A biography for Carlene Carterhasn’t been written yet.
“Eccentricity has never been discouraged in our family.”
“I can laugh and cry at the drop of a freakin' hat - all at the same time.”
“You can have a big hit and not get rich.”
“I always have to just be myself. Anything else, I'm not happy, and it comes out musically.”
“I hate parameters. They immediately alienate a bunch of people.”
“I'm pretty much an open book.”
“My songs are about who I am.”
“My mom is a great entertainer.”
“Musically, I always wanted to experiment.”
“Grandma and Mama showed me that you always have to give as much as you can, no matter what.”
“Sometimes, it's good to stick to your guns.”
“I'm a bubbling brew of emotions, but mostly, I'm an optimistic person.”
“I always knew I would make the record that I made in 'Carter Girl.'”
“I grew up quick because my family was away a lot, and I took care of my sister. Then in my 20s, I went through my teens, with these 'wild abandon' things.”
“My mother has always been open about all kinds of music and entertainment. She wanted us to see that it was not just country music and the Grand Ole Opry.”
“My grandma passed in '78, and that's the year I started recording. It's also the year that my dad retired from his career. So it's funny how torches get passed on, and you feel a responsibility to be connected to the music that they did and try to carry it on in your own way.”
“In the late '70s, I was falling into the middle lane. I was way too country to be rock, and way too rock to be a country act.”
“I started playing piano when I was 6, ukulele at 7.”
“I like things all shined up and rocking with hooky pop choruses.”
“MusiCares was really good to me. I can't say enough how MusiCares helps other people. They really, really helped me. They have the greatest groups and support for musicians in recovery.”