Mindy Carson’s Solo Flight

Mindy Carson had an interesting and varied career, one that only lasted a couple of decades but included her radio debut with the King of Jazz, singing for a big band, and even starring in her own radio show. She also spent some time as a regular on an early TV show before later becoming part of a popular recording duet, but she was flying solo when she hit her stride in 1955 with her hit record on “Wake the Town and Tell the People.”

Being born and raised in New York City meant that a teenaged Mindy Carson was in the right place to try to break into show business in the post-war years. It wasn’t long before her singing talent earned her a spot on a popular radio show, Stairway to the Stars, which featured the orchestra of Paul Whiteman, the self-styled King of Jazz, and singing star Martha Tilton. It was a good start for the young singer, and she began to build her career, spending some time singing with Harry Cool’s popular band and making a few records while still appearing on radio occasionally — in fact, she had her own show for a while.

As the 1950s approached, Carson found a regular spot on Florian Zabach‘s TV show and also made guest appearances on others, while continuing to try to find some success in record sales. That finally occurred in 1952 when she changed record companies and was teamed up with singer Guy Mitchell, and the duo scored minor hits on a couple of records, including “(‘Cause I Love You) That’s A-Why.” But Mindy Carson’s biggest moment came a couple of years later, when she undertook a solo career and — after scoring a minor success with “The Fish” — hit the jackpot with “Wake the Town and Tell the People.”

Although she never had another record do that well, she continued to hit the recording studio for a number of years, and did very well with songs like “Since I Met You Baby” and others. Throughout the decade she also had countless guest shots on TV variety shows and made her debut on Broadway. She would also appear on stage in the 1960s but things were definitely winding down by then, and she seems to have retired from an active career. Current information about Mindy Carson is pretty scarce, but she would be in her eighties by now.

Mindy Carson – “Wake the Town and Tell the People”