Mandy Barnett, a native of Crossville, Tennessee, started singing at five years-old. She has been singing since.
As a teenager, Mandy starred as country music legend Patsy Cline in the stage show "Always.Patsy Cline" at the celebrated Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. The performances were sold out nightly and received rave reviews across the country. Mandy, in role as Patsy, appears on the Decca Records cast recording.
Mandy soon signed with Asylum Records where she released her first CD as herself, appropriately entitled, "Mandy Barnett." The album received glowing reviews in major trade publications and magazines, including "Time" magazine, as well as praise from veteran country artists and fans.
In due course, Seymour Stein, who introduced the world to Madonna, Seal, the Barenaked Ladies, and k.d. lang, heard Mandy's voice and was, he said, "spellbound." When Stein launched Sire Records within Warner Music Group, Mandy was the first artist he signed. Mandy's Sire Records project paired her with the undisputed pioneer of the Nashville Sound, producer Owen Bradley. The album that they made together, "I've Got A Right To Cry," would be his final contribution to the community who knew him through his work with legends Ernest Tubb, Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, and Kitty Wells. Owen passed away four songs into the project, but not before leaving his unmistakable mark on the album. His brother and longtime partner, Harold Bradley, inherited the delicate task of finishing the album with Mandy. A legal pad filled with Owen's handwritten notes for each song guided the two through the rest of the sessions, and what was to be Owen's farewell to the world was poised to propel Mandy and her remarkable vocal talent once again into the national limelight.
"I've Got A Right To Cry" was a huge critical success. "Rolling Stone" magazine named the CD the top country album of 1999. Other stellar reviews appeared in "People," "Newsweek," "Interview," and multiple national newspapers. Mandy appeared on "The Late Show with David Letterman" and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" as a result of her acclaim.
In addition to her own CDs, Mandy has been featured on a variety of movie soundtracks, including "A Walk On the Moon," "Traveller," "Space Cowboys," "Election," and "Drop Dead Gorgeous." Mandy also sang on the Spongebob Squarepants CD, "The Best Day Ever," released in late 2006, sharing the spotlight with the likes of Brian Wilson, Tommy Ramone, Flaco Jimenez, and NRBQ.
Mandy is currently working on a variety of projects and a new CD. She continues to play shows, both nationally and internationally, and is a frequent guest on the Grand Ole Opry. Mandy reprised her role as "Patsy Cline" in the acclaimed production "Always.Patsy Cline" at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, during April and May 2009, in honor of the 15th anniversary of the celebrated venue's extensive renovations and re-opening.
