- Mandy Barnett
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Mandy Barnett Background information Born September 28, 1975 Origin Crossville, Tennessee, USA Genres Country Occupations Singer Instruments Vocals Years active 1995–present Labels Capitol, Asylum Associated acts Patsy Cline, Kyle Lehning Amanda Carol "Mandy" Barnett (born September 28, 1975 in Crossville, Tennessee) is a country music singer and stage actress. In her musical career, she has released three albums and charted three singles on the Billboard country charts. Her highest-charting country single is "Now That's All Right With Me", which reached #43 in 1996. Barnett has also held the titular role in the musical Always… Patsy Cline, a musical based on the life of Patsy Cline.
Contents
Early life
Born Amanda Carol Barnett, she was the only child of Betty and Dan Barnett (who worked respectively as a bookkeeper and contractor). Barnett began her musical career by singing in church at the age of five. Her mother encouraged her by booking singing engagements wherever people would listen: bowling alleys, VFW halls and political rallies (notably for Lamar Alexander and future Vice President Al Gore, Jr.). When there was no venue, she would perform in parking lots. By age nine, her father financed a professionally recorded gospel music album. The following summer, she had joined a summer theatre cast at Dollywood and shared the stage with Dolly Parton herself. It was during her two years at Dollywood that she won a talent contest that included making a demo in Nashville.
Nashville
During the trip to Nashville, Betty Barnett worked to get her daughter a spot on "Midnight Jamboree" radio show, which aired after the Grand Ole Opry program on WSM-AM. Opry star George Hamilton IV was also a guest on the program. She was soon signed by producer Jimmy Bowen. The then 12-year-old Barnett earned a lot of industry buzz after her debut on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, covering Patsy Cline's "Crazy."
Bowen's career transitioned from label to label at the time. Each time, he took Barnett with him, and despite constant training and development funding, no album ever resulted. Barnett graduated from high school in 1993 and headed back to Nashville full-time to seek her fortune, though Capitol Records dropped her that December.
As a teenager, Mandy starred as country music legend Patsy Cline in the stage show "Always...Patsy Cline" at the celebrated Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. The performances were sold out nightly and received rave reviews across the country. Mandy, in role as Patsy appears on the Decca Records cast recording.
She soon signed with Asylum Records where she released her first CD as herself, appropriately entitled, "Mandy Barnett." The album received glowing reviews in major trade publications and magazines, including "Playboy" and "Time," as well as praise from veteran country artists and fans.
In due course, Seymour Stein, who introduced the world to Madonna, Seal, The Barenaked Ladies, k.d. lang, heard Mandy's voice and was, he said, "spellbound." When Stein launched Sire Records within Warner Music Group, Mandy was the first artist he signed. Mandy's Sire Records project paired her with the undisputed pioneer of the Nashville Sound, producer Owen Bradley. The album "I've Got A Right To Cry," would be his final contribution to the community who knew him through his work with legends Ernest Tubb, Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline and Kitty Wells. Owen died four songs into the project but not before leaving his unmistakable mark on the album. His brother and longtime partner, Harold Bradley, inherited the delicate task of finishing the album with Mandy. A legal pad filled with Owen's handwritten notes for each song guided the two through the rest of the sessions.
"I've Got A Right To Cry" was a huge critical success. "Rolling Stone" magazine named the project the top country album of 1999. Other stellar reviews appeared in "People," "Newsweek," "Interview," and multiple national newspapers. Mandy appeared on the "The Late Show with David Letterman" and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" as a result of her acclaim.
In addition to her own CD's she has been featured on a variety of movie soundtracks, including "A Walk On The Moon," "Traveller," "Space Cowboys" "Election," and "Drop Dead Gorgeous. She also sang on the SpongeBob SquarePants CD, "The Best Day Ever," released in late 2006.
In 2009 she reprised her role as Patsy Cline in the smash musical "Always...Patsy Cline" for a special 15 year anniversary performance at the historic Ryman Auditorium, she will return to the role in June 2010 for a brief run at the Ryman Auditorium. She continues to play shows, both nationally and internationally, singing country classics and the American song book along with the Cline numbers that brought her to fame. She is a frequent guest on the Grand Ole Opry.
