She’s put 20,000 miles on her car in six months and she ain’t slowin’ down anytime soon. In fact, Charla Corn is on the ride of her life, currently touring her native state of Texas with some of the region’s biggest musical acts: Kevin Fowler, Roger Creager, the Randy Rogers Band, Wade Bowen, Aaron Watson, the Josh Abbott Band and Johnny Rodriquez. Armed only with her guitar and arresting voice, she’s building solid career momentum one mile at a time.
The ambitious soprano hails from a sleepy Texas town called Farwell, with a population just over 1,300. She was raised in a musical home by her schoolteacher parents and three siblings. “I remember playing Dad’s Buddy Holly records over and over every Saturday when Mom did laundry. I remember my big brother Clay banging on the piano keys to old Floyd Cramer tunes. I just started to sing along and from then on, I just knew that music was it for me.”
Charla pursued her passion and attended South Plains College, a university whose alumni includes Natalie Maines of the chart topping Dixie Chicks, Heath Wright of Ricochet, Lee Ann Womack, Curb Records' ChristyAna Perez and Matt Jenkins. While there, she studied music performance, sang in several touring ensembles and worked on her songwriting. After college, she toured on her own throughout the region opening for headliners such as Jason Aldean, Jack Ingram, Pat Green, Asleep at the Wheel, Joe Nichols and Emerson Drive; building a loyal fan base while honing her craft on and off stage.
As a performer her talents have taken her in numerous directions. She made it to Hollywood in Season 2 of Fox’s American Idol and was a finalist in Season 6 of NBC’s Nashville Star. She is an active cast member with the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and has worked as a correspondent for CMT, hosting television shows, radio broadcasts and red carpet premieres. She’s a frequent MC for various charities, including Minnie Pearl’s Cancer Foundation and was even a hair model in a commercial for Clairol’s Nice’n Easy. She currently hosts a bi-weekly radio show called “Charla Chat,” reporting music industry news on a local and regional scale.
Lewis Bogach, CMT’s VP of Production puts it best. “Don’t let her good looks fool you. She’s hip, with brains, boots and brawn. Her crack the whip attitude and infectious energy will take her very far in this industry.”