| Carol Lynn Maillard | |
| Birth Date: | March 4, 1951 |
| Origin: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Instrument: | Voice |
| Occupation: | composer, singer, musician, actress |
| Years Active: | 1973–present |
| Label: | Appleseed/Earthbeat/MFLP, Redwood Records, Flying Fish/Rounder, Rykodisc |
| Associated Acts: | Sweet Honey in the Rock |
| Website: | http://sweethoneyintherock.org |
Carol Lynn Maillard (born 1951) is an American actress, singer, and composer. She is one of the founding members of the Grammy Award-winning a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Maillard was a student of the GESU SCHOOL in Philadelphia and also graduated from John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls' High School. She graduated from The Catholic University of America with a major in theater in 1973.
Maillard has acting credits that include roles on Broadway (Eubie!, Comin' Uptown, Beehive); Off-Broadway (in several Negro Ensemble Company productions like Zooman and the Sign, and in New York Shakespeare Festival productions); television (For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf,[1] Hallelujah!); and film (Beloved, Thirty to Life). Much of her career has involved participating in works that are Afro-centric and steeped in African American orality, as well as uplift and support of Black culture[2]
She is a founding member of the group Sweet Honey in the Rock, and has composed and arranged many of that group's songs.[3] [4] Maillard has described the creation of that group as something connecting to the social movements of the time, but also equally inspired by contemporary experimental theater and contemporary popular music.[5] [6] That group has been nominated for a Grammy multiple times, won a Grammy Award for their contribution to the Smithsonian Folkways A Vision Shared album, and have won multiple Washington Area Music Awards Wammies[7] Most of her solo compositions are published via 4 Jagelish Music.[8]
In addition to composing and performing with Sweet Honey in the Rock, she has also been a guest vocalist for other artists, including Horace Silver and Betty Buckley.
Maillard has a son, Jordan Maillard, who is also a Los Angeles-based musician. He appears with her in the documentary [9]