Monday, April 27, 2009

Jango Song Of The Day-James Carr

Artist:James Carr
Song:Pouring Water On A Drowning Man
Album:The Complete Goldwax Singles





If you're a fan of 60s soul, you don't want to overlook James Carr. He wasn't as well known as someone like Otis Redding because he was on a smaller label that never reached the mainstream but his music is pure soul. He was born June 13, 1942 in Coahoma, MS and grew up in Memphis singing in his daddy's church. He was in gospel groups as a teen but was interested in a record deal in secular music. He was turned down by Stax in 1963 and signed with Quentin Claunch's Goldwax label. He was a founder of Hi Records. Carr's 1966 single You Got My Mind Messed Up was a top ten R & B hit and earned him comparisons with Redding. Carr released several more R & B hits including Pouring Water On A Drowning Man. But Carr suffered from bipolar disorder and this frequently played havoc with his career. Goldwax went bankrupt in 1970 and Carr was unable to get a record deal and his health deteriorated to the point where he was institutionalized for a while. He improved and released an album on the revived Goldwax label in 1991. But he was diagnosed with lung cancer and died on Jan. 7, 2001 at age 58. The Goldwax recordings are owned by the British reissue label Ace Records and they have released this comp on Kent Records. Here's James Carr performing Pouring Water On A Drowning Man in the 90s.

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