She has always worked in both music and visual arts at the same time.

Caroline Kennedy-McCracken: The Artist

Caroline Kennedy-McCracken's art combines different styles. She uses painting, drawing, installations (art that fills a space), sculpture, and music in her works. In 2009, her art piece called Notation was chosen for The Siemens-RMIT Fine Art Awards. This shows her talent as a visual artist.

Caroline Kennedy-McCracken: The Musician

Caroline Kennedy-McCracken has performed with many Australian bands and artists. These include The Plums, Deadstar, and The Tulips. She has also performed music under her own name.

At the ARIA Music Awards of 2005, the electronic music group Deepface was nominated for 'Best Dance Release'. This was for their song "Been Good," which Caroline Kennedy-McCracken helped to write.

She has also sung on albums by bands like Crow and Charlie Marshall and The Body Electric. She also sang on Kim Salmon and the Surrealists' album, Ya Gotta Let Me Do My Thing. In 2009, she worked with Mick Turner and Jim White from The Dirty Three. They collaborated on The Tren Brothers' song, "Sometimes." In 2013, she sang on Mick Turner's album, Don't Tell the Driver.

Exploring The Plums: Caroline's Early Band

In 1992, Caroline Kennedy-McCracken helped start an indie pop band called The Plums. She was joined by guitarist Steve Moffat and drummer Shamus Goble. All three had played together before in a band called Jack and the Beanstalk. Pete McCracken joined them on bass guitar.

The Plums were known for mixing strong guitar sounds with catchy pop melodies. Caroline was a key part of the band. She had a strong but graceful presence and sang with a lot of emotion.

The band released an EP (a short album) called Read All Over in 1993. Their full album, Gun, came out in 1994. The last music they released was the Heavenly EP in 1995. The band broke up that same year.

Understanding Deadstar: A Popular Project

In 1995, Caroline Kennedy-McCracken became the lead singer for the pop group Deadstar. This band started as a side project for drummer Peter Jones and Hunters and Collectors guitarist Barry Palmer. Other musicians who played with Deadstar included Nick Seymour (from Crowded House) and Michael den Elzen. Pete McCracken also played with them.

Barry Palmer asked Caroline to write melodies and lyrics for guitar music he had recorded. These songs were meant for a short film. Instead, they became the basis for Deadstar's first album, released in 1996.

Deadstar released two more studio albums: Milk (1997) and Somewhere Over the Radio (1999). They were very successful.

At the ARIA Music Awards of 1997, Deadstar was nominated for 'Best Independent Release' for their song "Don't It Get You Down." In 1999, they were nominated again for 'Best Pop Release' for "Run Baby Run." In 2000, Deadstar was nominated for 'Best Rock Album' for Somewhere Over the Radio.

In 2000, the band's song "Deeper Water" became very popular, reaching No. 28 on the Australian music charts. The group stopped making music together in 2001. In 2004, a collection of their best songs, called The Definitive Collection, was released.

The Tulips: A Country Duo

In 2002, Caroline Kennedy-McCracken formed a country music duo with Pete McCracken. They called themselves The Tulips. They released an EP with their own name, The Tulips, and then an album called In the Honeycone in 2003. Their second album, Free Like a Bird, was released later. It was first released as The Tulips, and then later under the name Caroline No.

Caroline No!: Solo Music

Since 2012, Caroline Kennedy-McCracken has been recording music as a solo artist. She uses the name Caroline No.

Collaborations with The Tren Brothers and Mick Turner

In 2009, Caroline Kennedy-McCracken worked with Mick Turner and Jim White from The Dirty Three. They collaborated on The Tren Brothers' song "Sometimes." In 2013, she sang on Mick Turner's well-known solo album, Don't Tell the Driver.

Caroline Kennedy-McCracken's Music: Discography

Albums

The Plums

• Gun (Mushroom Records/White Label Records, 1994)

Deadstar

• Deadstar (Mushroom Records/White Label Records, 1996)
• Milk (Mushroom Records/White Label Records, 1997)
• Somewhere Over the Radio (Mushroom Records/White Label Records, 1997)
• The Definitive Collection (Festival Mushroom Records, 2004)

The Tulips

• In the Honeycone (Belmore Records, 2003)

EPs

The Plums

• Read All Over (Temptation, 1993)
• Heavenly (Mushroom Records/White Label Records, 1995)

The Tulips

• The Tulips (Shock, 2002)

Singles

The Plums

• "Find this Anywhere" (Mushroom Records/White Label Records)

Deadstar

• "Going Down" (1996)
• "She Loves She" (1996)
• "Sister" (1996)
• "Don't It Get You Down?" ( 1996)
• "I've Got Something to Tell You" (1997)
• "Run Baby Run" (1999)
• "Deeper Water" (1999)
• "Somewhere Over the Radio" (May 2000)