"Goodbye, L.A., Hello Nashville"

GUILHERME CORRÊA

Promotional Photo (1988)

KIM CARNES: good life in Nashville.

    February 10, 1987 - San Jose Mercury News published an article titled "Goodbye, L.A., Hello Nashville," and Kim said she wanted to leave Los Angeles and go to Nashville to record her next album. "I can't do another album here. I've tried and finally stopped" - Carnes said.

    In 1988 Kim Carnes signed a record deal with MCA. She rejoined with a long-time friend and first producer/publisher, Jimmy Bowen. They got together and winnowed 19 potential songs down to the 10 that made the final cut. "View From The House" was recorded live in Nashville. One track was produced by Bill Cuomo ("Crimes of the Heart").

    "It was really important for me on this album to get full circle and go real non-synth. I wanted it to be an acoustic album with real instruments. Acoustic guitars, piano - mandolin - that kind of album," stated Kim.

Henry Diltz (1988)

Carnes found inspiration in Nashville (TN).

    July, 1988 - " View From The House" was well received by critics. According to one reviewer in Billboard: "A welcome return to form." Kim wrote or co-wrote half of the songs. She's also picked up a couple of gems from John Prine ("If You Don't Wan't My Love" and "Speed Of The Sound Of Loliness"), a classic-sounding winner by Even Stevens ("Crazy In Love"), a rollicking rocker from Troy Seals and Frankie Miller ("Heartbreak Radio"), and she's reworked the Johnny Otis standard, "Willie And The Hand Jive". Guest musicians included Bruce Hornsby, Vince Gill, Mark O'Connor, Lyle Lovett and Steve Wariner.

"Speed Of The Sound Of Loliness" was recommended by one reviewer: "there's perfection in song, singer, and production."

" View From The House" brought her critical favour, although it wasn't a long-term her relationship with MCA Records. Jimmy Bowen left the Presidence of MCA and a new regime came. They stopped to divulge the album, although "Crazy In Love" peaked #13 on Adult Contemporary Billboard charts. "One of the cases of political in music business" - admited Kim to Shadoe Steele on a radio interview in 2003.

In 1989 Kim sung on Clarence Clemons's album: "A Night With Mr. C". They duetted "Dance Dance Dance" and Kim provided backing vocals on "Quarter To Three".

Henry Diltz (1988)

1991: KIM CARNES recorded an album released in Japan only.

Kim sung the theme to the movie, "Impulse": "Everybody Needs Someone". The song was released as single by Ossum Possum Records.

She duetted with Neil Diamond on 3 songs: "Hooked On The Memory Of You" (from "Lovescape" album), "Hard Time For Lovers" (promotional single CD) and "Heartbreak Hotel" (from "Greatest Hits - 1966-1992").

"Hooked On The Memory Of You" was released as a radio station single in march, 1992. This release hited the Adult Contemporary chart on April 4, 1992, and remained for 13 weeks, peaking at #23.

In 1991 Mrs. Carnes sung theme song for CBS television series "Sunday Dinner": "Love Begins At Home."

" Checkin' Out The Ghosts" was released only in Japan in 1991. The album was produced by Kim Carnes and Joey Carbone, except the track "Independent Girl" (only produced by Carbone).

Kim wrote 1 song and co-wrote 7 songs with Donna Weiss, Collin Ellingson, Joey Carbone, Dennis Belfield e Michelle Hart. There's the first version of "Gypsy Honeymoon", written by Kim and her old son Collin. She cut again "Hangin' On By A Thread" and covered a well-known Thom Bell & Linda Creed track "You Are Everything."

 The japonese connection followed with the excellent cover of "Love Hurts" (from "Private Lessons II"), "Shinny Day" (from "Re-Import"), "Hold Me" (from "Romantique (Seiko Matsuda"), "Let's Try Again"  and "Mutual Atraction" single.

Henry Diltz (1988)

Kim Carnes: "I'm writing as many songs as when I first started writing, with that same kind of enthusiasm."

Since "Checkin' Out The Ghosts," Kim has recorded some Christmas songs ("What Child Is This," "O Little Town Of Bethlehem," "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," "Away In A Manger" and "Run Run, Rudolph"), songs to musicals ("Skyline" from "Lunch", "Workin' Girl" from "Tycoon"), songs to movies  ("Private Lessons II") and one song to Jim Croce's tribute ("Bad Bad Lerow Brown" from "Jim Croce: A Nashville Tribute").

In 1993 EMI-Odeon released "Gypsy Honeymoon" - a good representation of Carnes's considerable singing and songwriting capabilities. The compilation features 3 new cuts: "Chain Letter," "Gypsy Honeymoon" (new version) and "Don't Cry Now."

