Holly Dunn
| Holly Dunn | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Holly Suzette Dunn[1] |
| Born | August 22, 1957[1] |
| Origin | San Antonio, Texas, United States |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1985–2003 |
| Labels |
MTM Warner Bros. River North Oms |
| Associated acts | Chris Waters |
| Website | http://www.hollydunn.com/ |
Holly Suzette Dunn (born August 22, 1957) is an American former country music singer and songwriter. The sister of songwriter Chris Waters, Dunn recorded for MTM Records between 1985-1988, Warner Bros. Records between 1988-93, and River North Records between 1995-97. She has released ten albums and has charted nineteen singles plus two duets on the Hot Country Songs charts. Of her single releases, two — "Are You Ever Gonna Love Me" and "You Really Had Me Going" — went to number 1. Dunn retired from music in 2003.
Musical career
While attending high school, Dunn performed in a band called Freedom Folk Singers, which toured the Southern United States. She attended Abilene Christian University and performed in a school sponsored group called The Hilltoppers.[1] Dunn also wrote songs with her brother, Chris Waters, who would later become a prolific songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee. One of their collaborations, "Out of Sight, Not Out of Mind", was recorded by Cristy Lane. After graduating college, Dunn moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where she worked as a demo singer before both she and Waters became songwriters at CBS Records, and then MTM Records. Louise Mandrell had a top 10 hit in 1984 with "I'm Not Through Loving You Yet", which the two co-wrote.[1] By 1985, Dunn was signed to a record contract with MTM.
Singing career
Dunn's first two releases — "Playing for Keeps" and "My Heart Holds On" — both failed to make the Top 40 on the Hot Country Songs charts, while "Two Too Many" peaked at number 39. Her first Top 10 hit came in 1986, when "Daddy's Hands" went to number 7. The song was included on her self-titled debut, from which it served as the final single. Following this song, she sang guest vocals on Michael Martin Murphey's Top 5 hit "A Face in the Crowd", from his album Americana.[2] Her second MTM album, Cornerstone, produced three straight Top 10 hits in "Love Someone Like Me", "Only When I Love", and "Strangers Again".[2] Across the Rio Grande in 1988 included the singles "That's What Your Love Does to Me" and "(It's Always Gonna Be) Someday",[2] before MTM Records filed for bankruptcy and closed.[1]
In 1989, Dunn moved to Warner Bros. Records' Nashville division. Her first release for the label, The Blue Rose of Texas, produced her first number 1 hit in "Are You Ever Gonna Love Me", followed by "There Goes My Heart Again" at number 4. The latter was co-written by a then-unknown Joe Diffie,[3] who also sang backing vocals on it. She also sang on Kenny Rogers' late 1990 hit "Maybe", from his album Something Inside So Strong.[2]
Dunn's second Warner Bros. album, Heart Full of Love, was released in 1990. Although its lead single "My Anniversary for Being a Fool" failed to make top 40, the followup "You Really Had Me Going" became her second and final number 1 hit, while the title track was a top 20 hit.[2]
In 1991, Dunn released her first greatest hits package, Milestones: Greatest Hits. It included the new release "Maybe I Mean Yes", which became controversial due to some listeners interpreting the song as condoning date rape. As a result, Dunn asked for the single to be withdrawn from rotation.[4] Her final Warner Bros. release, Getting It Dunn, failed to produce a top 40 hit, and she exited the label in 1993.[2]
Dunn signed to River North Records in 1995 and released two albums for the label: Life and Love and All the Stages in 1995 and Leave One Bridge Standing two years later. The former produced her final chart entry in "I Am Who I Am".[2] Shortly before the release of Leave One Bridge Standing, she joined country music radio station WWWW in Detroit, Michigan as morning show co-host. It was not her first time behind the radio mike, as she had served as a DJ during her college years. However, the decision forced her to give up touring for a time. Later, she co-hosted Opry Backstage on The Nashville Network in 2001-02.
