Carroll Baker

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Carroll Baker
Songwriter George Petralia - Carroll Baker - Producer Don Grashey
Background information
Birth name	Carroll Anne Baker
Born	March 4, 1949 (1949-03-04) (age 60)
Origin	Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Canada
Genre(s)	Country
Occupation(s)	singer/songwriter
Years active	1970 – Present
Label(s)	Gaiety label Columbia Records
Associated acts	George Petralia Don Grashey

Carroll (Anne) Baker (born March 4, 1949) is a Juno Award winning Canadian country music singer and songwriter.

Biography

Carroll Baker was born in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia and moved to Toronto when she was 16.

She was discovered by songwriter, George Petralia , ^[1] and promoted and produced by country hall of famer, Don Grashey.

Her first single in 1970, 'Mem-ries of Home,' written by George Petralia, for the Gaiety label (owned by Don Grashey), was a minor hit, staying on the charts for a record breaking 26 weeks.

With the success of the very first recording, Mr. Grashey contacted several record companies regarding a recording contract for her and finally settled on Columbia Records.

She recorded two albums for Columbia but had only limited commercial success. Eventually she went back to Mr. Grashey's record label, Gaiety Records.

Carroll decided to quit the music business in 1973 when she became pregnant with her first and only child.

Don Grashey convinced her to take one more shot at the brass ring and off to Nashville they went to record four songs. Her first top ten record came from that session, "Ten Little Fingers", a song about a little girl, written by Don Grashey; this song remains one of her most popular songs to this day.

She received the Juno Award for Country Female Vocalist of the Year five times, including awards in 1977, 1978 and 1979. She had her own series on CBC television in the summer of 1983 and frequently appeared on Tommy Hunter's show.

She was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1992.

Baker performed at the Quyon Country JanFest on July 2, 2005 playing many of her most popular songs, including one French song.

From October 1970 through August 1982, Carroll Baker was on the country hit charts for a total of 528 weeks. 31 consecutive singles reached the charts, 20 of them reaching Top 10, with 14 of those hitting #1, including 12 consecutive #1 hits. No one in Canadian country music has been able to top that remarkable string, orchestrated by Carroll Baker with Don Grashey.

Singles

Awards and Achievements

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• Juno Awards----- THREE TIME WINNER FOR FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR.
• Canadian County music awards
• Multiple winner of female vocalist of the year
• Entertainer of the year
• Artist of the year
• Album of the year
• Best selling album of the year foreign or domestic {Hymns of Gold} and {Christmas Carroll}
• Three certified gold records for sales {first Canadian country singer to receive a gold record} Albums certified, Carroll Baker, Twenty Country Classics, and Hymns of Glory and Inspiration.
• First Canadian country singer to receive Gold record sales status.
• Three platinum records for certified record sales {first Canadian country singer to receive platinum record}
• More than twenty number one records, fourteen of which were consecutive number one records
• First Canadian country singer to do a television special from Nashville and the stage of the Grand Ole Opry
• First Canadian country singer to have the cover of TV Guide
• First Canadian country singer to be featured on the cover of virtually every newspaper or magazine in Canada
• First country singer to appear at the famed Imperial Room in Toronto
• Winner of International Female/Entertainer of the year in Houston Texas twice winning the award competing against such notables as Dolly Parton, Barbara Mandrell and Anne Murray to name a few.
• Hosted her own television series for CBC television {Carroll Baker's Jamboree}
• Appeared on the stage of the famous London Palladium in London England and also at Wembley Stadium.
• Received a Gold record in Australia for her Hymns of Gold
• Toured extensively throughout Great Britain and parts of the United States
• Recorded duets with Canadian Eddie Eastman, Terry Carisse, legendary rock and roller Jack Scott and world renowned Roger Whitacker

Inductee into the following Halls of Fame and other notable achievements

• Canadian Country music hall of fame
• Nova Scotia hall of fame
• Ontario Lifetime achievement award
• Nova Scotia Lifetime achievement award
• Martin Guitar Lifetime achievement award
• Martin Guitar Humanitarian award
• Country Music Hall of honour inductee

• Appeared as a feature performer on the record Tears are not enough and in the video of the making of tears are not enough

• Guested on numerous television shows in Canada, the United States and Great Britain

• Recipient of many SOCAN songwriting awards

• Has had her songs recorded by other artists including Eddie Eastman and the legendary Tom Jones

• These are a few of the many accomplishments of Carroll Baker although there are many more and too numerous to mention in this space.

• Carroll was nominated for Juno awards for Female country singer a record breaking period from the year 1972 to 1992 only missing one year when she took a sabbatical from the music industry. This record remains to this day for a female country music performer in Canada. She stopped recording in 1992 and who knows if she hadn't, she may still be in the hunt for the coveted award. Not only was she nominated for a Juno for country music, she was often nominated for top Female Vocalist along with Anne Murray, Carroll Pope, Celine Dion and other popular female vocalists.

• Carroll was nominated for a Juno award in the category best country vocal duo or group along with Eddie Eastman for a collaboration on a song they recorded entitled Too Hot To Sleep Tonight.

• Carroll was nominated for best selling album foreign or domestic for a Juno award for her top selling gospel album Hyms of Gold.

References

External links

• Entry in The Canadian Encyclopedia