Randy Carr
Encyclopedia
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
and started playing drums at the age of 12 years old. Over the years he played drums in many rock music groups in the Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
area of Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
including 7th Grade, Silicone Silos, 16 Tons, and Social Distortion
Social Distortion
Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness , Jonny Wickersham , Brent Harding and David Hidalgo, Jr...
. Randy also played guitar.
Randy lived and worked in Fullerton, California
Fullerton, California
Fullerton is a city located in northern Orange County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 135,161.It was founded in 1887 by George and Edward Amerige and named for George H. Fullerton, who secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway...
. In addition to playing drums in local bands, he was a drum instructor and wrote the book, Advanced Grooves for the Advanced Drummer as an aid for his students.
In 1993, Randy joined up with former The Mechanics
The Mechanics
The Mechanics are considered to be the first punk band to come out of Fullerton, California.The Mechanics were a fusion of two bands, the L.A. Brats and Head Over Heels' songwriter and guitarist, Tim Racca...
guitarist Tim Racca to form 16 Tons. The band 16 Tons, though short-lived, received much critical acclaim for their 1993 instrumental rock CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
, Motorhome, consisting primarily of Racca's compositions. Drum! Magazine
DRUM! Magazine
DRUM! is a North American educational drumming magazine. It features artist profiles, product reviews, lessons and advanced transcriptions covering rock, pop and related styles of music. The magazine was launched in 1991 with Andy Doerschuk as editor. In the 1990s it gained a reputation for its...
wrote in its August 1996 issue, "16 Tons explodes with furious energy, propelled by Carr's powerhouse drumming."
Randy worked with the band Social Distortion
Social Distortion
Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness , Jonny Wickersham , Brent Harding and David Hidalgo, Jr...
from 1993 through 1995. He toured as their drummer at all live performances during this period. After a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
show, Mike Boehm wrote in the May 8, 1995 Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, "S.D.'s set was the longest and by far the finest of the day, 55 minutes of dark majesty powered by a new drummer, Randy Carr, who played his first major gig with the band and helped Social Distortion
Social Distortion
Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness , Jonny Wickersham , Brent Harding and David Hidalgo, Jr...
churn and drive with impressive force and fresh suppleness." He was also the studio drummer for OC
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
punk band The Vectors, and is credited on their album Behind the Orange Curtain. Randy combined Bonham-esque power, with a variety of subtle rock grooves.
In late 2001 Randy began suffering from Cushing's syndrome
Cushing's syndrome
Cushing's syndrome is a hormone disorder caused by high levels of cortisol in the blood. This can be caused by taking glucocorticoid drugs, or by tumors that produce cortisol or adrenocorticotropic hormone or CRH...
. The effects of the disease took his life on March 27, 2002 at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center
University of California, Irvine Medical Center
The University of California, Irvine Medical Center is a major research hospital located in the City of Orange. It is Orange County's central public hospital and the teaching center for the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine.- Organizational history :Plans had been in place since...
in Irvine, California
Irvine, California
Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...
.
