Biography

A classic country and pop/torch crooner with a timeless sound and a powerful voice, Mandy Barnett got her start playing Patsy Cline in the long-running musical production Always...Patsy Cline at the Ryman Auditorium. She issued her eponymous debut album in 1996 and found mainstream success with the release of her acclaimed sophomore effort, 1999's I've Got a Right to Cry. Subsequent efforts saw the versatile singer pay tribute to Cline (Sweet Dreams) and Don Gibson (I Can’t Stop Loving You), and in 2018 she delivered Strange Conversation, a soulful set that combined elements of Americana, roots, pop, and R&B. In 2021 Barnett issued the sumptuous Every Star Above, a selection of Billie Holiday songs recorded with a 60-piece orchestra. Born Amanda Carol Barnett, Mandy Barnett began singing as a child, winning the Best Country Act at Dollywood when she was only ten, and her mother started bringing her on trips to Nashville. As a teenager, she was signed by renowned talent scout and producer Jimmy Bowen, and eventually Asylum Records. An uncompromising singer whose style was rooted in the classic country of Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, Webb Pierce, and Brenda Lee, Barnett's keen interpretive sense enabled her to delve deeply into a song, study the intricacies of its emotional content, and render a powerful performance with her full-bodied voice. Her torchy delivery on her contemporary yet retro-sounding country- and pop-tinged material recalled Patsy Cline, so it's no wonder that, while waiting to record her self-titled debut, she paid her bills by playing the legendary singer four nights a week, 26 weeks a year in the musical production Always...Patsy Cline at the Ryman Auditorium. She left Asylum for Sire Records with 1999's I've Got a Right to Cry. Winter Wonderland, a holiday album featuring a vintage Nashville sound, appeared from Rounder Records in 2010, followed by Sweet Dreams on Opry Records in 2011. Barnett next released a tribute album called I Can't Stop Loving You in 2013. In 2018, she expanded her musical horizons with the lush and soulful Strange Conversation. Two years later, she saluted the songs and sound of the Music City with A Nashville Songbook, a covers album that primarily relied on tunes from the 1950s and '60s. Barnett's next project saw her interpret selections from Billie Holiday's iconic Lady in Satin LP. Recorded with a 60-piece orchestra, Every Star Above arrived in 2021. ~ Jack Leaver & James Christopher Monger, Rovi