In 1963, at about age 14, she won a talent contest held by Detroit radio station WCHB, the prize for which was a contract with Motown Records.
[2] She also signed a solo contract with Mercury Records (spelling her name as "Caroline"), and released the single "Coming On Strong", which reached # 66 on the R&B chart at the start of 1979.
[6][7] In 1989, using the spelling "Carolyn", she joined Ian Levine's Motorcity project and recorded the album Heartaches, including the single "Timeless", which later became a favourite on the UK Northern soul circuit.
She voiced the character of Mrs. Lovat in the 2009 stop-motion film Coraline,[citation needed] and appeared in the TV series Leverage.
Her best known recording, "My Smile Is Just a Frown (Turned Upside Down)", is featured in the UK-Irish drama-documentary Dreams of a Life, released in December 2011.