In 1993 Vince Gill and Reba McEntyre sung Carnes' "The Heart Won't Lie," which was nominated for a Grammy.

Carnes also has written songs from Jennifer Brown, Pam Tillis, Lila McCainn, Deana Carter, Kenny Rogers, Matraca Berg, Kevin Sharp, Tim McGraw and others.

"A lot of people know Kim but they don't know the songs she's written in the last five years," said Kevin Boehm in 1997, vice president of Audacity Records, which has signed Barnhill.

The Ellingsons moved to Nashville in 1994. "I would come to Nashville to write, and go back to L.A. and watch the energy dissipate." She says she moved to Nashville because, "it's where all the creative energy is," She also added that a major difference for her between Nashville and L.A. is that "the stomach ache from hell has gone away."

It's also been energizing to her writing she admits: "I'm writing as many songs as when I first started writing, with that same kind of enthusiasm."

MARINA CAFÉ (1997)

KIM CARNES & GREG BARNHILL have written together more than 38 songs!

Since 1992 Carnes has concentrated her career on songwriting. She has co-written songs with her son Collin Ellingson, Greg Barnhill, Eric Kaz, Trey Edwin Bruce, Vince Melamed, Bill Miller, Jonathan B. Vezner, Gary Nicholson, Jamie O'Neal, Wendy Waldman, Matraca Berg, Gary S. Burr, Robert Ellis Orrall, Kim Richey, Gary Harrinson, Susan Logacre, Jeffrey Steele, Sarah Elizabeth Campbell, John Scott Sherrill, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Mark S. Cawley, Reginald Glenn Hamm, Tim Mensy, Mike Settle and Christy Leigh Seamans.

Kim and Greg Barnhill began writing together in 1995 when she heard Trisha Yearwood make a hit out of Barnhill's "Walkaway Joe."

"When I moved from L.A. to Nashville in 1995, I heard Trisha Yearwood perform "Walkaway Joe," Carnes said in a press release. "I was so impressed with the lyrics and creativity and knew I had to write with the person who wrote that song."

(2003)

Since 1992 Carnes has concentrated her career on songwriting.

Now her main songwriting partner is Greg Barnhill. More than 40 compositions written by them are registered in BMI. As a backing singer she recorded with Bad Company ("Stories Told & Untold" album - 1996), Kenny Rogers ("Across My Heart" album - 1997), Lila McCann ("Lila" album - 1997), Matraca Berg ("Sunday Morning To Saturday Night" album - 1997) and Kevin Sharp ("Love Is" album - 1998).

September 12, 1997 - The first non-official KC's internet page was created by David Baker (a fan who lives in Atlanta - GA): "The Kim Carnes Website.".

October 24, 1997 - Another fan, Eugene Contini, who lives in Florida, created another non-official page: "Bette Davis Eyes: A Tribute To Kim Carnes."

August 17, 1998 - TIME.COM published an article titled "The Real Price Of Fame." David Pullman, the New York-based financier and pioneer of music royalty-backed securitization, is trying to close a celebrity-bound deal with Kim Carnes. He would like to sell her songs in Wall Street.

January 1, 1999 - Brazilian fans Giovana Bonilha and Guilherme Corrêa created "The Kim Carnes Fan Club Website." First it was written in portuguese language. After came the english version.

Since then Carnes's fans around the world have gotten and changed informations about her career. Internet became the world smaller. Carnes's stuff has been sold in high prices at Ebay website.

Glen Rose (2004)

2004: New album

Last Carnes's solo compositions are about love: "All I Ask Now Is Lovin'," "Darlin You Decide," "High Flyer After All," "Living With A Broken Heart," "Ring The Bell On Love," "What's Gonna Happen To Me," "Wild Wild Child" e "Your Good Lovin'."

In 2000 Kim performed a duet with Jeff Bridges of "Ring Of Fire" for his film "The Contender". She also sung the Cleveland Brows' new theme: "Somebody Let The Dawgs Out".

Kim Carnes is releasing a new album: "Chasin' Wild Trains ". She wrote or co-wrote the whole album. There's no external interferences. She chose the track list, the musicians, the cover art, etc.

Kim Carnes has a track from the new album ("You Made My Skin Burn") in Jeff Bridges' film "The Moguls" (aka "The Amateurs"). She also performed (and co-wrote with Hunter Davis) a song titled "The Silver Cord" for "Loggerheads" film.

Mrs. Carnes, Dave Ellingson, Greg Barnhill have performed live in Sisters (Oregon), Nashville (TN), Laughlin (NE), Panama city, Woodland Hills (CA) and others cities. The concerts have been in "unplugged" format. 

Carnes has now completed a full circle, having proven herself as a successfull songwriter in rock, pop and country and going in the record books as one of the longest stays at the coveted number 1 position.