Sydney Bertram Carter (6 May 1915–13 March 2004) was an English poet, songwriter, folk musician, born in Camden Town, London. He is best known for the song "Lord of the Dance" (1963), set to the tune of the American Shaker song "Simple Gifts", and the song "The Crow on the Cradle", adapted from an old folk song. Other notable songs include "Julian of Norwich", "One More Step Along the Road I go", "When I Needed a Neighbour", "Every Star Shall Sing a Carol", "The Youth of the Heart" and "Down Below".
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He studied at Montem St Primary school in Finsbury Park, Christ's Hospital school in Horsham, West Sussex and Balliol College, Oxford, graduating in history in 1936. A committed pacifist, Carter joined the Friends' Ambulance Unit on the outbreak of World War II and served in Egypt, Palestine and Greece.
He worked as a lyricist for Donald Swann's revues and musicals in the 1950s and in 1962, produced an album "Putting out the Dustbin" with Sheila Hancock, with the song "Last Cigarette" on failing to give up smoking that became a minor hit.
Partly inspired by Jesus, and partly by a statue of Shiva as Nataraja, Sydney wrote the lyrics "Lord Of The Dance" in 1963, as an adaptation of Joseph Brackett's "Simple Gifts", and a tribute to Shaker music. He later stated, "I did not think the churches would like it at all. I thought many people would find it pretty far flown, probably heretical and anyway dubiously Christian. But in fact people did sing it and, unknown to me, it touched a chord ... Anyway, it's the sort of Christianity I believe in."
In 1964, he married his second wife Leela Nair, with whom he had a son Michael, who became a neurosurgeon. He continued to work with Donald Swann writing six songs for the 1964 Donald Swann EP, Songs of Faith and Doubt. In the 1960s, he also worked as a critic for Gramophone magazine. In 1965, Carter wrote the six-song EP album Lord Of The Dance with Martin Carthy on guitar, the Johnny Scott Trio and the Mike Sammes singers. He also worked with Nadia Cattouse and Jeremy Taylor. In 1972, Carter presented a series of concerts in Australia. Franciscus Henri who accompanied him recorded an anthology of Carter's songs and poems (Nothing Fixed or Final) in 2005.
Carter went to Perth, Western Australia, in 1985 to present a series of lectures and workshops. During his visit he attended a meeting of the Society of Friends. During this meeting, one of the women stood and sang "When I Needed a Neighbour, Were You There?" She was unaware, as she sang, that Sydney was present. He was deeply touched and greatly delighted. After he retired, Sidney lived in Herne Hill, London, UK, where he died. Sidney Carter spoke regularly with Lesslie Newbigin when the later would preach at his parish church, St Paul's Church, Herne Hill.
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