Carla Olson has announced new album, For Pete’s Sake, which grew out of her songwriting collaboration with British poet and lyricist Pete Brown, best known for writing the words to some of Cream’s most compelling songs, including “Sunshine Of Your Love,” “White Room,” “Politician” and “I Feel Free.” The album arrives on November 13th, 2026.
Olson was introduced to Brown by original Manfred Mann lead singer Paul Jones. That introduction sparked a transatlantic songwriting partnership between two artists from different musical worlds, united by a shared love of Blues, Rock & Roll, poetry and the craft of songwriting.
Brown, who died in 2023, was already a published poet and a leading figure in Britain’s Beat poetry movement before his words became part of Rock history. In 1965, he appeared alongside Allen Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlinghetti at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Soon afterward, Brown formed a creative partnership with Jack Bruce, a collaboration that would continue for nearly five decades. Beyond Cream and Jack Bruce, his writing and collaborations extended to artists including Procol Harum and The Hollies.
The new album brings Brown’s words into Carla Olson’s musical world, creating songs that connect the British rock tradition Brown helped define with Olson’s own roots in American Rock, Folk, Blues and Roots music. Brown himself publicly praised Olson as “a very, very good American musician” while discussing their songwriting collaboration and recorded one of their compositions, “With My Black Cat By My Side,” for his final album, The Shadow Club.
With the exception of one song written by Olson with longtime Textones bassist Joe Read, the material on For Pete’s Sake was written by Olson and Brown. The album also reconnects Olson with members of the Textones, including Read, George Callins, Rick Hemmert and Tom Jr. Morgan.
The Textones toured the United States and Europe, appeared on MTV and in feature films, and were followed by a second album, Cedar Creek, in 1987. That same year Olson released So Rebellious A Lover, her celebrated duet album with Gene Clark of the Byrds. She subsequently began a long musical association with former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor, resulting in the live album Too Hot For Snakes.
As well as being a songwriter, recording artist and performer, Olson has also pursued a career as a record producer. Olson has Produced albums by artists including Paul Jones, Barry Goldberg, Joe Louis Walker, Jake Andrews, Robert Rex Waller Jr., Mare Winningham and Chubby Tavares, along with individual recordings by B.J. Thomas, Dave Alvin, Billy Joe Royal, Peter Noone, Rocky Burnette, Brenton Wood and others. Her work as a producer was profiled in an entire chapter of Howard Massey’s Behind The Glass.
As a songwriter, Olson’s compositions have been recorded by Percy Sledge, Eric Johnson, Mikael Rickfors and others. She was given permission by the estate of Brian Jones to compose music for one of his poems, resulting in “Thank You (For Being There),” and later received permission to set Jim Morrison’s poem “Ode To L.A. While Thinking Of Brian Jones, Deceased” to music. Her collaborations have also appeared on recordings by former Hollies singer Allan Clarke and Pete Brown himself.
For Pete Brown, words were never decoration added to music. They were part of the music. For Pete’s Sake carries that philosophy forward, bringing the final chapters of an extraordinary British lyricist’s writing life together with Carla Olson’s musical voice.
