Valerie Carr

Valerie Carr (born 1936, New York^[1]) is an American singer.^[1]

Career

A gifted vocalist, Carr recorded for King Records in the mid 1950s before being signed in 1958 by Roulette Records, where she remained until 1962.^[1] At Roulette, one of her 45 rpm recordings, "When The Boys Talk About The Girls," peaked on the 1958 Billboard chart at No. 19,^[2] and also reached the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart.^[3] The lack of further chart action in the UK gave Carr the tag there of being a one hit wonder.

However, the b-side of the record was her version of "Padre" that had been released a short time before by Toni Arden and became a million-seller hit. "Padre" is a hauntingly beautiful ballad of love lost that demonstrated the purity of Carr's voice. At the time, many believed Carr's version to be superior, and it was rumored that radio listeners may have mistakenly bought the Arden version in error.

In 1959, Carr put out two modestly successful LPs, Song Stylist Extraordinaire and Ev'ry Hour Ev'ry Day of My Life, the latter considered by some as her best work. In 1960 she recorded "Oh Gee"/"You Belong in Someone Else's Arms," the b-side written by Burt Bacharach and Bob Hilliard. Her 1961 single "I Left There Crying" made it into the U.S. Top 50.

Carr was reportedly one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Buddy Holly's, favorite singers.

References