Born in Kentucky on This Day in 1990, the Grammy-Winning Country Singer Who Left Home for Dollywood at 16

Born on this day (April 24) in 1990, Carly Cristyne Slusser had one goal in mind from a young age: sing onstage at the Grand Ole Opry. She honed her skills at church and tent revivals in her small hometown of Taylor Mill, Kentucky, until age 16, when she landed a job at the Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Three years later, she headed to Nashville to pursue her dreams, adopting the stage name Carly Pearce in honor of her grandfather. After nearly a decade of hearing that country music stardom was out of her reach, Pearce’s big break came in 2017 with her No. 1 Country Airplay single “Every Little Thing”.

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Oh, yeah—and Trisha Yearwood officially inducted her into the Grand Ole Opry in August 2021. Today, we’re revisiting Carly Pearce’s triumphant career arc as the Grammy-winning country star celebrates her 36th birthday.

Carly Pearce Took No Shortcuts

In 2012, Carly Pearce seemed primed to get everything she’d ever wanted when she signed a developmental deal with Sony Nashville. Unfortunately, her producer was fired shortly thereafter, and Sony dropped her.

Discouraged, Pearce worked a variety of odd jobs—cleaning Airbnbs, nannying, whatever she could find—to make ends meet while she continued networking in Nashville. She met the producer Busbee, who produced her first single, “Every Little Thing”.

Following the song’s chart success, Pearce found herself swimming in record deal offers, ultimately choosing to sign with Big Machine Records. Her debut album, Every Little Thing, arrived in October 2017, reaching No. 4 on the country albums chart and breaching the Top 40 of the all-genre Billboard 200.

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A self-titled sophomore album followed in 2020, yielding her second No. 1 Country Airplay hit in the Lee Brice duet “I Hope You’re Happy Now”.

The following year, she channeled the heartbreak of her divorce from country singer Michael Ray—as well as the death of longtime producer Busbee—into her third LP, 29: Written in Stone. That album spawned her third No. 1 hit with the Ashley McBryde collaboration “Next Girl”.

2024 brought more healing in Hummingbird, which added “Truck on Fire” and the Chris Stapleton feature “We Don’t Fight Anymore” to Pearce’s list of hits.

[RELATED: Carly Pearce Talks Chemistry With Riley Green in “If I Don’t Leave I’m Gonna Stay” Video]

Currently, the former ACM Female Vocalist of the Year is working on her fifth studio album, previously releasing the singles “Dream Come True” and “If I Don’t Leave I’m Gonna Stay” with Riley Green.

Featured image by Jason Kempin/Getty Images