Discography
Albums
Title Details Peak chart positions US Country US Heat CAN Country Mandy Barnett - Release date: February 27, 1996
- Label: Asylum Records
60 — 28 I've Got a Right to Cry - Release date: April 13, 1999
- Label: Sire Records
45 47 — The Platinum Collection - Release date: June 26, 2006
- Label: WEA
— — — Winter Wonderland - Release date: September 20, 2010
- Label: Rounder/Cracker Barrel
43 10 — Sweet Dreams - Release date: May 24, 2011
- Label: Opry Music
— — — Singles
Year Title Chart Positions Album US Country CAN Country 1995 "An Unforgettable Voice" — — Single only 1996 "Now That's All Right with Me" 43 64 Mandy Barnett "Maybe" 65 93 "A Simple I Love You" 72 — 1999 "I've Got a Right to Cry" — — I've Got a Right to Cry "The Whispering Wind (Blows On By)" — — Guest singles
Year Single Artist US Country Album 1996 "Hope" Various Artists 57 single only Guest appearances
Year Title Song 1997 AFTRA First Tuesday Singers Showcase "When We Ran" Traveller (soundtrack) "Dream Lover"
"Searching (For Someone Like You)"
"Dark Moon"1999 A Walk on the Moon (soundtrack) "Town Without Pity" Election (soundtrack) "If You'll Be the Teacher" Drop Dead Gorgeous (soundtrack) "Beautiful Dreamer" All the Lonely (Songs by John Pennell) "No One Knows" 2000 Space Cowboys (soundtrack) "I Only Have Eyes for You" 2001 Good Rockin' Tonight (The Legacy of Sun Records) "You Win Again" 2002 Caught in the Webb (A Tribute to Webb Pierce) "Slowly" 2007 Crazy (soundtrack) "Walking After Midnight"
"I Fall to Pieces"Recordings with other artists
Year Artist Title Song(s) Participation Format(s) 1996 Various Artists Hope - Country Music's Quest For A Cure Hope (All Star Version A)
Hope (All Star Version B)Background Vocals Cassette Single
7" 45 RPM Vinyl Single
CD Single1996 Kenny Chesney Me and You Ain't That Love Background Vocals Cassette Tape
CD1997 Kim Richey Bitter Sweet I'm Alright Background Vocals Cassette Tape
CD1997 Gail Davies Greatest Hits Unwed Fathers Background Vocals CD 1998 Don Walser Down at the Sky-Vue Drive-In Are You Teasing Me?
Hearts Made Of StoneDuets CD 1998 Various Artists The Songs of Dwight Yoakam - Will Sing For Food Near You Kim Richey sings Lead
Mandy sings Background VocalsCD 2000 Ray Price Prisoner of Love Various Tracks Background Vocals CD 2000 Melvin Sloan and Friends Pick and Sing Opry Favorites Waltz Across Texas Duet CD 2001 Gail Davies and Friends Live and Unplugged at the Station Inn Bucket To The South Background Vocals CD 2001 Rosie Flores Speed of Sound Rock-A-Bye Boogie Background Vocals CD 2001 Asleep At The Wheel The Very Best Of The Letter (That Johnny Walker Read) Duet CD 2001 Jesse Dayton Hey Nashvegas! Hey Nashvegas!
Don't Take YesterdayBackground Vocals CD 2002 Various Artists Dressed In Black - A Tribute To Johnny Cash Jackson Duet With Chuck Mead CD 2006 SpongeBob SquarePants The Best Day Ever Various Tracks Background Vocals CD Videos
Year Title Song(s) Format(s) 2001
2005Opry Family Reunion - Volume Four (VHS)
Country's Family Reunion at the Opry - Volume Four (DVD/VHS)Hurt
CrazySee Title 2001
2005Opry Family Reunion - Volume Six (VHS)
Country's Family Reunion at the Ryman - Volume Two (DVD/VHS)Legend in My Time See Title Music videos
Year Video Director 1996 "Now That's All Right with Me" Norman Jean Roy "Maybe" 1997 "Planet of Love" David McClister 1999 "The Whispering Wind (Blows on By)"[1] 2010 "This Time of the Year" References
External links
Categories:- 1975 births
- American country singers
- American female singers
- Living people
- Asylum Records artists
- People from Cumberland County, Tennessee
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