Kendel Carson

Kendel Carson (born c. 1985) is a Canadian singer and fiddler. She performs with the folk music band The Paperboys, but is best known internationally as a roots/country solo artist. In late 2012, Carson joined Alan Doyle & The Beautiful Gypsies, since renamed Alan Doyle & The Beautiful Beautiful Band. She continues to tour, perform, and record with the group.

Kendel Carson
Kendel Carson plays on the CBC Plaza in Vancouver
Background information
Birth name	Kendel Carson
Born	(1985-12-03) 3 December 1985 (age 39)
Origin	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Genres	Country
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)	Fiddle, guitar
Years active	c. 1998–present
Labels	Train Wreck
Website	kendelcarson.com

Life and career

She was born in Calgary, Alberta, and at the age of seven she moved with her family to Victoria, British Columbia. She started to play the violin at age three. She studied classical music, and at age twelve she and her brother Tyler Carson were regular soloists for a children's concert series with the Victoria Symphony.^[1] In 2003, she played with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.^[2]

Along with her interest in classical music, she and her brother enjoyed other genres of music and they performed as buskers on the streets of Victoria. She once played an impromptu fiddle accompaniment for Spirit of the West. Following her stint with the Youth Orchestra, she joined the Celtic rock group The Paperboys in Vancouver on the strength of her experience with Spirit of the West.^[1] She also performed with Spirit of the West at several shows in 2012 when regular member Geoffrey Kelly was ill.

Carson in November 2010

Later, at an outdoor concert with The Paperboys, she met Chip Taylor, the noted songwriter famous for such songs as "Angel of the Morning", and he became her mentor, musical partner, and producer. With Taylor, she has developed her vocal talents along with her fiddling. She records for Taylor's Train Wreck Records, and they have performed together in North America and in Europe.^[3]

Her first album with Taylor, Rearview Mirror Tears was named by Q Magazine as one of the five best roots albums of 2007. XM Radio declared it one of the top ten country albums of the year.^[4]

She also records and performs with Stephanie Cadman and Miranda Mulholland in a country music trio called Belle Starr. For the past several years she has also performed with Barney Bentall and the Grand Cariboo Opry. In late 2012, she became a member of Alan Doyle's band during the tour in support of his solo album, Boy on Bridge (2012). While Carson does not appear on the album itself,^[5] she became a full time member of his band, Alan Doyle & The Beautiful Beautiful Band and appears on Alan Doyle's next three albums: So Let's Go (2015), A Week at the Warehouse (2017) and Rough Side Out (2020).^[6]

She lists Janis Joplin, Lucinda Williams, The Band, and Emmylou Harris among her many influences.^[1]

Discography

Solo

• Rearview Mirror Tears (debut, 2006)
• Alright Dynamite (2009)
• The Lost Tapes of Suzanna Hamilton (2018)
• The Calgary Sessions (2018)

with Belle Starr

• The Burning of Atlanta (EP, 2012)
• Belle Starr (2013)^[7]

with Outlaw Social

• A Seven Song E.P. (2006)^[8]
• Dry Bones (2007)

with Alan Doyle

• So Let's Go (2015) ^[6]
• A Week at the Warehouse (2017) ^[6]
• Rough Side Out (2020) ^[6]
• Welcome Home (2024) ^[6]