Valerie Carter

Valerie Carter
Background information
Birth name	Valerie Gail Zakian Carter
Born	(1953-02-05)February 5, 1953 Winter Haven, Florida, U.S.
Died	March 4, 2017(2017-03-04) (aged 64) St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.
Genres	Rock and roll, soul, R&B. folk rock, country rock
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Years active	1974–2017
Labels	ARC, Columbia Records
Associated acts	James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Don Henley

Valerie Carter (born Valerie Gail Zakian Carter; February 5, 1953 – March 4, 2017) was an American singer-songwriter.^[1]

Biography[]

Valerie Carter began her career singing in coffeehouses as a teenager, she eventually became one-third of a country-folk band "Howdy Moon". Though they debuted at the legendary Troubadour in Los Angeles in 1974, their one album is now fairly obscure. It is notable, however, for the Carter-penned song "Cook With Honey", later a hit for Judy Collins, and for the introduction of Carter to Lowell George, who produced the next album. He would be a mentor to her till his death in 1979 and introduced her to Jackson Browne, James Taylor, and many of the artists she would work with throughout her career. ^[2] 

Her first solo album, "Just A Stone's Throw Away" featured an impressive array of guests artists from the 1970's Southern California music scene including Maurice White, Lowell George, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, and Deniece Williams. The album was well received and garnered favorable reviews and placed her as the opening act for the Eagles in Europe. Two years later she released another album "Wild Child", and began touring with various artists primarily James Taylor, Jackson Browne, and Linda Ronstadt.

Carter then released another solo album "The Way It Is" with guest artists including Phoebe Snow, Lyle Lovett, Edwin McCain, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, and Jackson Browne. While the US gave little promotion to this record it has remained one of the greatest "rare" records out there. Japan released a limited edition of this CD with an additional song by Tom Snow.

She followed two years later with EPs "Find a River", Vanilla Grits, and a compilation CD "Midnight Over Honey River".^[3][4]

Valerie died from a heart attack on March 4, 2017.^[5] After her passing, her sister and longtime friend, Kathy Kurasch, found tapes of songs Valerie had recorded but were never released. The tapes were largely unfinished and on all different formats from 24 track masters, 1/4" masters, ADATs, and cassette. They featured an impressive array of guest artists, musicians, and composers including Prince,^[6] Lowell George, Little Feat members, Linda Ronstadt, Nicolette Larson, Steve Tyrell, David Lasley, Will Jennings, Tom Snow and more. Overdubs, re-mixing, and mastering was done by Kurasch and in December of 2018 "The Lost Tapes" was released on Cowboy Angel Records ^[7]

Other work[]

Carter worked as a back-up vocalist for a number of famous recording artists. These included Linda Ronstadt, Don Henley, Christopher Cross, Little Feat, Jackson Browne, the Outlaws and, most notably, James Taylor.^[8]

Carter wrote the song "Cook with Honey" which was a hit for Judy Collins on her 1973 album True Stories and Other Dreams. Carter also co-wrote the Jackson Browne track "Love Needs a Heart" that was featured on his 1977 album Running on Empty. She also co-wrote "It is One" and "Nino" on Browne's Looking East album. She worked as a writer for The Brothers Johnson on the track "Deceiver", Earth, Wind & Fire's "Turn It into Something Good", featured on the band's 1980 album Faces,^[8] and Cher's Black Rose band's "Never Should've Started".^[9]

In 1978, she performed the singing voice of the character Jan Mouse in the animated Halloween special "The Devil and Daniel Mouse" produced by Canadian animation studio Nelvana. She was credited under the pseudonym Laurel Runn, likely inspired by living in Laurel Canyon at the time.^[10] She sang several songs in the special, including a duet with the songwriter John Sebastian of The Lovin' Spoonful fame.^[11] The following year, in 1979, her cover of "O-o-h Child" was featured in Matt Dillon's film debut in Over the Edge.^[11]

In 2018 her sister Jan Carter and her friend Kathy Kurasch assembled The Lost Tapes; the first posthumous stand-alone album of previously unreleased material by Valerie Carter. It includes unreleased tracks recorded during her career including "I Got Over It", co-written by Prince. ^[12][13]

Personal life[]

In the December 11, 1999, issue of Billboard, a marriage was announced between Carter and Seth Katz, a television executive with Sony, taking place on November 26, 1999, in Montclair, New Jersey.^[14]

In August and October 2009, Carter was arrested in St. Petersburg, Florida, for possession of drugs.^[15] She completed all of the court's requirements on May 25, 2011.^[15] American singer-songwriter James Taylor appeared at her drug court graduation ceremonies in a congratulatory effort on behalf of all of the graduates.^[15]

