Deana Doing Holiday Concert in LA
11/27/2007 When Deana Carter sings “Crying” Dec. 5 (pending production due to the on-going Writers Guild of America strike) on the Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson, it will not be just a salute to Roy Orbison, whose sailing voice powered the unforgettable 1961 single. She’ll also be paying tribute to her dad, Fred Carter Jr., who played guitar on that Monument recording. Deana's father backed a who’s who of classic rock, country and pop artists who recorded in Nashville. And in the spirit of saluting her dad, the singer has recorded a dozen of his “hits” for the Vanguard Records album The Chain. During his long career, Fred Carter played with everyone from Orbison to Bob Dylan to Willie Nelson, Neil Young and Dolly Parton. Deana lends her voice to some of those legendary songs on The Chain. In addition to Roy Orbison's “Crying,” there’s Paul Simon's “The Boxer,” Bob Dylan's “Lay Lady Lay,” Neil Young's “Old Man,” and Willie Nelson's “On the Road Again.” When they were available, many of the original artists participated in the sessions with Deana. Dolly Parton, for example, sings harmony on “Love is Like a Butterfly” while Kris Kristofferson offers male vocals and perspective to Deana’s take on his “Help Me Make It Through the Night.” While she enjoyed working with an A-list of superstar talent, her dad was the focus of The Chain, “It's a record I've been wanting to do forever,” says Deana. “Doing songs [Dad] did and working with artists he worked with.” Best known for her 1996 debut smash, “Strawberry Wine,” the native of Nashville suburb Goodlettsville learned a lot about her dad's landmark contributions while preparing for this album. “He had a signature sound you hear in most of those records in the late '60s and early '70s,” she says. “All that guitar work is Dad on ‘The Boxer’ and … that kind of acoustic, gut-string stuff. “He had a studio called Nugget Records in Nashville for a long time and that's kind of where we hung out most of my childhood; where most of these people were in and out. He ran ABC Records in Nashville for a little while back in the day. He's worn a lot of hats.” And if his spirit wasn't enough, Deana's dad returns for his first full album performance since receiving a kidney transplant 14 years ago. So it's not surprising that in addition to recording an album celebrating her dad, Deana who now lives in Southern California -- continues her commitment to kidney research and advocacy of organ donation. Whether or not the Late Late Show goes on Dec. 5, Deana will appear at Go Country 105's Los Angeles Mission Holiday Concert on Dec. 13 at the OC Pavilion in Santa Ana. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Los Angeles Mission, where they strive to provide hope and opportunity to broken men, women and children in Los Angeles through meeting their spiritual, physical, educational and social rehabilitation needs. Tickets to that event are available now.
