McCartney, Carol - Let The Girl Drive

Tracks

		Track Name	Length
	1	A Man Like You	03:27
	2	I am	03:36
	3	You Made Your Bed	03:09
	4	Is There Anybody Out There	04:38
	5	Let the Girl Drive	02:59
	6	Just Kiss Me	03:34
	7	Gettin' Somewhere	04:05
	8	I Was Just Starting To Like You	03:46
	9	He Said, She Said	03:19
	10	I Know You by Heart	04:26
	11	Heart to Heart	03:29

Photos

Videos

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Information/Write-up

With the full support of Carol McCartney, this album is presented for streaming exclusively through the Museum of Canadian Music at citizenfreak.com.

Artist bio:
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: vocals
Thomas Wade: acoustic guitar, electric guitar, backing vocals
Steve Adams: acoustic guitar, nylon-string guitar, dobro
Paul Chapman: electric guitar, mandolin
Jason Barry: acoustic guitar, electric guitar, backing vocals
Steve Hogg: acoustic guitar, bass
Darren Schott: slide guitar, mandolin
Doug Johnson: steel guitar
Russ Boswell: bass
John Dymond: bass
George Kollner: acoustic bass
Randy Cooke: drums
Jim Boudreau: drums
Don Reed: fiddle
Shane Guse: fiddle
Roly Platt: harmonica
Steve O’Connor: accordion, keyboards
Art Avalos: percussion
John Sheard: piano

Stacey Lee: backing vocals
Beverley Mahood: backing vocals
Giselle: backing vocals
Diane Chase: backing vocals
Katlin Kiss: backing vocals
Jeremy Williams: backing vocals
Jamie Warren: backing vocals

Production
Produced by Thomas Wade and J. Richard Hutt
Recorded at Lydian Sound, Toronto, Ontario
Engineered by John Bailey
Additional recording and mixing at Cedar Tree Studios
Engineered by J. Richard Hutt and Cory Barnes
Mixed by Cory Barnes and J. Richard Hutt
Digital editing and sequencing (all tracks) by J. Richard Hutt
Mastered at Cedar Tree Studio, Kitchener by J. Richard Hutt

Management
MOXY Music

Artwork
Design by Tony Delitala, Delitala Design Inc.
Photography by Denise Grant
Make-up artist Michelle Tanega-Palma
Hair stylist Sandra Braga
Stylist Kelly Bodanis

Distribution
Distributed by Spin Records, Page Music, EMI.

Copyright
©2002 Moxy Productions Inc.

Thanks
I'd like to thank my producers, Rick Hutt and Thomas Wade - two of my favorite guys in the world, who's brilliance and guidance "drove" this whole project. Thank you for all the time and care spent on this recording. And remember, it's all about "...the Cheeks!..."

I've had the opportunity to write with most of Canada's finest. A huge thank-you to Thomas Wade, Jamie Warren, Rick Hutt, Ron Hiller, Tim Taylor, Gwen Swick, Bruce Madle, Brian Wray and Mike Downes.

Thanks to Spin Records and Cedar Tree Recording Studio - especially Su McKillop who welcomed me so warmly; Beverly Mahood, Stacey Lee, Giselle, Diane Chase, Tracey McKillop, Tom Cross, Rick Hutt, Doug Biggs, Jason Barry, Karen Cross, Beth Warren - and Doris and her banana muffins (many of which now reside on my hips).

You're only as good as the musicians you work with, I've been fortunate to work with the best on this record - a heartfelt thanks to all of you, and to Cory Barnes for his fabulous engineering skills.

I could not have made this record without the support of FACTOR - thank you Heather Ostertag for working so hard for the arts, and Karen Switzer for answering my questions so well.

I have two friends who helped me get it all started - maybe the hardest part of making a record - Victor & Rosanne Deschenes of Expedite Plus; thanks for your friendship. Ditto to Rob Bryant & Judy Mead, Donnie Bowes, Kelly Bodanis, Dr. Mary Wong, Tony & Wanda Delitala for the beautiful design, and Denise Grant and Bern for the fabulous photos.

Finally, thanks to my family: My parents Bob and Shirley, my brother and sister, Kim and Coleen, my best friend Donna, and my husband Jesse and son Liam, who I love and adore and are a constant source of inspiration.

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Music Fund for this project.

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