Carolyn Wonderland has the heart of a wise old bluesman and roadhouse guitar chops few women attempt, much less master. Raised in a family that surrounded itself with fiddles, guitars and pianos, she launched her career in 1990 by filling a Tuesday night slot at the Last Concert Café in Houston. She and her trusty band, the Imperial Monkeys, eventually became regional jukebox heroes, garnering Houston Press awards for Best Blues Band, Best Album and Musicians Of The Year. Two of their releases, 2001's Alcohol & Salvation and 2003's Bloodless Revolution, found admirers ranging from Tex-Mex standard bearer Doug Sahm to Bob Dylan.
Wonderland, who eventually found a home in Austin, has toured with Buddy Guy and Johnny Winter, and absorbed lessons from Robert Earl Keen and Los Lobos. Her road-honed sound has grown to encompass roots rock, dirty blues, country swing and anything else that scoots boots (biker, cowboy or otherwise). In addition to her own recordings, she joined Jerry Lightfoot's Band Of Wonder on his Texistentialism CD. She and band mate Scott Daniels play in the Loose Affiliation Of Saints And Sinners, an Austin songwriters' collective (Sessions From The Hotel San Jose, Rm. 50), and she regularly jams with the Southern rock band Sis DeVille as well as the Austin Volunteer Orchestra.
Her most recent release, Miss Understood, was produced by Asleep At The Wheel's Ray Benson. On it, she covers songs by J.J. Cale, Bruce Robison, Rick Derringer and Terri Hendrix, and she enjoys the company of guest musicians including Benson, Lloyd Maines and Jamie Oldaker, among others.
Provenance: Houston, Texas
Latest release: Miss Understood (2008)
© 2008 Nigel Music Media LLC. Used by permission.
Carolyn Wonderland
