Carolyn Dawn Johnson

Carolyn Dawn Johnson (born April 30, 1971) is a Canadian country music singer-songwriter.

In 1994, Johnson headed to Nashville after calling her mother and saying, "I'm going big. I'm going for the big picture."

In Nashville, Johnson attended songwriting workshops and writer's night events.

In 1997, Johnson moved permanently to Nashville after obtaining a work visa and later that year, she signed with Patrick Joseph Music as a songwriter.

Her songwriting demos captured the attention of many record label executives and some of the songs she wrote were recorded by Patty Loveless, Suzy Bogguss, Kathy Mattea, Mindy McCready, Jo Dee Messina, Linda Davis and Chely Wright.

Johnson was raised on a farm in Deadwood, Alberta with two brothers, late older brother Derwin, who died due to an undisclosed illness on Christmas Eve in 1998, and brother Greg.

Johnson was passionate about music from a young age and even asked her mother how anyone could live without it.

She sang at a church and started playing the piano at the age of five, learning from her pastor's wife, Evangeline Thiessen.

Her parents played country music records by Jim Reeves and Don Williams at home and as she got older, her musical interests diversified as she listened to artists like ABBA, Charley Pride, Fleetwood Mac and Marty Stuart among others.

The family later moved to Westlock, Alberta and Johnson attended RF Staples High School there.

During her high school years, she learned to play the clarinet, flute and saxophone.

She kept up her piano lessons largely in part due to Thiessan sending books and encouraging letters to her.

Her high school teachers were not as encouraging and caused her to turn away from music for a while and turn to science, a period in her life which she called "a stain in her heart".

After graduating high school, believing that she could not make a living as a musician, Johnson attended Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia studying biology and a year later she was in Edmonton, Alberta studying education.

During her college years, she frequently sat-in with local bands at night and encouragement from them caused her to think that maybe she could have a career in the music industry.

At the age of 20, she taught herself to play the guitar and realizing that her true calling was in music, she went to Vancouver, British Columbia and there she attended Columbia Academy and learned the technical aspects of the music industry.

Johnson focussed on songwriting in her spare time and ordered a video featuring songwriters from Nashville to learn more about songwriting and through this video, she joined the Nashville Songwriters Association International.

Johnson co-wrote Chely Wright's 1999 single, "Single White Female," which reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in September 1999.

Johnson's breakthrough as a songwriter came in 1999 when "Single White Female", a song she co-wrote with Shaye Smith and recorded by Wright, became a number one hit on country radio.

This song became Johnson's first number one hit as a songwriter.

Another one of her songs, "Downtime", recorded by Messina, also became a top five hit.

In 1999, Johnson started her career as a solo artist.

Her success as a songwriter led her to a record deal with the Arista Nashville record label.

Paul Worley, a producer with whom Johnson was working, was also working with Martina McBride at that time and asked Johnson to sing background vocals on McBride's songs.

McBride subsequently invited Johnson to go on tour with her as a backup singer and guitarist.

Johnson toured with McBride for over a year and during this time she was also hard at work writing songs for her debut album.

Johnson was signed, in 2000, to record label Arista Nashville.

In 2001, Johnson released her debut album Room with a View. The album's first single "Georgia" reached No. 4 on the RPM Canadian Country Singles Chart for the week of November 6, 2000.

"Complicated" was a Top Ten hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

Her next single ("I Don't Want You to Go") was also a Top Ten hit in the U.S. After a three-year hiatus, Johnson returned with the single "Let Me Introduce Myself".

In 2000, Johnson was named "Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year" by MusicRow Magazine.

In 2001, Johnson went on the Girls Night Out Tour opening for high-profile stars Sara Evans, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire and Jamie O'Neal.

Later that year, Johnson released her debut album Room with a View in Canada.

She co-wrote all 13 songs and co-produced the album.

An American release of the album followed a few months later, though only containing the first 11 songs due to differences in the contracts.

The album was well-received as it sold a little less than 18,000 copies in its first week and debuted at No. 8 on the US country sales chart.

It became Arista Nashville's highest debuting album by a new artist since SoundScan was used to track record sales.

The album went on to be certified gold in Canada in a few months.

It was the lead single from her fourth album, Love Rules, released in 2010.

Carolyn Dawn Johnson was born in Grande Prairie, Alberta to John Johnson, a farmer and operator of a seed-cleaning business, and Loretta Johnson, a supervisor of a home for senior citizens.