Paulette Carlson was born October 11, 1952, in Northfield, MN. A talented singer and guitar player, Carlson built a large local following before heading to Nashville. Once in Music City, Carlson found work as a staff writer with the Oak Ridge Boys' Silverline/Goldmine music-publishing syndicate, and wrote songs for Tammy Wynette, among others. In early 1983, she secured a solo recording contract. But despite promising critical praise for her early singles, Carlson was back in Minnesota by 1985.