Carn was born Sarah Jean Perkins in Columbus, Georgia. She was encouraged by her parents to sing. At the age of four, she became a member of her church choir. She went on to learn to play the piano, the clarinet, and the bassoon, mastering all three. Carn attended Booker T. Washington High School in Atlanta, and learned to speak Russian fluently. She received a scholarship after graduating in 1965, to attend Morris Brown College where she performed every genre from musical theater to grand opera.