In 2003, Dunn announced her retirement from her musical career to devote full-time to her other passion, art. She released her final album, "Full Circle" in 2003. Her paintings deal primarily with subjects from the southwestern United States, and are available through the Peña+Dunn Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| US Country | ||
| Holly Dunn |
|
29 |
| Cornerstone |
|
22 |
| Across the Rio Grande |
|
26 |
| The Blue Rose of Texas |
|
30 |
| Heart Full of Love |
|
47 |
| Getting It Dunn |
|
— |
| Life and Love and All the Stages |
|
— |
| Leave One Bridge Standing |
|
— |
| Full Circle |
|
— |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||
Compilations
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
Certifications (sales thresholds) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | |||
| Milestones: Greatest Hits |
|
25 | 162 |
|
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | |||
| 1985 | "Playing for Keeps" | 62 | — | N/A |
| "My Heart Holds On" | 64 | — | Holly Dunn | |
| 1986 | "Two Too Many" | 39 | — | |
| "Daddy's Hands" | 7 | — | ||
| 1987 | "Love Someone Like Me" | 2 | 2 | Cornerstone |
| "Only When I Love" | 4 | 7 | ||
| 1988 | "Strangers Again" | 7 | 36 | |
| "That's What Your Love Does to Me" | 5 | 6 | Across the Rio Grande | |
| "(It's Always Gonna Be) Someday" | 11 | * | ||
| 1989 | "Are You Ever Gonna Love Me" | 1 | 6 | The Blue Rose of Texas |
| "There Goes My Heart Again" | 4 | 8 | ||
| 1990 | "My Anniversary for Being a Fool" | 63 | 75 | Heart Full of Love |
| "You Really Had Me Going" | 1 | 1 | ||
| 1991 | "Heart Full of Love" | 19 | 12 | |
| "Maybe I Mean Yes" | 48 | 45 | Milestones: Greatest Hits | |
| "No One Takes the Train Anymore" | — | — | ||
| 1992 | "No Love Have I" | 67 | — | Getting It Dunn |
| "As Long as You Belong to Me" | 68 | — | ||
| 1993 | "Golden Years" | 51 | 62 | |
| 1995 | "I Am Who I Am" | 56 | 56 | Life and Love and All the Stages |
| "Cowboys Are My Weakness" | — | — | ||
| 1996 | "It's Not About Blame" | — | — | |
| 1997 | "Leave One Bridge Standing" | — | — | Leave One Bridge Standing |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart * denotes unknown peak positions | ||||
Guest singles
| Year | Single | Artist | Peak chart positions |
Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | ||||
| 1987 | "A Face in the Crowd" | Michael Martin Murphey | 4 | 7 | Americana |
| 1990 | "Maybe" | Kenny Rogers | 25 | 17 | Something Inside So Strong |
| "Tomorrow's World" | Various artists | 74 | — | N/A | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
Music videos
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | "Two Too Many"[5] | Coke Sams |
| "Daddy's Hands" | Jim May/Coke Sams | |
| 1988 | "Strangers Again" | |
| 1989 | "There Goes My Heart Again" | |
| 1990 | "You Really Had Me Going" | John Lloyd Miller |
| 1991 | "Maybe I Mean Yes" | Clarke Gallivan |
| "No One Takes the Train Anymore" | Clarke Gallivan | |
| 1992 | "As Long as You Belong to Me"[6] | |
| 1995 | "I Am Who I Am"[7] | Thom Oliphant |
| "Cowboys Are My Weakness" | Jon Small | |
| 1997 | "Leave One Bridge Standing" | Steven R. Monroe |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Huey, Steve. "Holly Dunn biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 133. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
- ↑ Sharpe, Jerry (24 November 1990). "Joe Diffie's Loss Was Joe Diffie's Gain". The Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
- ↑ Meyers, Kate (16 August 1991). "Dunn's Deal Holly Dunn's controversial single -- The country star asks stations to remove Maybe I Mean Yes from rotation". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
- ↑ "New Videoclips" (PDF). Billboard. April 26, 1986.
- ↑ "CMT : Videos : Holly Dunn : As Long As You Belong To Me". Country Music Television. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
- ↑ "CMT : Videos : Holly Dunn : I Am Who I Am". Country Music Television. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
External links
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