Carolyn Dolan has been entertaining audiences for over thirty years. Her ability to cross over many genres has made her very versatile on the music scene. She is in demand as a professional singer, harmonica player, and performer.
Ms. Dolan has a gift of combining her passion of American roots music (jazz, blues, and country) in her vocal style, matched by soulful harmonica licks that accompanies her on stage every night. She can dive into a powerful R & B tune, deliver a smooth jazz standard or a gentle country ballad.
Carolyn has made a music career leading bands including, The Outpsyders; her original Western Swing, Rockabilly and Bluegrass group. They released two CD’s during the 1990’s and was voted Best of Tahoe Country Band in 1995 and 1996. Ms. Dolan was voted Best of Tahoe Female Singer in 1995. She was also nominated for two Forte Award in 2016 and 2017 for best vocalist. Recently, also nominated by the Tahoe Arts Alliance for Best Musician 2020.
Her career has landed her an induction into the Sacramento Western Swing Hall of Fame in 2015 for her dedication and commitment to the preservation, promotion and musical contribution of Western Swing Music! That same year, she also released her debut crossover jazz-blues album, How Deep is the Ocean with members of the Reno Jazz Orchestra (RJO). She also performs concerts with RJO.
Her most recent project of twenty years is performing with her band, Carolyn Dolan and BIG RED. A soulful, funk n blues group that allows Carolyn to sink deeply into the harmonica that compliments her bluesy vocal style.
As a rising vocalist and harmonica player, Carolyn was invited to perform at SPAH (Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica) in 2017, and hence, became a board member of the SPAH organizing team, dedicating her service to the advancement of the harmonica to the international community.
Ms. Dolan was published in a recent book released in 2019, Masters of the Harmonica by Margie Goldsmith in which she shares her craft as a harmonica player and performer.
She has also contributed to the academic community teaching music programs to young children in schools. As an Early Childhood Educator, Carolyn has taught toddler, preschool and early elementary enrichment programs throughout the South Lake Tahoe, California school district for many years.