Singer-songwriter Deana Carter, a Nashville native, grew up watching her famed studio guitarist dad Fred Carter, Jr. From a young age, Carter was exposed to country stars like Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Waylon Jennings, Simon & Garfunkel, Muddy Waters and Dolly Parton. She honed her songwriting skills at writer's nights throughout Nashville and eventually signed a writing deal with Polygram and a record deal with Capitol Records. She took the industry and fans by storm with her multi-platinum international debut Did I Shave My Legs For This? over two decades ago.
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Let's take a look back at 15 of the best Deana Carter songs!
"One Day At A Time"
"One Day at a Time" was released as the lead single from the 2005 record The Story of My Life. It entered the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart at No. 57 and eventually peaked at No. 55.
"I'm Just A Girl"
I'm Just a Girl was the fourth studio album released by Carter. The album peaked at No. 6 on the U.S. Top Country Albums chart and No. 58 on the Billboard 200. The title track of the record was released as the album's second single and became a Top 40 hit.
"The Girl You Left Me For"
A beautiful song from her record, The Story of My Life.
"Before We Ever Heard Goodbye"
From her debut record in 1996.
"Do or Die"
"Do or Die" was released as the single from Carter's 2014 record Southern Way of Life, a pivotal record in Carter's life and career. "I lost my dad, and also went through some major surgeries on my spine and on my knee," she told Billboard magazine during the record's release. During one of her operations, the surgeon removed Carter's vocal box; thankfully, her voice came back better than ever! "Now, I'm healthy and good, and healing through all of that, and have been writing songs. I'm glad I took the time personally to take care of myself and my family. Now, we have a record."
"Sunny Day"
Though "Sunny Day" failed to enter the charts, it's still one of the best songs from Carter's 2005 record The Story of My Life.
"The Train Song"
From her Everything's Gonna Be Alright album, "The Train Song" is a classic love song.
"You Still Shake Me"
"You Still Shake Me" was written by Leslie Satcher and Tim Ryan. It was released in January 1999 as the second single from her album Everything's Gonna Be Alright. The song peaked at No. 36 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and No. 19 on the Canada RPM Country Tracks chart.
"Love Ain't Worth Making"
Another great song from Carter's debut record. "Love Ain't worth making when it makes you the fool," Carter sings.
"Ruby Brown"
From her 1998 Everything's Gonna Be Alright record, you can watch Deana perform "Ruby Brown" at the 1999 Farm Aid above.
"Count Me In"
The third single from Did I Shave My Legs For This? went out with a bang just like the ones before it! It became a Top 10 Billboard hit.
"How Do I Get There"
"How Do I Get There" was the third single to reach the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart from her debut record Did I Shave My Legs For This? The song was Carter's last No. 1 hit on the country charts.
"We Danced Anyway"
"We Danced Anyway" was released in December of 1996 as the second single from Carter's debut album. It shot to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and Canada's RPM Country Tracks. It was the RPM chart number-one single of the year in 1997.
"You and Tequila"
From Carter's fourth studio record, I'm Just a Girl, "You and Tequila" is another of her biggest hits. The song was co-written with Matraca Berg and covered by Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter. "You and Tequila" was nominated as CMA's "Song of the Year," received two Grammy nods, and earned a nomination for the ACM's Song of the Year as well.
"Strawberry Wine"
This is THE Deana Carter song! Released as the debut single from her debut record Did I Shave My Legs for This? in 1996. The song became Carter's first No. 1 hit on both the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and the Canadian RPM Country Tracks. "Strawberry Wine" is Carter's most successful single and is considered the signature song for her and songwriter Matraca Berg.
Fun Fact: Willie Nelson was so impressed with Deana Carter's songwriting, he asked her to play Farm Aid in 1994.
