Carol Noonan
Carol Noonan is an American folk singer/songwriter. She and her husband, Jeff Flagg, a commercial fishing net builder, run the Stone Mountain Arts Center, a music hall behind their house in Brownfield, Maine. She began her career as the lead singer and songwriter for the band Knots and Crosses, which was formed in the late 1980s by Carol Noonan (vocals, guitar), Alan Williams (keyboards, vocals), and Rick Harris (guitar, vocals) who all were students at the New England Conservatory of Music at one time. They built a significant following around Boston and the New England area. After a major-label bidding war led to a failed deal with Island Records, the group disbanded. Carol went on to do three solo albums for the Philo/Rounder label through 1997. The Carol Noonan Band featured Duke Levine and Kevin Barry on guitars. They have stayed with her for most of her live performances over the years, as well as all her albums. Since her time with Rounder she has released a number of albums on her own label carolnoonanmusic.com. An NPR darling for her music, she has also been a guest essayist on Weekend Edition and been included on one of the station’s Driveway Moments compilations.