Kim Carnes Bio
Kim Carnes, born on July 20, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, is an American singer and songwriter whose raspy, distinctive voice helped define a generation of early-1980s pop rock. She began writing and performing in the early 1960s and built a steady career as both a recording artist and a behind-the-scenes songwriter before achieving worldwide fame with the 1981 smash single “Bette Davis Eyes.” That song spent nine weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and turned Carnes into a household name. Over the decades she has recorded charting singles across pop, rock, and country, collaborated with artists such as Kenny Rogers and Barbra Streisand, and penned songs recorded by Vince Gill, Reba McEntire, and Tim McGraw. Carnes now resides in Nashville with her husband, David Ellingson.
Working across genres including pop rock, soft rock, country, and folk, Carnes has remained active as a recording artist and songwriter from 1962 through the present day. Her songwriting catalog and her collaborations with major artists have kept her influence alive in Nashville long after her biggest chart moment. She continues to be regarded as one of the most distinctive vocalists of her era.
Early Life and Background
Kim Carnes was born on July 20, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, to James Raymond Carnes, an attorney, and a mother who worked as a hospital administrator. Although she grew up in a non-musical household, Carnes has said she knew from the age of three that she wanted to become a singer and songwriter. She has recalled that her mother did not relate to her career choice and that her father, as a lawyer, did not initially view singing and writing as a real profession.
Her early environment in Los Angeles exposed her to a wide range of musical styles that would later shape her sound. Despite the lack of a family music background, Carnes pursued her passion throughout her childhood and teenage years. By the early 1960s she had begun performing professionally, laying the groundwork for a career that would eventually cross genres and continents.
Her father’s career in law and her mother’s career in hospital administration kept the family rooted in professional, non-entertainment fields. That contrast between her parents’ work and her own ambitions became a driving force in Carnes’s determination to build a life in music.
Path to Music
Carnes signed her first publishing deal with producer Jimmy Bowen, who also worked with writers such as Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and JD Souther. During this period she shared demo-recording time with those future stars and sang “Nobody Knows,” written by Mike Settle, which was featured prominently in the 1971 film Vanishing Point. The film also featured her first cut as a songwriter, “Sing Out for Jesus,” recorded by Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton.
In the early 1970s, Carnes and her husband, Dave Ellingson, co-wrote several songs with David Cassidy, who was at the peak of his international fame. Carnes and Ellingson toured the world with Cassidy as an opening act, and Cassidy’s albums Rock Me Baby, Dreams Are Nuthin’ More Than Wishes, and Cassidy Live! included songs penned by Carnes alongside Ellingson and Cassidy. Carnes also contributed backing vocals to those projects, sharpening her studio craft during years of steady, low-profile work.
After signing with Amos Records, Carnes released her debut solo album, Rest on Me, in 1971. It was produced by Jimmy Bowen and signaled her arrival as a recording artist in her own right, even though mainstream chart success still lay years away.
Kim Carnes Career
Early Career (1971-1979)
In 1975, Carnes released her self-titled second album on A&M Records, and her first chart single, “You’re a Part of Me,” reached No. 32 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The song was also recorded by Rita Coolidge and Anne Murray, and Carnes later re-recorded a duet version with Gene Cotton that reached No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100. Most of the tracks on this second album were written by Carnes and Ellingson.
Her third album, Sailin’, was produced by Jerry Wexler and released in 1976. One of its tracks, “Love Comes from Unexpected Places,” won the Grand Prize at the 1976 American Song Festival and the award for Best Composition at the Tokyo Song Festival. The song later gained additional attention when Barbra Streisand recorded it for her 1977 album Superman. Streisand also recorded Carnes’s “Stay Away” on her 1978 album Songbird.
Breakthrough (1980-1981)
In 1980, Carnes and Ellingson were commissioned by Kenny Rogers to write the songs for his concept album Gideon. Their duet “Don’t Fall in Love with a Dreamer” reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned the duo a Grammy Award nomination. Later that year, Carnes’s cover of Smokey Robinson’s “More Love,” from her fifth album Romance Dance, hit No. 10 on the pop chart, giving her her first solo top-10 hit.
In 1981, Carnes recorded “Bette Davis Eyes,” a song originally written by Jackie DeShannon and Donna Weiss in 1974. Released as the first single from her album Mistaken Identity, it spent nine weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the biggest hit of 1981 in the United States. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for four weeks and was certified Platinum. The song won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, and the album was nominated for Album of the Year.
The single “Bette Davis Eyes” was produced by Val Garay, with its signature keyboard lick performed by Bill Cuomo. Actress Bette Davis personally thanked Carnes and the songwriters after the song’s release, and the two formed a friendship that lasted until Davis’s death in 1989. Carnes even performed the song live for Davis at a tribute event held shortly before the actress passed away.
Notable Works and Milestones
Carnes’s signature achievement remains “Bette Davis Eyes” and its parent album Mistaken Identity (1981), both of which earned multi-Platinum status and major Grammy recognition. Her later singles “Draw of the Cards,” “Crazy in the Night (Barking at Airplanes),” “Make No Mistake, He’s Mine” with Barbra Streisand, and “What About Me?” with Kenny Rogers and James Ingram all charted in the 1980s. As a songwriter she co-wrote “The Heart Won’t Lie” with Donna Weiss, recorded by Vince Gill and Reba McEntire, which became a No. 1 country duet in 1993.
Kim Carnes Award Nominations
Across her career, Kim Carnes has received eight Grammy Award nominations spanning categories such as Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Performance Female, Best Rock Vocal Performance Female, and Album of the Year. Her duet with Kenny Rogers, “Don’t Fall in Love with a Dreamer,” earned a Grammy nomination, and her album Mistaken Identity was nominated for Album of the Year. Carnes also earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Vocal Performance Female for “Voyeur” and another for “Invisible Hands” in 1984.
Kim Carnes Awards Won
Kim Carnes has won two Grammy Awards, both for “Bette Davis Eyes,” taking home Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 1982 Grammy ceremony. Earlier in her career, her song “Love Comes from Unexpected Places” won Grand Prize at the 1976 American Song Festival and earned the award for Best Composition at the Tokyo Song Festival. These three major honors, combined with the commercial success of “Bette Davis Eyes,” cemented her place among the most recognized singer-songwriters of her era.
Kim Carnes Family
Kim Carnes has been married to songwriter and musician David Ellingson since 1967, and the couple has collaborated on much of her recorded work. They have two sons, Collin and Ry. Several of Ellingson’s writing and production credits appear across Carnes’s albums, and the partnership has been a steady creative anchor throughout her career.
Ry Carnes, who is named after musician Ry Cooder, has contributed vocals to his mother’s recordings, including “Rough Edges” from the album Barking at Airplanes. Collin Carnes has co-written songs with his mother, including “Divided Hearts,” “Gypsy Honeymoon,” “Don’t Cry Now,” and “River of Memories,” and is featured on the album Barking at Airplanes at the opening of “Crazy in the Night.”
Personal Life
Carnes resides in Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband, Dave Ellingson. She balances her life as a recording artist with her long-running work as a Nashville songwriter, providing backing vocals and writing material for a wide range of country and pop artists. Her son Collin has followed her into the songwriting craft, while her son Ry has joined her in the studio on vocal projects.
Beyond her music, Carnes has contributed to charitable efforts, including performing at the 2021 online Rheneypalooza Jam to raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. She also took part in the 1985 USA for Africa collaboration “We Are the World,” appearing in the music video and singing a line of the song’s bridge alongside Huey Lewis and Cyndi Lauper.