Information/Write-up
Carol McCartney is a Toronto-born vocalist whose career spans pop, country, jazz, and orchestral performance, marked by technical command, stylistic range, and long-standing ties to Canada’s jazz elite.
Raised in northwestern Toronto, McCartney grew up immersed in music. Her father, an accountant who moonlighted as a DJ, filled the house with records ranging from Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash to Andy Williams and Jeanette Renoud, while her mother sang in the church choir. McCartney herself sang in church for nearly a decade before discovering her confidence as a solo performer in high school, where she landed the lead in the musical The Me Nobody Knows. The experience proved pivotal, revealing performance as a viable calling rather than a pastime.
She went on to formal training at Sheridan College, studying music theatre performance and developing the foundation of a career built on versatility. Early professional work included joining a touring show band in the early 1980s, followed by steady engagements across Ontario in hotel lounges, jazz rooms, and big bands. These years established her reputation as a dependable and adaptable vocalist, equally comfortable with pop repertoire, jazz standards, and ensemble work.
McCartney first reached national attention in 1978 when she was crowned Miss Toronto and subsequently placed fourth at the Miss Canada pageant, hosted by Jim Perry. Shortly thereafter, she entered the recording studio, releasing the LP Stop Foolin’ Around for Century Recording And Productions Inc. The album placed her in a polished Toronto studio context, working closely with composer and producer Paul J. Zaza and drawing connections to film and commercial music of the period. During the same era she also released club-oriented 12-inch singles, including the Hi‑NRG extended mix of ‘If You Love Me Like You Say You Love Me’, bridging pop, dance, and studio-driven production styles.
Through the late 1980s and 1990s, McCartney remained highly active as a live performer, appearing at major venues and collaborating with orchestras and big bands. A major component of her orchestral work took place later, between roughly 2007 and 2017, through an extensive touring collaboration with American clarinetist Dave Bennett. Working as part of a sextet with orchestra, McCartney appeared with leading symphony orchestras across the United States and Canada, beginning with a five-show run with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and continuing with engagements in Omaha, Nashville, Sarasota, Modesto, Portland, New Mexico, and Rochester, as well as Toronto and Vancouver, among many others. In these programs, McCartney appeared as the featured vocalist with the Dave Bennett ensemble. Over the course of that decade, the project featured two distinct concert programs and became a defining platform for her orchestral performances. She developed a particularly significant professional relationship with vibraphonist Peter Appleyard, an original member of the Benny Goodman Sextet, who played a formative role in bringing her into high-level jazz performance environments alongside musicians such as Mel Lewis and Bucky Pizzarelli. She also became a frequent featured vocalist with leading Canadian ensembles, including the Rex Hotel Orchestra under trumpeter and arranger John MacLeod.
In the early 2000s, McCartney shifted focus toward songwriting and contemporary roots-based material, releasing the album Let The Girl Drive in 2002. The record reflected her interest in country‑pop and adult rock, emphasizing narrative songwriting and personal themes of independence and self-direction. During this period she also maintained a busy schedule of studio work, theatre roles, and live performances across Canada.
Jazz became the central focus of her recorded output in the mid‑2000s. Her 2007 album A Night in Tunisia marked a decisive turn toward straight‑ahead jazz and vocal improvisation, featuring a hand‑picked group of mentors and long‑time collaborators. The recording showcased her growing confidence as a scat singer and interpreter, earning strong critical response and highlighting performances alongside figures such as Peter Appleyard, Guido Basso, Dave Young, and John Sherwood.
That trajectory continued with Be Cool (2014), a mature jazz vocal album recorded in Toronto with a core ensemble including Brian Dickinson, Terry Clarke, Lorne Lofsky, Mike Malone, and Kieran Overs. Drawing from lesser‑traveled standards and reimagined repertoire by writers such as Joni Mitchell, Wes Montgomery, and Jerome Kern, the album emphasized restraint, phrasing, and ensemble interplay. Critics noted the assurance and depth of her interpretations, placing the record among the stronger Canadian jazz vocal releases of the decade.
Alongside performance and recording, McCartney has remained committed to education and mentorship, teaching vocal jazz at Mohawk College and passing on the discipline and craft required for a sustainable career. Her professional life reflects a rare continuity: decades of full‑time work in music without abandoning performance for parallel careers, achieved through adaptability, preparation, and a willingness to move fluidly between genres.
-Robert Williston
(with artist comments incorporated Jan 13, 2026)
Musicians
Carol McCartney: lead vocals, backing vocals
Brian Leonard: drums
Richard Homme: bass
Guido Luciani: guitar
Paul J. Zaza: keyboards
Don Baird: synthesizers
Yvonne Murray: backing vocals
Stephanie Taylor: backing vocals
Judy Tate: backing vocals
Sharron Lee Williams: backing vocals
Songwriting
‘Stop Foolin’ Around’ written by Paul J. Zaza
‘Give It Up’ written by Paul J. Zaza
‘You Feel So Right’ written by Paul J. Zaza
‘Right Now’ written by Paul J. Zaza
‘I Can’t Understand’ written by Don Baird and Paula Whitlock
‘If You Love Me Like You Say You Love Me’ written by Willie Clarke and Clarence Reid
‘Some Day You’ll Know’ written by Paul J. Zaza
‘Slow Down’ written by Don Baird and Paula Whitlock
‘You Got Me Runnin’’ written by Don Baird and Paula Whitlock
All songs published by Zedessepe/CAPAC
‘If You Love Me Like You Say You Love Me’ published by Sherlyn Pub. Co.
Production
Produced by Paul J. Zaza and Phil Orsino
Produced by Don Baird and Paul J. Zaza (‘I Can’t Understand’, ‘Slow Down’, ‘You Got Me Runnin’’)
Produced by Robert Ouimet, Domenic Bassal, Paul J. Zaza and Phil Orsino (‘If You Love Me Like You Say You Love Me’)
Recorded and mixed at Zaza Sound Studios, Toronto, Ontario
Executive producers: Phil Orsino, Arnold Rubin
Artwork
Photography (front and back) by Larry Miller
Plum Studios Inc.
Make-up and hair stylist: Rose Marie
Notes
Special thanks to Kas Rubin
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