Founding Fathers: James Carr

James Carr - "The Dark End of the Street" (Goldwax, 1967)

Though he never achieved widespread success in the pop realm, James Carr was a much-loved singer of Memphis soul who was a Founding Father of R&B.

Born in Coahoma, Mississippi in June 1942, James Carr was a gospel singer who worked on an assembly line in Memphis during the 1960′s. He made his first foray into professional singing in 1966 with the remarkable Otis  Redding-style blues cut, “You’ve Got My Mind Messed Up.”

Following another pair of singles, Carr charted his biggest hit, the nearly perfect rendition of the Dann Penn/Chips Moman tune, “The Dark End of the Street.”

Though he continued to record into the late 60′s, Carr was hampered by bipolar disorder and disappeared from singing for a number of years. His career was revived during the 90′s as the result of Peter Guralnick’s book, Sweet Soul Music, but he never found much commercial success.

Carr passed away in Memphis at the age of 58 due to lung cancer.

It’s our Gallery of Greats! Check out more Founding Fathers here…