Album Notes

Hoagy Carmichael is one of the most important jazz composers of all time. With hits like "Georgia On My Mind" and "Skylark," Carmichael etched his name in the history of Jazz. This collection, is sung by Janis Carnes (hit songwriter for such artists as Trisha Yearwood, Reba McYntire, Alabama, Steve Wariner, The Whites, and many more) and blends some of Hoagy's finest jazz compositions with some of Carnes' originals.

“Hoagy 'n' Me” is brought to life with the definitive, warm, clear vocal stylings of Janis Carnes. Her style is at one moment soft and sensual and the next thick and powerful. Each of the original compositions matches the impact and beauty of the Carmichael standards. This CD celebrates standards that are part of the backbone of jazz and evolves with new songs that yearn to remember the craft of the past and break into the future.

Janis entered the music business with a bang as a hit songwriter for such artists as Trisha Yearwood, Reba McYntire, Alabama, Steve Wariner, The Whites, and many more. Even though Janis' success has been primarily in country music, she has always had a deep connection with jazz and swing music. One of the key hits she wrote (with Rick Carnes and Chip Hardy) was “Hangin' Around,” a bluegrass-swing song recorded by The Whites and Dean Martin, which helped bring mainstream awareness to the jazz influenced style.

After forming a duo with husband and fellow songwriter Rick Carnes, Janis was signed as an artist to Elektra Asylum by the infamous Jimmy Bowen (one of the most influential figures in the Nashville music scene). They followed Bowen to Warner Brothers and then to MCA Records, having success with self-penned singles like “Poor Girl” and “Does He Ever Mention My Name.”

She returned to writing songs for others and found herself penning more and more jazz tunes - until she could no longer deny the life-long desire to write and sing jazz like her favorite composers and singers of old. The opportunity to sing from the catalogue of the mighty Hoagy Carmichael was too good to let pass. And when PeerMusic's Digital Pressure label offered to create a project that would blend some of Hoagy's finest jazz compositions with some of the finest jazz tunes Janis had worked on - well, it was like a dream come true.

Produced by Rick Carnes and Kevin Lamb for Peer-Southern Productions, Inc.

All instrumentation performed by:

James M. White - drums
Jon Ferguson - bass
David Hungate - guitar
Dennis Solee - clarinet, tenor sax and flute
Matt Rollings - piano on all songs except:
Richard Jackson - piano on “Irrisistible”

All vocals performed by Janis Carnes