Valerie Carter

Valerie Carter
Birth name	Valerie Gail Zakian Carter
Born	February 5, 1953
Genres	Rock & Roll, Soul
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Years active	1974–present
Labels	ARC, Columbia Records
Associated acts	James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Earth, Wind & Fire, James Newton Howard, Don Henley

Valerie Carter, (born Valerie Gail Zakian Carter on February 5, 1953), Carter was born to James J and Dorothy Carter, is an American singer-songwriter. Carter is perhaps best known as a back-up vocalist who has recorded and performed with a number of artists including Jackson Browne, Don Henley, Linda Ronstadt, Christopher Cross, Little Feat, The Outlaws and, most notably, James Taylor.

Carter has written songs for Judy Collins ("Cook with Honey" from Collins' 1973 album True Stories and Other Dreams), Jackson Browne ("Love Needs a Heart" from his 1977 album Running on Empty) and "Turn It into Something Good" (from Earth, Wind & Fire's 1980 album Faces) to name but three.

She has released four solo studio albums, a live album and a compilation album.

She recorded with Howdy Moon, produced by Lowell George, her two first albums in ARC/Columbia in 1977 and 1979, and sang for Jackson Browne, Earth Wind & Fire, Christopher Cross and, mainly, James Taylor's album and tours. In 1996 Carter returned with "The Way It Is" covering several friends' songs (by Neil Young, Jackson Browne, Van Morrison, and Warren Zevon) and a Japanese live album.

Later years

In August and October 2009, Carter was arrested in St. Petersburg, Florida for possession of drugs.^[1] She successfully completed all of the court's requirements and she became a graduate of Judge Dee Anna Farnell's "drug court" program on May 25, 2011.^[1] Her sometime employer, American singer-songwriter James Taylor, appeared at her "drug court" graduation ceremonies in a congratulatory effort on behalf of all of the graduates.^[1]

Discography

As member of the group Howdy Moon

• Howdy Moon — 1974

Studio albums

• Just a Stone's Throw Away (single "O-o-h Child") — 1977
• Wild Child — 1978
• The Way It Is — 1996 (reissued in 2006 with different track list)
• Find a River — 1998 (5 track EP)

Live albums

• Midnight Over Honey River — 2003 (2xCD)

Compilations

• Vanilla Grits — 2001

Backing vocal credits (select)

• Aaron Neville — Warm Your Heart — (1991)
• Al Kooper — Championship Wrestling — (1982)
• Anna Vissi — Everything I Am — (2001)
• Anne Murray — Anne Murray — (1996)
• Arnold McCuller — Circa 1990 — (2003)
• Aselin Debison — Sweet Is the Melody — (2002)
• Christopher Cross — Christopher Cross — (1980)
• Curtis Stigers — Brighter Days — (1999^[2])
• Diana Ross — Force Behind the Power — (1991)
• Don Grusin — 10k-La — (1980)
• Don Henley:
  • The End of the Innocence — (1989)
  • Inside Job — (2000)
• Eddie Money — Playing for Keeps — (1980)
• Eric Carmen — Change of Heart — (1978)
• Freebo — End of the Beginning — (1999)
• Glenn Frey — Strange Weather — (1992)
• Hoyt Axton — Southbound — (1975)
• Jackson Browne:
  • I'm Alive — (1993)
  • Looking East — (1996)
• James Taylor:
  • Gorilla — (1975)
  • In the Pocket — (1976)
  • New Moon Shine — (1991)
  • (LIVE) — (1993)
  • (Best LIVE) — (1994)
  • Hourglass — (1997)
  • Greatest Hits Volume 2 — (2000)
• Jimmy Webb:
  • Angel Heart — (1982)
  • Suspending Disbelief — (1993)
• Jorge Calderón — City Music — (1975)
• Jude Johnstone — Coming of Age — (2002 ^[3])
• Julia Fordham — Swept — (1991)
• Julie Miller:
  • Orphans & Angels — (1993)
  • Invisible Girl — (1996)
• Keiko Matsui — Sapphire — (1995)
• Linda Ronstadt:
  • Winter Light — (1994)
  • Feels Like Home — (1995)
  • Dedicated to the One I Love — (1996)
• Little Feat — The Last Record Album — (1975)
• Lyle Lovett — Road to Ensenada — (1996)
• Maureen McCormick — When You Get a Little Lonely — (1995)
• Neil Diamond:
  • Lovescape — (1991)
  • Up on the Roof: Songs from the Brill Building — (1993)
  • "Christmas Album, Vol. 2" — (1994)
  • In My Lifetime — (1996)
• Nicolette Larson:
  • Nicolette — (1978)
  • All Dressed Up & No Place To Go — (1982)
• Ofra Haza — Kirya — (1992)
• Jack Wagner — Love Can Take Us All The Way — (1986)
• Randy Newman — Born Again — (1979)
• Rick Derringer — Free Ride — (2002)
• Ringo Starr — Time Takes Time — (1992)
• Shawn Colvin — Fat City — (1992)
• Tom Jans — Eyes of an Only Child — (1975)
• Vonda Shepard — Songs from Ally McBeal — (1998)
• Willie Nelson — Healing Hands of Time — (1994)

Song-writing credits (select)

• "Cook With Honey". Recorded by Judy Collins (released on the LP True Stories And Other Dreams, 1973)
• "Deceiver". Recorded by The Brothers Johnson (released as B-side of 7" single "You Keep Me Coming Back", 1984)^[4]
• "Love Needs A Heart". Recorded by Jackson Browne (released on the LP Running on Empty, 1977)
• "Turn It into Something Good". Recorded by Earth, Wind & Fire (released on the LP Faces, 1980).

References

1. Lane DeGregory (May 26, 2011). "Drug court grads have a friend — James Taylor". Retrieved August 29, 2012.
2. Recording's credits
3. Recording's credits
4. Discogs.

External links

• Official website (archived from September 2013)
• Valerie Carter at the Internet Movie Database