Deana Carter facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Deana Carter
Background information
Birth name	Deana Kay Carter
Born	(1966-01-04) January 4, 1966 (age 59) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres	Country
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, author
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1994–present
Labels	Capitol Nashville Rounder Arista Nashville Vanguard Warner Bros. Nashville/Chappel Music

Deana Kay Carter (born January 4, 1966) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She became famous in 1996 with her first album, Did I Shave My Legs for This? This album sold over 5 million copies in the United States. It was followed by other albums like Everything's Gonna Be Alright (1998) and I'm Just a Girl (2003).

Deana Carter has released 14 singles from her albums. Three of these songs reached number one on the Billboard country music charts. These top hits were "Strawberry Wine", "We Danced Anyway", and "How Do I Get There".

About Deana Carter

Deana Carter was born in Nashville, Tennessee. Her father, Fred Carter, Jr., was also a singer. Even with a famous father, her journey to becoming a recording artist wasn't easy.

When she was 17, she didn't find immediate success in music. So, she went to the University of Tennessee. She studied rehabilitation therapy there. During college, she sang for fun at different places on campus. She wasn't planning to become a professional musician then.

After graduating, Deana worked with patients recovering from strokes and head injuries. She found this work very rewarding. However, she soon realized that music was her true passion. She decided to follow her dream of a music career.

Deana Carter has a son named Gray Hayes Hicky, born in September 2004. She married Brandon Malone in 2009, but their marriage ended in 2012. In 2018, she married Jim McPhail.

Deana has also been a spokesperson for the National Kidney Foundation. Her father received a kidney transplant. She also wrote a book called Songs From the Heart.

Her Big Break: Did I Shave My Legs for This?

Deana Carter's first big chance came in 1994. One of her demo tapes caught the attention of famous singer Willie Nelson. He invited her to perform at the Farm Aid VII concert. She was the only female solo artist at the show.

That same tape helped her get a contract with Capitol Records that year. In 1995, she released her first album, Did I Shave My Legs for This?, in the UK. But the record label closed soon after.

In 1996, Deana released her first country single, "Strawberry Wine". This song quickly became number one on the U.S. Billboard country charts. The album Did I Shave My Legs for This? was then released in North America. It was a huge success, selling over 5 million copies. The album also had two more number one hits: "We Danced Anyway" and "How Do I Get There".

Deana Carter also sang "Once Upon a December" for the 1997 animated movie Anastasia. A music video was made for the song. It was played on CMT when "How Do I Get There" was popular on the radio.

In 1997, she was nominated for Top New Female Vocalist at the Academy of Country Music Awards.

Second Album and Leaving Capitol Records

In September 1998, Deana released "Absence of the Heart". This was the first song from her second album, Everything's Gonna Be Alright. The album came out on October 20, 1998. It reached number 6 on the charts and sold enough to be certified Gold. This means it sold 500,000 copies.

The album had a Top 20 hit with "Absence of the Heart". It also had two other songs, "You Still Shake Me" and "Angels Working Overtime", that made it into the Top 40.

After her second album didn't sell as much as her first, Deana tried for several years to release new music. But after working with four different record label presidents and a failed attempt to release a third album in 2001, she decided to leave Capitol Records. They had different ideas about her music style.

New Music: Father Christmas and I'm Just a Girl

After releasing her third album, Father Christmas, in 2001, Deana moved to Los Angeles.

In 2002, Deana signed with Arista Nashville. She released her first new song in three years, "There's No Limit". This song became her sixth Top 20 hit, reaching number 14 in early 2003. It was the first song from her fourth album, I'm Just a Girl, released on March 18, 2003.

The album's main song, "I'm Just a Girl", was released next. It was a minor Top 40 hit. No more songs were released from this album. Deana then left this record label too.

Working with Independent Labels

In 2004, Deana Carter signed with an independent record label. This means a smaller label not owned by a big music company. She released the song "(Bleep) Texas" in March 2005, but it didn't become popular. It was soon replaced by "One Day at a Time." This song was the first single from her fifth album, The Story of My Life.

The album reached number 26 on the U.S. Country Albums chart. Other songs from the album, like "The Girl You Left Me For" and "Sunny Day," didn't make it onto the charts. Even though this album had less commercial success, Deana had more artistic freedom. She wrote or co-wrote and produced all 11 songs on the album.

Live in Concert, Deana's first live album, came out in 2007. It included one new song, "Angels of the Heart," and other concert favorites. The live performances on the album were recorded in 1998.

Deana's sixth album, The Chain, was released on October 9, 2007. This album was a "cover album." This means she sang songs that were originally performed by other artists. She recorded it as a tribute to her father. He played guitar on many of the original versions of these songs. Many tracks on the album also featured the original artists singing with her. For example, Dolly Parton sang on "Love Is Like a Butterfly," and Willie Nelson sang on "On the Road Again." The album didn't sell well, and its only single with Willie Nelson didn't chart.

In 2008, Deana Carter was ranked number 81 on the "100 Greatest Women" of Country Music list by Country Universe.

Today's Career: Southern Way of Life

After releasing The Chain, Deana took some time off from recording music. She wanted to spend more time with her son.

In 2010, she announced that she had signed a new record deal with Warner Bros. Nashville/Chappel Music. She was also writing music for her next album.

In 2010, Kenny Chesney covered "You and Tequila". Deana had co-written this song with Matraca Berg for her album I'm Just a Girl. Kenny Chesney included it on his album Hemingway's Whiskey. His version, which featured Grace Potter, became very popular. It reached number 3 on the charts in 2011. It was also nominated for Song of the Year at the 2011 CMA Awards.

Deana Carter's holiday album, Father Christmas, was re-released in 2011. This was ten years after it first came out.

In 2013, Deana formed her own record label called Little Nugget Records. Her seventh album, Southern Way of Life, was released on December 2, 2013. She also re-released Father Christmas through her new label that same year.

Discography

• 1996: Did I Shave My Legs for This?
• 1998: Everything's Gonna Be Alright
• 2001: Father Christmas
• 2003: I'm Just a Girl
• 2005: The Story of My Life
• 2007: The Chain
• 2013: Southern Way of Life

Awards and Nominations

Grammy Awards

TNN/Music City News Country Awards

Academy of Country Music Awards

Country Music Association Awards

Nominated alongside co-writer Matraca Berg Nominated alongside songwriters Matraca Berg and Gary Harrison Nominated alongside co-writer Matraca Berg, along with Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter

Images for kids

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  Deana Carter in 2014