Bo Carter
Encyclopedia
Armenter "Bo Carter" Chatmon (June 30, 1892 – September 21, 1964) was an American
early blues
musician
. He was a member of the Mississippi Sheiks
in concert
s, and on a few of their recordings
. Carter also managed that group, which included his brother, Lonnie Chatmon, on fiddle
and occasionally Sam Chatmon
on bass
, along with a friend, Walter Vincson, on guitar
and lead vocals.
. In 1928, he recorded the original version of "Corrine, Corrina", which later became a hit
for Big Joe Turner
and has become a standard
in various musical genres.
Carter and his brothers (including pianist
Harry Chatmon, who also made recordings), first learned music from their father, ex-slave fiddle
r Henderson Chatmon, at their home on a plantation between Bolton and Edwards, Mississippi
. Their mother, Eliza, also sang and played guitar
.
Carter made his recording debut in 1928, backing Alec Johnson. Carter soon was recording as a solo
artist
and became one of the dominant blues recording acts of the 1930s, recording 110 sides
. He also played with and managed the family group, the Mississippi Sheiks, and several other acts in the area. He and the Sheiks often played for whites
, playing the pop
hits
of the day and white-oriented dance
material, as well as for blacks
, using a bluesier repertoire.
Carter went partly blind
during the 1930s. He settled in Glen Allen
and despite his vision problems did some farming but also continued to play music and perform, sometimes with his brothers. Carter moved to Memphis
, and worked outside the music industry in the 1940s.
Carter suffered stroke
s and died of a cerebral hemorrhage at Shelby County Hospital, Memphis, on September 21, 1964.
from Ireland
, who performed several of his songs, including, "All Around Man." He is not related to the College Sports Information Directors of America Hall of Fame member and 40-plus-years publicist Sam T. "Bo" Carter.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
early blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. He was a member of the Mississippi Sheiks
Mississippi Sheiks
The Mississippi Sheiks were a popular and influential guitar and fiddle group of the 1930s. They were notable mostly for playing country blues, but were adept at many styles of United States popular music of the time, and their records were bought by both black and white audiences.In 2004, they...
in concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s, and on a few of their recordings
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
. Carter also managed that group, which included his brother, Lonnie Chatmon, on fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
and occasionally Sam Chatmon
Sam Chatmon
Sam Chatmon was a Delta blues guitarist and singer. He was a member of the Mississippi Sheiks and may have been Charlie Patton's half brother.-Life and career:...
on bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, along with a friend, Walter Vincson, on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and lead vocals.
Career
Since the 1960s, Carter has become best known for his bawdy songs such as "Banana in Your Fruit Basket", "Pin in Your Cushion", "Your Biscuits Are Big Enough for Me", "Please Warm My Wiener" and "My Pencil Won't Write No More". However, his output was not restricted to risqué musicMusic
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
. In 1928, he recorded the original version of "Corrine, Corrina", which later became a hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
for Big Joe Turner
Big Joe Turner
Big Joe Turner was an American blues shouter from Kansas City, Missouri. According to the songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him." Although he came to his greatest fame in the 1950s with his pioneering rock and roll recordings, particularly "Shake, Rattle and...
and has become a standard
Standard (music)
In music, a standard is a tune or song of established popularity.-See also:* Blues standard* Jazz standard* Pop standard* Great American Songbook-Further reading:* Greatest Rock Standards, published by Hal Leonard ISBN 0793588391...
in various musical genres.
Carter and his brothers (including pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
Harry Chatmon, who also made recordings), first learned music from their father, ex-slave fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
r Henderson Chatmon, at their home on a plantation between Bolton and Edwards, Mississippi
Edwards, Mississippi
Edwards is a town in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,347 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
. Their mother, Eliza, also sang and played guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
.
Carter made his recording debut in 1928, backing Alec Johnson. Carter soon was recording as a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
artist
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and became one of the dominant blues recording acts of the 1930s, recording 110 sides
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
. He also played with and managed the family group, the Mississippi Sheiks, and several other acts in the area. He and the Sheiks often played for whites
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
, playing the pop
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
of the day and white-oriented dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
material, as well as for blacks
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
, using a bluesier repertoire.
Carter went partly blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
during the 1930s. He settled in Glen Allen
Glen Allen
Glen Allen may refer to:* Glen Allen, Alabama* Glen Allen, Missouri* Glen Allen, Virginia* Glennallen, Alaska-People:* Glen Allen Walken, a fictional character on The West Wing played by John Goodman...
and despite his vision problems did some farming but also continued to play music and perform, sometimes with his brothers. Carter moved to 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....
, and worked outside the music industry in the 1940s.
Carter suffered stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
s and died of a cerebral hemorrhage at Shelby County Hospital, Memphis, on September 21, 1964.
Discography
- "Corrine, Corrina" – 1928 (BrunswickBrunswick RecordsBrunswick Records is a United States based record label. The label is currently distributed by E1 Entertainment.-From 1916:Records under the "Brunswick" label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company...
) - "All Around Man" – 1931 (BluebirdBluebird RecordsBluebird Records is a sub-label of RCA Victor Records originally created in 1932 to counter the American Record Company in the "3 records for a dollar" market. Along with ARC's Perfect Records, Melotone Records and Romeo Records, and the independent US Decca label, Bluebird became one of the best...
) - "Old Devil" – 1938 (BluebirdBluebird RecordsBluebird Records is a sub-label of RCA Victor Records originally created in 1932 to counter the American Record Company in the "3 records for a dollar" market. Along with ARC's Perfect Records, Melotone Records and Romeo Records, and the independent US Decca label, Bluebird became one of the best...
)
Influence
Bo Carter's style of playing the guitar and his songwriting won him fans long after he died. One of the most notable examples was blues-rock guitarist, Rory GallagherRory Gallagher
William Rory Gallagher, ; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995, was an Irish blues-rock multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and bandleader. Born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Ireland, and raised in Cork, Gallagher recorded solo albums throughout the 1970s and 1980s, after forming the band Taste...
from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, who performed several of his songs, including, "All Around Man." He is not related to the College Sports Information Directors of America Hall of Fame member and 40-plus-years publicist Sam T. "Bo" Carter.
External links
- Bo Carter biography at the emusicEMusiceMusic is an online music and audiobook store that operates by subscription. It is headquartered in New York City with an office in London and owned by Dimensional Associates. As of September 2008 eMusic has over 400,000 subscribers....
websiteWebsiteA website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet... - [ Biography at Allmusic.com]