Carolyn Martin - Tennessee Local (2012)

Some folks may not be too familiar with Western Swing, but more than one knowledgeable observer has described Western Swing as 'Big band jazz, with fiddle and steel instead of trumpets and saxes'. Western Swing is a style of music that was born in Texas, matured in Oklahoma during the 1930s and California during the war years and became popular throughout the United States in the 1950's. It's an amalgamation of the music of the big band era, blues, dixieland and the popular songs of the 20's, 30's and 40's combined with the ethnic styles of Mexican, Czech, German and Appalachian music. Carolyn's music draws inspiration not only from the classic western swing groups of the 1930s through the 1950s, but also from the big band swing era, broadway show tunes, and southern blues. Her latest latest CD 'Cookin' With Carolyn' was named the 2011 Best Western Swing Album by the Western Music Association while her prior project, 'Swing' was named as one of the top Swing CD's of the year in 2009. Carolyn was recently named the 2010 Western Swing Female Vocalist of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists, what nominated by the Western Music Association for 4 awards in 2010 (including, Album of the year and Female Vocalist of the Year) and was inducted into the Texas Western Swing Hall Of Fame in 2011.