Carter died of a heart attack on March 4, 2017, at the age of 64.^[16]

The song "Valerie" recorded by Steve Winwood was reportedly about her, as was Jackson Browne's song "That Girl Could Sing".^[17][11]

Discography[]

As member of the group Howdy Moon[]

• Howdy Moon — 1974

Solo albums[]

• Just a Stone's Throw Away (single "O-o-h Child") — 1977
• Wild Child — 1978
• The Way It Is — 1996 (reissued in 2006 with different track list)
• Find a River — 1998 (5 track EP)^[18]
• Midnight Over Honey River - 2003^[19]
• The Lost Tapes – 2018^[20]
• Valerie Carter with Yoshiyuki Sahashi Live in Tokyo - 2020^[21]

Compilations[]

• Ooh Child: The Columbia Years — 2019
• Vanilla Grits - 2001

Backing vocal credits (select)[]

• Aaron Neville — Warm Your Heart — (1991)
• Al Kooper — Championship Wrestling — (1982)
• Anna Vissi — Everything I Am — (2001)
• Anne Murray — Anne Murray — (1996)
• Arnold McCuller — Circa 1990 — (2003)
• Aselin Debison — Sweet Is the Melody — (2002)
• Christopher Cross — Christopher Cross — (1980)
• Curtis Stigers — Brighter Days — (1999^[22])
• Diana Ross — Force Behind the Power — (1991)
• Don Grusin — 10k-La — (1980)
• Don Henley:
  • The End of the Innocence — (1989)
  • Inside Job — (2000)
• Eddie Money — Playing for Keeps — (1980)
• Eric Carmen — Change of Heart — (1978)
• Freebo — End of the Beginning — (1999)
• Glenn Frey — Strange Weather — (1992)
• Hoyt Axton — Southbound — (1975)
• Jackson Browne:
  • I'm Alive — (1993)
  • Looking East — (1996)
• James Taylor:
  • Gorilla — (1975)
  • In the Pocket — (1976)
  • New Moon Shine — (1991)
  • (LIVE) — (1993)
  • (Best LIVE) — (1994)
  • Hourglass — (1997)
  • Greatest Hits Volume 2 — (2000)
• Jimmy Webb:
  • Angel Heart — (1982)
  • Suspending Disbelief — (1993)
• Jorge Calderón — City Music — (1975)
• Jude Johnstone — Coming of Age — (2002^[22])
• Julia Fordham — Swept — (1991)
• Julie Miller:
  • Orphans & Angels — (1993)
  • Invisible Girl — (1996)
• Keiko Matsui — Sapphire — (1995)
• Linda Ronstadt:
  • Winter Light — (1994)
  • Feels Like Home — (1995)
  • Dedicated to the One I Love — (1996)
• Little Feat — The Last Record Album — (1975)
• Lyle Lovett — Road to Ensenada — (1996)
• Maureen McCormick — When You Get a Little Lonely — (1995)
• Neil Diamond:
  • Lovescape — (1991)
  • Up on the Roof: Songs from the Brill Building — (1993)
  • "Christmas Album, Vol. 2" — (1994)
  • In My Lifetime — (1996)
• Nicolette Larson:
  • Nicolette — (1978)
  • All Dressed Up and No Place to Go — (1982)
• Ofra Haza — Kirya — (1992)
• Jack Wagner — Love Can Take Us All The Way — (1986)
• Randy Newman — Born Again — (1979)
• Rick Derringer — Free Ride — (2002)
• Ringo Starr — Time Takes Time — (1992)
• Shawn Colvin — Fat City — (1992)
• Tom Jans — Eyes of an Only Child — (1975)
• — Dove — (2012)
• Vonda Shepard — Songs from Ally McBeal — (1998)
• Willie Nelson — Healing Hands of Time — (1994)

Song-writing credits (select)[]

• "Cook With Honey". Recorded by Judy Collins (released on the LP True Stories and Other Dreams, 1973)
• "Love Needs a Heart". Recorded by Jackson Browne (released on the LP Running on Empty, 1977)
• "Turn It into Something Good". Recorded by Earth, Wind & Fire (released on the LP Faces, 1980)
• "Never Should Have Started". Recorded by Black Rose (released on Black Rose, 1980)
• "Deceiver". Recorded by The Brothers Johnson (released as B-side of 7" single "You Keep Me Coming Back", 1984)^[23]
• "It is One". Recorded by Jackson Browne (released on Looking East, 1996)
• "Nino". Recorded by Jackson Browne (released on Looking East, 1996)

References[]

External links[]

• Official website
• Archive of old website (archived from September 2013)
• Valerie Carter at IMDb