Deana Kay Carter was born on January 4th, 1966 in Nashville, TN to Anna and Fred Carter Jr. She was named after famous Rat Pack icon, Dean Martin and had two brothers, Ronnie and Jeff.

Despite her famous father, Deana did not find initial success in the recording industry. Rather than pursuing a career in music with full-force, Carter chose to attend college at the University of Tennessee to study rehabilitation therapy. While in college, Carter became a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority and continued to perform for fun at various campus events to fulfill her love for singing.

Just when Carter had thought to have left behind the dream of having a career in music, one of her demo tapes caught the attention of none other than Willie Nelson, who invited her to perform at the 1994 Farm Aid concert–she was the only female solo performer. It was the same work tape that landed her first record deal with Capitol Records, a few short months later.

In 1996, Carter released her debut single “Strawberry Wine,” which soared to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country charts and won a CMA Award for Single of the Year. In the same year, Carter was also nominated for CMA’s Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year, Music Video of the Year and the Horizon Award. Her debut album, Did I Shave My Legs For This? was released in the United States following the release of the single and reached the No. 2 spot for the U.S. Top Country Album charts.

In 1997, Carter was featured in the film soundtrack for the animated movie “Anastasia,” singing “Once Upon a December.” Carter released several albums on various record labels from the late 90s through 2007. None of her later projects were able to match the success of her initial single, “Strawberry Wine.” However, in 2012, Kenny Chesney recorded one of her songs, “You and Tequila,” earning Carter a CMA Award nomination for Song of the Year and a Grammy nomination for Best Country Song.

To learn more about Deana Carter, please visit https://deana.com.