Misplaced Pages

Sue Ann Carwell

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Proscribe (talk | contribs) at 20:52, 28 December 2024 (refs added). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Revision as of 20:52, 28 December 2024 by Proscribe (talk | contribs) (refs added)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) American singer/songwriter
Sue Ann Carwell
Also known asSue Ann
BornChicago, Illinois, U.S.
GenresMinneapolis sound, funk, R&B, Blues
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, vocals arranger
Years active1970s–present
Musical artist

Sue Ann Carwell is an American singer/songwriter who was an early contributor to the Minneapolis sound pioneered by Prince in the late 1970s. In addition to working as a background singer with many prominent artists, she recorded two albums in the 1980s – Sue Ann (1981) and Blue Velvet (1988) – with a third album, Painkiller, being released in 1992, and in 2010 an album called Blues In My Sunshine, featuring Jesse Johnson.

Notable artists with whom Carwell has collaborated as vocalist or vocals arranger since the 1970s include, among many others, Prince, Jesse Johnson, Al Jarreau, George Benson, Lionel Richie, The Brecker Brothers, George Duke, Boney James, Bobby Brown, Britney Spears, Celine Dion, Cher, Christina Aguilera, Chanté Moore, David Foster, Shanice, Shola Ama, Jeff Golub, Geri Halliwell, Elvis Costello, Rod Stewart, Barbra Streisand, Nancy Wilson, Johnny Winter, Ronan Keating, Toni Braxton, Sheena Easton, Zac Harmon, Oleta Adams, Mya, Kirk Whalum, Tony Toni Toné, CeCe Winans, Whitney Houston, Diane Warren, Chaka Khan and Rufus. Carwell is also a prolific songwriter, whose compositions have been widely performed.

Career

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Carwell as a young child moved with her family to Minneapolis, Minnesota. She showed musical potential when she was very young, and as a teenager she began singing on the Minneapolis R&B scene, winning talent shows, and working with musicians including funk band Flyte Tyme, and the likes of Jesse Johnson. After she was spotted singing at the Elks Club by bass guitarist André Cymone, Prince attended one of her performances, and she became a protégée of his; however, she resisted his suggestion that she used the name "Susie Stone", and recordings Prince had been working on with her for a projected 1978 album ("I'm Saving It Up", "Make It Through the Storm", "Since We've Been Together" and "Wouldn't You Love To Love Me?") were not released.

In 1981, aged 19, Carwell released a debut album, titled Sue Ann, on Warner Bros Records. Her second album, Blue Velvet (1988), was produced by Jesse Johnson; as noted by reviewer Justin Kantor, the album "offers generous portions of a tasty entree ... in gems like the down 'n dirty 'Fiction'; the melodic, midtempo 'Pleasure' ; and the serene, rhythmic ballad 'I'll Give You Love.' A true vocal chameleon, Sue Ann plays the sassy, no-holds-barred street diva on 'Fiction,' while she's sultry and jazzy on the Robert Brookins-produced 'Pleasure,' and straightforward and sensitive on 'I'll Give You Love.'

Reviewing Carwell's 1992 album, Painkiller, AllMusic said that it "effectively showcases her as a sassy soul diva", describing it as "an impressive offering", while her 2010 album, Blues In My Sunshine, was characterised by Casey Rain as "phenomenal".

Selected discography

Solo albums

  • 1981: Sue Ann (Warner Bros. Records)
  • 1988: Blue Velvet (MCA Records)
  • 1992: Painkiller (MCA Records)
  • 2010: Blues In My Sunshine, featuring Jesse Johnson (Another Level Records, 789577643727)

Solo singles

  • 1981: "Let Me Let You Rock Me / Let Me Let You Rock Me" (Warner Bros. Records)
  • 1988: "I'll Give You Love" (MCA Records)
  • 1988: "Pleasure" (MCA Records)
  • 1988: "Rock Steady" (MCA Records)
  • 1992: "7 Days 7 Nights" (MCA Records)
  • 1992: "Sex Or Love" (MCA Records)
  • 1992: "Here 4 U"

Appears on

References

  1. ^ Swensson, Andrea (March 8, 2018). "20 pioneering women in Minnesota music". The Current. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  2. "Sue Ann Carwell | Credits". Rate Your Music. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  3. "Sue Ann Carwell | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
  4. "Chaka Khan & Rufus - I'm A Woman Reaction". The True Rock And Roll Podcast – via YouTube.
  5. "Carwell Sue Ann". ASCAP | Repertory. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  6. "Sue Ann Carwell". RYM. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  7. ^ "'TRUTH IN RHYTHM' - Sueann Carwell (Prince, Jesse Johnson), Part 1 of 2". Funknstuff. June 8, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2024 – via YouTube.
  8. "Purple Snow — An Introduction to the Twin Cities Sound". Numero Group | Stories. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
  9. Barendregt, Erwin (October 27, 2019). "Jesse Johnson – Verbal Penetration". A Pop Life. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  10. "Associated artists & people | Sue Anne Carwell". Prince.org. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  11. "Early Prince side projects that never got off the Ground". Lipstick Alley. August 24, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  12. "Fascinating early Prince side projects that never got off the ground". Dangerous Minds. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
  13. "Untitled 'Suzie Stone' album". princevault.com. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
  14. "Wouldn't You Love to Love Me?". November 3, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
  15. ^ Rain, Casey (February 9, 2019). "An Introduction to Jesse Johnson — #PrinceCelebration2019". The Violet Reality. Retrieved December 27, 2024 – via Medium.
  16. Kantor, Justin. "Blue Velvet Review". AllMusic. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  17. Kantor, Justin. "Painkiller Review". AllMusic. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  18. Carwell, Sue Ann. "Sue Ann". RY. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  19. "Sue Ann* – Sue Ann" at Discogs.
  20. Sue Ann. "Blue Velvet". RYM. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  21. "Sue Ann* – Blue Velvet" at Discogs.
  22. Carwell, Sue Ann. "Painkiller". RYM. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  23. "Sue Ann Carwell – Painkiller" at Discogs.
  24. "Blues In My Sunshine" at Discogs.
  25. "Sue Ann Carwell | Blues In My Sunshine". thefunkstore.com. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
  26. "Let Me Let You Rock Me". princevault.com. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  27. "Sue Ann Carwell - 7 Days 7 Nights", via YouTube.
  28. "Here 4 U" at AllMusic.
  29. "Here 4 U", TikTok.
  30. "Beverly Hills Cop II". RYM. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
  31. "Because You Loved Me" – via YouTube.
  32. Elliot, Richard. "Crush". RYM. Retrieved December 27, 2024.

Further reading

External links

Categories: