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James Carr

 


Singer James Edward Carr was born in Coahoma, Mississippi, on June 13, 1942 . He moved with his parents to Memphis in 1945. His first singing was with gospel groups including The Harmony Echoes, and he was working in a furniture factory when, after Stax Records rejected him, he signed with Goldwax records in 1964. He had a string of successful recordings for Goldwax. His greatest success was “The Dark End Of The Street” which was recorded in 1967 and is hailed as his greatest recording.

Carr suffered from bipolar disorder which affected his career, and made him terrified of performing in public. He froze on stage in 1970 on a Japanese tour, due to an overdose of antidepressants, but managed to complete the tour. After the tour he returned to Memphis and lived with his sister, but was frequently hospitalized.

A renewal of interest in his music led to recording new albums for Goldwax in 1991 and again in 1994.

He died of lung cancer, which was diagnosed in the mid-1990s, in a nursing home in Memphis, Tennessee on January 7, 2001, age 58.

Image: James Carr performing at Tramps, New York City, March 20 1992 | Jack Vartoogian/Getty Images

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