Deana Carter: As her debut album turns 25, the future looks bright for 'Strawberry Wine' singer

Of all the memorable lines on her classic 1996 debut, “Did I Shave My Legs For This,” there’s one that rings especially true these days for Deana Carter and her fans.

“They say you can't go back,” she sings on “We Danced Anyway.”

“But baby, I don't believe that.”

“I do love that line,” the country star tells The Tennessean.

“That's one of my favorites in the song too, because it's so true that you can always go back. Music, especially, is the anchor, the tow rope that will take you to any era, any moment in your life. It's almost like a smell. Summers at the pool, or going to my grandparents’ house, or whatever it is growing up. Certain songs will trigger so many memories.”

Nostalgia will be running high at the Ryman Auditorium on November 18, as Carter will celebrate her debut album’s 25th anniversary with a star-studded show – her first-ever headlining gig at the historic venue. A 25th anniversary edition of the album was also released earlier this month.

Still, even when the album was fresh off the CD presses 25 years ago, it was already stirring up memories for millions. The chart-topping “Strawberry Wine” recalled a summer romance at 17: “It's funny how those memories, they last,” she sang.

Though she’s fond of looking back, Carter has spent the past 25 years pressing on, and new firsts and opportunities continue to come her way. She’s also raising a 17-year-old of her own, who’s set to graduate from high school next year. Ahead of the gig, we talked about growing up as the daughter of a legendary Nashville guitarist, what she thinks of her debut album now and why she’s glad she didn’t quit the business.

Deana Carter headlines the Ryman Auditorium on Thursday, November 18 with special guests Breland, Charles Esten, Terri Clark and Kylie Morgan. The show starts at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are $35-$45.

The nostalgic core of 'Did I Shave My Legs For This'

"That whole record was really about longing for innocence again, even though I was young," Carter says. "You're mature enough to understand that (growing up) is painful sometimes. And all of your firsts, there are great elements to that. There also some hard elements to that. That's why I wanted to title the album, ‘Did I Shave My Legs for This,’ to keep a light (mood).…And even within that song, it's about not getting exactly what you want out of a situation. But you just you make the best of it, and you learn and grow from it.

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It does – and doesn’t – feel like 25 years

“Physically, in some parts of my body, it feels like 25 years ago," Carter says with a laugh. I was on my little walk this morning, my prayer walk, I call it. I go out and do about five to six miles every day. And I was out there and I'm thinking, I'm saying, ‘Okay, Lord, my left side feels like I'm 20, but my right side feels like I'm about 60. So can we do something about that?’

In all truth, it feels like it's been about 10 years, because we’ve been touring the whole time. Every year, we go out, and the fans have been so supportive. I hadn’t sat and listened to the original record (again). In your live gigs, you get away from some of the original production that we did, and you add a little bit of twists here and there. So when I sat down and really dove into the album again, I was just so proud of it, because it still sonically sounds so great.”

The ‘Strawberry Wine’ singer has a 17-year-old of her own

“He's gonna graduate this year. I try really hard to count to 10 and breathe back some memories of my sassiness at 17. I was so ready to move out. I think it's important to live a little bit in the past so that you can appreciate and be very present and relevant in the future, and right now.”

Her fans are family

"The generational element of our shows is hugely important and mind blowing, because (fans) will be holding up signs, ‘three generations’ or ‘four generations strong.' It’s so special to see people make up T-shirts. Just to have had anything that charted, to have had number ones, to have had any level of success in this business, much less lasting and impactful success, that's what I've been enjoying the most."

"And I’m so thankful that I never quit. I’ve always been working, and it may not have been out in the forefront as it once was, but I've just continued to put one foot in front of the other. I keep doing shows, keep writing, producing, doing films and TV, going back to the road, back in the studio, and turn around, it's 25 years (later)."

Revisiting songs with her friends

The 25th anniversary edition of the album includes new versions of two of its tracks, with a slew of special guests and guitar work from Vince Gill. On the new “Strawberry Wine” Carter is joined by Lauren Alaina, Martina McBride, Ashley McBryde and Kylie Morgan. A new version of the title track features McBryde, Terri Clark and Sara Evans.

“I was so emotional in the studio," Carter says. "Originally I'd wanted to (re-record) every single song on the album. I wanted to work with everybody in town because I just love the community so much and I'm such a fan of other artists. (I wanted to) pull in people that I toured with back in the day you know, full on 90s touring like we did. I wanted to do this multimillion dollar project, of course, but we got with the label and narrowed it down to just a couple of songs. And so (I was) meticulous of who I asked to be a part of it.”

Growing up in Music City

Carter is the daughter of legendary country musician Fred Carter, who was a member of Nashville’s “A Team,” a top-notch crew of studio musicians.

“If he needed to switch out guitars at night my mom would throw us and the guitars in the car. We'd swap out guitars. He’d be like, ‘Bring me my electric and my gut string and you can take this one and that one.’ My brother and I are lugging guitars out of the car in our pajamas at 11 o'clock at night. It was just such a special way to grow up."

"He played, obviously, at the Ryman, with so many great artists…He would always say 'Honey, you need to take care of the Opry, because someday the Opry is going to take care of you.’ He was always such a lover of our community. So I hold that very dear to my heart.”

New developments are ‘just around the corner’

“I got to close the Opry last weekend," Carter says. "That was huge. That was a first, being the closer. All of these new opportunities, they're just around the corner. It’s such an encouragement to never stop looking forward to the next day, because something can pop up that you least expect, and that you may have dreamed about, but you never said out loud. And that’s what the Ryman is for me on November 18."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: As Deana Carter's debut album turns 25, the future looks bright