Clare Dunn, one of CMT’s Next Women of Country, is putting her own stamp on a pop classic.
She’s just released a cover of Elton John’s 1973 holiday single “Step Into Christmas,” adding a country-rock flair to the uptempo tune.
Prior to signing her record deal, Dunn worked in the gift shop at the Grand Ole Opry. Now recording for MCA Nashville, she produced the new track and recorded her vocals in a single take.
Dunn, a native of Two Buttes, Colorado (population 42), grew up working the family farm, and those memories always come back to her at Christmas.
“I remember when we were kids, waking up early, exchanging gifts with my sister and parents, then us all bundling up and going out and taking care of cattle,” she says.
“By the time we came back in we were all frozen, trying to shake off the cold, scraping snow off our boots and jeans, and waiting for the ice to melt out of clumps of our hair while we packed up all the food into pickups and got ready to make the 50-mile drive down a dirt road to my grandparents’ house in Oklahoma. Our biggest tradition is just being together, whether it was in Colorado, Oklahoma, or even in Nashville sometimes now. Being together is what our holidays are all about.”
