Carolyn Dolan has been entertaining audiences for over thirty years. Her ability to cross over many genres has made her very
versatile and in demand as a professional singer, harmonica player, and performer. She 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 country ballad. Carolyn has made a music career leading bands, including her original Western swing, Rockabilly and Bluegrass group, The Outpsyders. They released two CD’s during the 1990’s and was voted Best of Tahoe Country Band in 1995 and 1996. Carolyn was voted Best of Tahoe Female Singer in 1995. She was also nominated for a Forte Award in 2016 and 2017 for best vocalist. And recently nominated by the
Tahoe Arts Alliance for Best Musician 2020.
Her career 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 to 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. She is a frequent guest performer with RJO’s music concerts.
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 and volunteer of the SPAH organizing team, dedicating her service to the advancement of the harmonica to the international community.
In 2019, Dolan was endorsed with the Easttop Harmonica Company. Playing exclusive Easttop Harmonicas, Carolyn 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 music community teaching young children music enrichment programs. As an early childhood educator, Carolyn has taught toddler, preschool and early elementary music programs throughout the South Lake Tahoe, California school district.