James Carr (musician)
Encyclopedia
James Carr was an American
Rhythm & Blues
and soul
singer.
Born to a Baptist preacher's family in Coahoma, Mississippi
, Carr began singing in church and was performing in gospel
groups and making tables on an assembly line in Memphis, Tennessee
, when he began recording in the mid-'60s
for Goldwax Records, a small Memphis based label.
Carr first made the R&B charts in 1966 with "You've Got My Mind Messed Up", followed by his most famous song "The Dark End of the Street
", written by Dan Penn
and Chips Moman
. Carr continued to record for Goldwax until the label closed in 1969 but failed to reach the same heights with his subsequent releases.
Carr suffered from bipolar disorder
for most of his life which affected his career. This was evident during a tour of Japan
in the 1970s
when he froze in front of an audience following an overdose of antidepressant
s. However he completed the Japan tour with much success. A resurgence in interest in his music, spurred by his portrayal in Peter Guralnick
's 1986 book Sweet Soul Music, helped return Carr to the recording studio but failed to deliver any further chart success.
James Carr died from lung cancer
in a Memphis
nursing home
in 2001, aged 58.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Rhythm & Blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer.
Born to a Baptist preacher's family in Coahoma, Mississippi
Coahoma, Mississippi
Coahoma is a town in Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 325 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Coahoma is located at ....
, Carr began singing in church and was performing in gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
groups and making tables on an assembly line in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, when he began recording in the mid-'60s
1960 in music
-Events:*January 14 – Elvis Presley is promoted to Sergeant in the U.S. Army*February 6 – Songwriter Jesse Belvin dies in an automobile accident in Los Angeles...
for Goldwax Records, a small Memphis based label.
Carr first made the R&B charts in 1966 with "You've Got My Mind Messed Up", followed by his most famous song "The Dark End of the Street
The Dark End of the Street
"The Dark End of the Street" is a 1967 soul song written by Muscle Shoals songwriters Dan Penn and Chips Moman and first performed by James Carr...
", written by Dan Penn
Dan Penn
Dan Penn is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and sometime guitar player who co-wrote many soul hits of the 1960s including "Dark End of the Street" and "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" and "Out of Left Field" & "Cry Like A Baby"...
and Chips Moman
Chips Moman
Lincoln Wayne "Chips" Moman is an American record producer, guitarist, and songwriter. As a record producer, Moman is known for recording Elvis Presley, Bobby Womack, Carla Thomas, and Merrilee Rush, as well as guiding the career of the Box Tops in Memphis, Tennessee during the 1960s...
. Carr continued to record for Goldwax until the label closed in 1969 but failed to reach the same heights with his subsequent releases.
Carr suffered from bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
for most of his life which affected his career. This was evident during a tour of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in the 1970s
1970 in music
- Events :*January 3**Davy Jones announces he is leaving the Monkees**Former Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett releases his first solo album The Madcap Laughs....
when he froze in front of an audience following an overdose of antidepressant
Antidepressant
An antidepressant is a psychiatric medication used to alleviate mood disorders, such as major depression and dysthymia and anxiety disorders such as social anxiety disorder. According to Gelder, Mayou &*Geddes people with a depressive illness will experience a therapeutic effect to their mood;...
s. However he completed the Japan tour with much success. A resurgence in interest in his music, spurred by his portrayal in Peter Guralnick
Peter Guralnick
Peter Guralnick is an American music critic, writer on music, and historian of US American popular music, who is also active as an author and screenwriter. He has been married for over 45 years to Alexandra...
's 1986 book Sweet Soul Music, helped return Carr to the recording studio but failed to deliver any further chart success.
James Carr died from lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
in a Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
nursing home
Nursing home
A nursing home, convalescent home, skilled nursing unit , care home, rest home, or old people's home provides a type of care of residents: it is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living...
in 2001, aged 58.
Singles
- "You've Got My Mind Messed Up" (1966) R&B #7, Pop #63
- "Love Attack" (1966) R&B #21, Pop #99
- "Pouring Water on a Drowning Man" (1966) R&B #23, Pop #85
- "The Dark End of the StreetThe Dark End of the Street"The Dark End of the Street" is a 1967 soul song written by Muscle Shoals songwriters Dan Penn and Chips Moman and first performed by James Carr...
" (1967) R&B #10, Pop #77 - "Let It Happen" (1967) R&B #30, Pop #106
- "I'm a Fool for You" (duet with an uncredited Betty HarrisBetty HarrisBetty Harridick is an American Soul Singer. Her recording career in the 1960s produced three hit records that made the Billboard R&B and pop charts: "Cry to Me" , "His Kiss" and "Nearer to You"...
) (1967) R&B #42, Pop #97 - "A Man Needs a Woman" (1968) R&B #16, Pop #63
- "Life Turned Her That Way" (1968) Pop #112
- "Freedom Train" (1969) R&B #39
- "To Love Somebody" (1969) R&B #44
LPs
- You Got My Mind Messed UpYou Got My Mind Messed UpYou Got My Mind Messed Up is a 1966 album by James Carr.Although Carr is not as well known as his contemporaries such as Otis Redding or Aretha Franklin, "You Got My Mind Messed Up" has been cited as one of the top soul music albums of all time. Allmusic gave it 5 stars from two different reviewers...
(1967) R&B: #25 - A Man Needs a WomanA Man Needs a WomanA Man Needs a Woman is a 1968 album by James Carr. This would be the last of Carr's albums until his come-back album Take Me to the Limit in 1991.After Carr's death in 2001, Kent Records re-released the album with several bonus tracks in 2003....
(1968) - Take Me To The Limit (1991)
- Soul Survivor (1994)
Compilations
- Complete, Vol. 1 (1994)
- Complete, Vol. 2 (1994) Goldwax
- The Essential James Carr (1995) Razor & Tie
- 24 Karat Soul (2001) Soultrax
- The Complete Goldwax Singles (2001) Kent
- My Soul Is Satisfied/The Rest of James Carr (2004) Kent