Rick Carter Singer Guitarist from Pelham, AL

RICK CARTER BIO Rick Carter calls Birmingham, Alabama home. As a military brat, he lived on bases around the world, finally settling in Selma, Alabama for much of his youth. Rick began playing music professionally at the age of 12, resulting in numerous trios and quartets along the way. In 1977, he was a founding member of his first nationally rec ognized band, Telluride. Telluride ruled the bar-band circuit for years, consistently drawing the largest crowds & playing an unprecedented number of gigs annually, resulting in being voted Birmingham's Best Band six years in a row. With the release of their first, self-titled, album in 1980, their single “Birmingham Tonight” garnered Telluride acclaim as one of the top three bands in the nation by Miller Brewing Company, earning them a two year corporate sponsorship. That sponsorship led to a recording contract with RCA Records and catapulted Telluride onto the Top 100 Billboard Singles chart with “Let me in Tonight” and “Breaking Away”. Telluride was then sponsored for the following three years by Budweiser, during which time they released two albums, Stand Alone & Acting Odd on Even Days, as well as several singles. After 20 years on the road, Telluride stopped touring and Rick co-founded Rollin' in the Hay, a forerunner of the "New Grass" revolution in America. Their music was referred to as high-octane groove grass with a touch of down home, foot stompin' Southern Rock…or simply as Renegade Bluegrass. They toured the country, drawing enormous crowds, & their fans, known as "Hayheads", successfully voted for them to play the 2012 Bonnaroo Festival. Rollin in the Hay released numerous albums in a series known as "pickin' on" (their bluegrass versions of popular music at the time), as well as several studio and “live” albums. The Alabama Music Hall of Fame has bestowed the honor of "Music Achiever" to Rick on three occasions...for his individual accomplishments, as well as for his role in, both, Telluride and Rollin in the Hay. Never satisfied with only one or two projects at any time, Rick also has had several other bands. Rick Carter and The League of Legendary Artists (LOLA), which combined his love for R&B and soul music while showcasing some of the best musicians in the southeast, and Frankie Velvet and The Mighty Veltones, a Rockabilly/Western Swing band. Rick has also played and collaborated with some of the most influential artists of our time, including Greg Allman, Johnny Shines, Widespread Panic, Dave Matthews, Alabama, Del McCoury, Jason Isbell, Bob Dylan, The B 52's, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, ZZ Top, Jimmy Hall, Nicky Hopkins, John Fogarty, Willie Nelson, The Marshall Tucker Band, as well as many others. Rick is a prolific songwriter. His solo albums are Loveland, Lost Town, Dusty Jukebox, and Change. Rick’s latest musical endeavor is his Troubadour Series, a tribute to his favorite singer/songwriters-The Troubadours. He released 5 singles in that series over the last few months of 2021, with more to come this year. Rick received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Birmingham Area Musicians' Association in 2007 and has been tagged as "The Hardest Working Man in Music". Rick's other music business ventures include: ****Consultant to numerous festival promoters, club owners, and restauranteurs. ****Mentoring & promotion of up & coming regional artists On February 22, 2022, Rick is expanding his artistic accomplishments with the release of his first book, followed by an extensive book tour. Fables and Stories-Tales From An Alabama Troubadour is his collection of short stories, one-liners, poetry, song lyrics, and prose. As a writer, performer, band leader, artist, & entrepreneur, Rick Carter is an Alabama tradition.