Featured Artist

Carol Ann Jones

All Arts Council of Franklin County

      Carol Ann Jones of Georgia is a singer, songwriter, and recording artist. She's also a dairy farmer and an accountant who write songs about her own experiences. She is a Summer Sounds favorite who performs rock, country, pop, jazz and blues, as a solo, duo or with her full band, The Superchargers.
      Ms. Jones hopes her music brings peace or a big smile. "I sang on church choirs and took vocal lessons," she told me in 2009. "I sang to the cows while I was milking. I don't do that any more." She also sang with the Champlain Echoes, the Hallmark Jazz Quartet at Chow!Bella, and Pine Street Jazz. She has been singing all her life but she bought her first acoustic guitar in 2006.
      It's nice to find another car nut who can sing. Her family has a '37 Cord, two Sharknose '39 Grahams, and more, a total of 22 vehicles, she thinks. The Cord and one Graham are supercharged, hence the name of the band. She even drives a turbocharged '63 Corvair convertible. She writes from her day-to-day life and wisdom she can share.
      Ms. Jones' debut indie album, Out of the Blue, showcased her broad range from Mr. Engineer (that would be St. Albans' theme song) to the Farmhouse Blues. The song, All About the Wheels, is perfect listening in the ragtop with the top down, the volume cranked, doing the funky hand dance above the windshield. It was featured on Car Talk.
      Her second CD, Hope, is an acoustic album that she recorded with Colin McCaffrey. It's in the country-folk genre with songs and ballads she wrote for specific family and friends.
      She has released her third album, Supercharged! of pedal-to-the metal, original Americana music. "The performers on the CD are the band you hear live," she said. Andre Maquera, Will Patton, Gary Spaulding, and Thomas Carvey form the Superchargers. The CD Release party will be in February at Twiggs.
      It's a bright, exciting album. "The first 11 songs are upbeat," she said.
      Hummingbird Song, one of two bonus tracks, came straight from St. Albans Health and Rehab where she sings every day. The music helps the residents tap into memories they couldn't otherwise find. Still, working there means dealing with the loss of friends.
      "I took a week off in November and spent the time with my grandkids, writing music and getting ready for the holidays, and recharging to go back to work."
      Music sales are often slow for an independent artist. Fewer and fewer stores have room for inventory so it can be hard to find on the shelves. Even Barnes and Noble has no local music anymore.
      "I always sell CDs when I'm playing live," she said. "The most I sell are at concerts."
      Buckle Down Baby, the first song on Supercharged, is available for free download here (right click the link and choose "save as"). The entire CD can be found at Just the Place in St Albans and Haymaker Press in Morrisville as well as at cdbaby.com and amazon.com (CDBaby pays slightly more to musicians than Amazon).

 

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All Arts Council of Franklin County

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