While vocalists like Buck Owens and Merle Haggard were crucial to the development of the “Nashville sound” that sprang up in the 1950s and ’60s, the movement certainly would have sounded different without the backing of the famed” A-Team.” More a rotating roster of session musicians than a fixed lineup, the A-Team musicians gained a reputation for quick learning and flawless playing that managed not to upstage the track’s vocalist. One member of this notable group was Fred Carter Jr., who died on this day (July 17) in 2010 at Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center following a stroke at age 76. The father of ’90s country hitmaker Deana Carter, he contributed his superb guitar-picking skills to songs like Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Boxer” and Waylon Jennings’ “I’ve Always Been Crazy.”
About Fred Carter Jr.
Born December 31, 1933, in Winnsboro, Louisiana, Fred Carter Jr.’s parents raised him on jazz, country & western, hymns, and blues. Displaying a musical proficiency at a young age, he began playing the mandolin at age three before picking up guitar and fiddle.
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At age 18, Carter enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, where he was the bandleader for the USO variety show entertaining troops across Europe. After leaving the military, he returned to Louisiana to study music at Centenary College in Shreveport. (Notably, Carter could not read music and instead relied on his memory.)
In 1956, Carter joined the house band of the popular Louisiana Hayride radio broadcast in Shreveport. His tenure there introduced him to some of the biggest country stars of the 1950s, including Slim Whitman, Floyd Cramer, Sonny James, Hank Snow, Faron Young, Johnny Horton, and Jim Reeves.
During this time, Carter also worked with “Suzy Q” singer Dale Hawkins and his cousin, Ronnie Hawkins, whose group, The Hawks, eventually became The Band.
Later, he met and befriended Roy Orbison. And when the “Crying” singer moved to Hollywood, Carter followed, joining his band.
He Didn’t Only Stick to Country
Fred Carter Jr. would go on to tour with Orbison and Conway Twitty before settling into a career as a highly sought-after studio guitarist.
Much of his early studio work concentrated on country, contributing to hits by George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Dolly Parton, and John Anderson.
Carter’s folk work included sessions for Joan Baez, John Stewart, Levon Helm, Muddy Waters, and Bob Dylan. He also became the go-to session guitarist for Simon & Garfunkel, playing on songs like 1969’s “The Boxer”.
In the ’70s, Carter joined The Band member Levon Helm’s supergroup the RCO All Stars, along with Booker T. Jones, Dr. John, Donald “Duck” Dunn, and the Saturday Night Live horns. He produced the group’s lone album.
Carter’s career slowed in the ’80s, and he briefly retreated to the family’s Louisiana farm before life brought him to Nashville once again—this time in support of his daughter’s career. Deana Carter back-to-back country hits with “Did I Shave My Legs for This?” (1997) and “Strawberry Wine” (1996).
Featured image courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum