Carla Olson

Biography

Born & raised in Austin, Texas, Olson moved to Los Angeles, California in 1978 where she formed the Textones, whose debut album Midnight Mission entered the Billboard 200.

An earlier version of the Textones consisting of Olson, Kathy Valentine, Markus Cuff, and David Provost, played the late 1970s punk/new wave scene in Los Angeles and toured the US and Europe. They also released an EP in the UK and a single in the US. Their debut album for A&M Records, Midnight Mission, consisted of Olson along with George Callins, Joe Read, Tom Jr Morgan, and Phil Seymour. They also toured the US and Europe. The record charted at 176 on the Billboard 200, receiving critical acclaim and both singles, "Standing In The Line" and the title track, "Midnight Mission", were featured videos on MTV and received airplay as well. The second Textones album, Cedar Creek, was released in 1987 by Enigma Records.

Olson has received critical acclaim for her work as a solo performer, band leader, and producer. In varying capacities she has worked with former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor, Percy Sledge (Sledge has recorded five songs that Olson has written or co-written), Ry Cooder, Gene Clark, Don Henley, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, John Fogerty, Mikael Rickfors, and many others. Her musical partnerships in the 1980s included former Byrd member Gene Clark (which resulted in a duet album, So Rebellious a Lover) and Mick Taylor. The Carla Olson and Mick Taylor band included George Callins on guitar, Jesse Sublett on bass (Sublett had previously played with Olson and Valentine in Austin in a band called the Violators), Tom Jr Morgan on saxophone, and Rick Hemmert on drums. Their live album Too Hot For Snakes added Ian McLagan (Small Faces, Faces) and Barry Goldberg (the Electric Flag, the Rides) on keyboards. Varying combinations of these musicians also appear on the subsequent Olson studio albums Within An Ace, Reap The Whirlwind, and The Ring Of Truth.

Olson also appeared in Bob Dylan's first video (for the song "Sweetheart Like You"). To return the favor, Dylan gave Olson his previously-unreleased song "Clean Cut Kid" which she recorded on Midnight Mission. Ry Cooder played slide guitar on the track.

Since 2001 Olson has concentrated most of her energies on music production, but has continued her songwriting and co-writing activities. She has written music for lyrics (or poems) by Sterling A. Brown, George Callins, Allan Clarke, George Green, Rick Hemmert, Brian Jones. She has also written with Barry Goldberg, Mikael Rickfors, Danny Tate, and Danny Wilde.

Olson has produced full albums for Jake Andrews, Ana Gazzola, Barry Goldberg, Paul Jones (with special guest Eric Clapton), Chubby Tavares, Phil Upchurch, Joe Louis Walker, and Mare Winningham, Davis Gaines, as well as individual tracks by Sugar Blue, Tommy Castro, Roy Gaines, Coco Montoya, Charlie Musselwhite, Peter Noone, Billy Joe Royal, Otis Rush, Son Seals, BJ Thomas, The Ventures, Brenton Wood, Taj Mahal. A second Olson-produced Paul Jones album was released in February 2015, Suddenly I Like It. Among the musicians and singers featured: Jake Andrews, Alvino Bennett, Joe Bonamassa, Little Willie G, Jools Holland, Tony Marsico, Vince Melouney, Tom Junior Morgan, Gregg Sutton, Mike Thompson, and Todd Wolfe.

In 2013, after not releasing an album of her own since The Ring Of Truth in 2001, Olson recorded Have Harmony, Will Travel, which was an album of cover songs with guest vocalists on each track including Rob Waller, John York, Richie Furay, Juice Newton, James Inveldt, Scott Kempner and Peter Case.

A concert DVD filmed in Eagle, Idaho of songs mostly from Have Harmony, Will Travel will be released in 2017 and feature Olson with Rick Hemmert, James Intveld, Scott Kempner, Paul Marshall, Diana Meyer, Pat Robinson, Rob Waller, Gary Myrick and John York.

May 26, 2015 saw the re-release of the Textones albums Midnight Mission and Cedar Creek by Omnivore Recordings. Both albums were expanded editions with additional studio tracks, live recordings, photos and newly written essays.

In 2017 Carla's debut solo, recorded in Malmo, Sweden in 1988 will at long be released in the U.S. by Sunset Blvd Records. It features Carla and George Callins of the Textones plus most of the members of the legendary Swedish rock band Wilmer X: Thomas Holst (lead guitar), Stefan Bjork (bass guitar), Sticky Bomb (drums) and Jalle Lorensson (harmonica). The album was produced Tomas Gabrielsson along with Carla and George. This U.S. edition will be title "Rubies & Diamonds" after one of the album's tracks.

2017 will also see "Sway: The Best of Carla Olson & Mick Taylor" a vinyl only release. A previously unreleased version of Sway will make its debut.

2017 will see the release of the 2nd Carla-produced Barry Goldberg album, a Textones reunion project featuring Carla along with George Callins, Rick Hemmert, Tom Jr Morgan and Joe Read as well as Carla's first production work with Florida's Big Kettle Drum rock'n'roll duo.