Mindy Carson

by John BushAn occasional duet partner with Guy Mitchell and a solo artist in her own right, vocalist Mindy Carson was working as a secretary when a nightclub manager convinced her to begin singing professionally. She picked up work around New York, and in the mid-40s made her radio debut on a show with Paul Whitemans Orchestra. She later joined the band of Harry Cool and first reached the charts with the 1946 Cool hit Rumors Are Flying. She earned both a radio show (through CBS) and a television show (NBC) in 1949, the latter of which ran for two years. Carson recorded for RCA during the same time, but failed to hit the charts with any of her work.A change of venue to Columbia in 1952 paid immediate dividends; she was paired with Guy Mitchell for the hit (Cause I Love You) Thats A-Why, and the pair later recorded several other duets, including another hit, Tell Us Where the Good Times Are. Her first solo hit, a sweet 1955 ballad named Wake the Town and Tell the People, was the biggest of her career and nearly reached the Top Ten. Two years later she covered Ivory Joe Hunters Since I Met You Baby for another hit, and a Columbia LP named Baby, Baby, Baby followed one year later. She never reached the charts again, and slowly faded from view amidst the rise of a younger generation of pop music. Carson also appeared on Broadway with the 1958 show The Body Beautiful.