Jean Carn, also spelled Jean Carne (born Sarah Jean Perkins; March 15, 1947) is an American R&B/soul and jazz singer. In mid-career, she added a final ''e'' to her name. Carn is a vocalist credited with a five-octave

vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of stud ...

Biography

Carn was born Sarah Jean Perkins in

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee ...

. At the age of four, she became a member of her church choir. Carn planned on furthering her studies at

Juilliard School of Music The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became the Juilliard School, named afte ...

in New York City when she met and married jazz pianist

Doug Carn Doug Carn (born July 14, 1948) is an American jazz musician from St. Augustine, Florida, formerly married to Jean Carne and known for his several albums released for Black Jazz Records. Carn is a multi-instrumentalist known primarily for his work ...

and became a featured vocalist in his jazz fusion band. The couple based themselves in Los Angeles, California, where Carn appeared on three of his four early albums, ''Infant Eyes'', ''Spirit of the New Land'', and ''Revelation'' on Black Jazz/ Ovation. The couple later divorced. In 1976, Carn was signed to

Kenneth Gamble Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production duo credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as P ...

and

Leon Huff Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production duo credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as P ...

's Philadelphia International Records. She released her debut album '' Jean Carn'' in 1976. The debut single "Free Love" went to number 23 R&B. In June 1978, her second album for the label, ''Happy to Be With You'', was released. It included the hit single " Don't Let It Go to Your Head". Carn's third Philadelphia International album '' When I Find You Love'' was issued in 1979. "My Love Don't Come Easy" peaked at number 43 on the R&B chart. The album included the

Jerry Butler Jerry Butler Jr. (December 8, 1939 – February 20, 2025) was an American soul singer-songwriter, producer, musician, and politician. He was the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group the Impressions, who were inducted into the Rock and ...

penned track "Was That All It Was?" which, despite not charting on the R&B charts, was a big disco hit in the UK clubs. At this time, Carn moved from the Philadelphia International label to the subsidiary TSOP imprint for her 1981 album ''Sweet and Wonderful''. Carn moved to

Motown Records Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

in 1982, making her label debut with her only album on the label, ''Trust Me''. The single " If You Don't Know Me By Now," a cover of the Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes hit with backing vocals by

The Temptations The Temptations is an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1961 as The Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield ...

, went to number 49 on the R&B chart. By 1986, Carn signed to Omni Records. ''Closer Than Close'', produced by saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. went to number one on the R&B charts. Her 1988 album ''You're a Part of Me'' was her only release on

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

. In 2014, Carn was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award present by the National R&B Music Society in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 2020, Carn was one of the performers aboard on the Soul Train Cruise. On October 16, 2022, Carn's life was featured on the documentary TV One series, ''Unsung''. On April 28, 2025 Carn was inducted into the National R&B Music Society's Atlantic City Walk of Fame at Brighton Park in Atlantic City, NJ. Stuart Bascombe of Black Ivory and producer Dave Wooley were the inductors.

The Stylistics The Stylistics are an American Philadelphia soul group that achieved their greatest chart success in the 1970s. They formed in 1968, with a lineup of singers Russell Thompkins Jr., Herb Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith, and James Dunn. All ...

, Ray, Goodman & Brown, Blue Magic and the late

Phyllis Hyman Phyllis Linda Hyman (July 6, 1949 – June 30, 1995) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Hyman's music career spanned the late 1970s through the early 1990s, and she was best known for her expansive contralto range. Some of her most ...

were also Inducted. Carn is the 11th inductee honored with a plaque into The Atlantic City Walk of Fame.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilations

* ''The Best of Jean Carn & The Best of The Jones Girls'' (1998, Recall 2cd) * ''Closer Than Close: The Best of Jean Carn'' (1999, Philadelphia International/ The Right Stuff) * ''Collaborations'' (2002, Expansion) * '' Don't Let It Go to Your Head: The Anthology'' (2018, SoulMusic)

Singles

DVD

* ''Jean Carn & Friends: The Sound of Philadelphia: Live in Europe'' (Expansion, 2005) * '' Ladies Night Out—Live'' (Steppin Muzak, 2007, also available as a CD)

References

External links

Jean Carn
on Soul Walking

at Soulful Tale {{DEFAULTSORT:Carn, Jean 1947 births Living people 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers American dance musicians American jazz singers American soul singers Singers with a five-octave vocal range Motown artists Musicians from Columbus, Georgia Philadelphia International Records artists Black Jazz Records artists Ovation Records artists 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American singers Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania 21st-century African-American women singers