Biography
Singer and composer Sister Wynona Carr counts among gospel's golden era pioneers despite receiving scant notice while alive. Her sophisticated and sensual recordings stood out through lyrics of rare metaphorical depth and a progressive approach steeped in jazz and blues, qualities that struck contemporary audiences as overly daring, though later observers recognize her as one of the era's foremost innovators.
Born in Cleveland, OH, on August 23, 1923, Carr started piano lessons at age eight. At 13 she enrolled at the Cleveland Music College for training in voice, harmony, and arranging, soon afterward singing in Baptist churches throughout the area. She moved to Detroit in 1944 to lead a local choir and, shortly afterward, assembled her own ensemble, the Carr Singers, for tours across the Midwest and the South.
While traveling with the Wilson Jubilee Singers, an offshoot of Cleveland's renowned Wings Over Jordan Choir, Carr drew the notice of the Pilgrim Travelers' J.W. Alexander. Impressed enough to finance her first demo, he forwarded it to Specialty Records founder Art Rupe. The label signed her promptly, and in early 1949 she journeyed to Los Angeles for her debut session, supported by a jump combo directed by ace session pianist Austin McCoy. Her first 78 paired the swinging "Each Day" with the torch-like ballad "Lord Jesus," signaling her range at once. Rupe, aiming to highlight parallels with Sister Rosetta Tharpe's contemporaneous work, added "Sister" to Carr's name, a move she reportedly resented.
Her subsequent Philadelphia session later in 1949 proved revolutionary, producing "I'm a Pilgrim Traveler," a reworking of the blues standard "St. James Infirmary," plus "I Heard the News (Jesus Is Coming Again)," an update of the 1948 Roy Brown and Wynonie Harris hit "Good Rockin' Tonight." Other selections, among them the Carr original "Our Father," reflected a pronounced jazz influence. Although the material promised fresh stylistic ground, Rupe deemed the songs excessively bold and withheld all of them. Carr's 1950 return to the studio took a more conventional route and featured a fresh duet version of "Our Father" with Brother Joe May, which also remained unreleased, even as the song later appeared as a May solo and in a Five Blind Boys of Mississippi rendition.
Undeterred by repeated obstacles, Carr maintained an exhausting tour schedule yet stayed out of the studio until mid-1952. With "The Ball Game," a vividly metaphorical account of a contest between Jesus and Satan, she finally achieved a major gospel success, but momentum proved elusive. Two further years elapsed before her next Specialty date, held in Detroit, where she served as choir director at the New Bethel Baptist Church under Rev. C.L. Franklin. Though studio work remained infrequent, Carr proved a highly productive songwriter, crafting poetic, topical pieces often sparked by current headlines. She recorded dozens of demos for Specialty and, ironically, earned more from sheet-music sales than from her discs.
After touring white nightclubs in 1954 alongside Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight, Carr severed her gospel ties to pursue R&B. In 1957 she reached listeners with the hit ballad "Should I Ever Love Again," only for misfortune to intervene again. As the track climbed the chart, tuberculosis struck, confining her for the next two years at her parents' home. Booking agencies approached her, yet illness prevented any appearances. The resulting loss of momentum proved irreversible. After departing Specialty in 1959 she signed briefly with Reprise, then spent the rest of the 1960s on Cleveland's supper-club circuit. With the arrival of the 1970s Carr withdrew from public view. Her condition worsened until her death on May 11, 1976.
Born in Cleveland, OH, on August 23, 1923, Carr started piano lessons at age eight. At 13 she enrolled at the Cleveland Music College for training in voice, harmony, and arranging, soon afterward singing in Baptist churches throughout the area. She moved to Detroit in 1944 to lead a local choir and, shortly afterward, assembled her own ensemble, the Carr Singers, for tours across the Midwest and the South.
While traveling with the Wilson Jubilee Singers, an offshoot of Cleveland's renowned Wings Over Jordan Choir, Carr drew the notice of the Pilgrim Travelers' J.W. Alexander. Impressed enough to finance her first demo, he forwarded it to Specialty Records founder Art Rupe. The label signed her promptly, and in early 1949 she journeyed to Los Angeles for her debut session, supported by a jump combo directed by ace session pianist Austin McCoy. Her first 78 paired the swinging "Each Day" with the torch-like ballad "Lord Jesus," signaling her range at once. Rupe, aiming to highlight parallels with Sister Rosetta Tharpe's contemporaneous work, added "Sister" to Carr's name, a move she reportedly resented.
Her subsequent Philadelphia session later in 1949 proved revolutionary, producing "I'm a Pilgrim Traveler," a reworking of the blues standard "St. James Infirmary," plus "I Heard the News (Jesus Is Coming Again)," an update of the 1948 Roy Brown and Wynonie Harris hit "Good Rockin' Tonight." Other selections, among them the Carr original "Our Father," reflected a pronounced jazz influence. Although the material promised fresh stylistic ground, Rupe deemed the songs excessively bold and withheld all of them. Carr's 1950 return to the studio took a more conventional route and featured a fresh duet version of "Our Father" with Brother Joe May, which also remained unreleased, even as the song later appeared as a May solo and in a Five Blind Boys of Mississippi rendition.
Undeterred by repeated obstacles, Carr maintained an exhausting tour schedule yet stayed out of the studio until mid-1952. With "The Ball Game," a vividly metaphorical account of a contest between Jesus and Satan, she finally achieved a major gospel success, but momentum proved elusive. Two further years elapsed before her next Specialty date, held in Detroit, where she served as choir director at the New Bethel Baptist Church under Rev. C.L. Franklin. Though studio work remained infrequent, Carr proved a highly productive songwriter, crafting poetic, topical pieces often sparked by current headlines. She recorded dozens of demos for Specialty and, ironically, earned more from sheet-music sales than from her discs.
After touring white nightclubs in 1954 alongside Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight, Carr severed her gospel ties to pursue R&B. In 1957 she reached listeners with the hit ballad "Should I Ever Love Again," only for misfortune to intervene again. As the track climbed the chart, tuberculosis struck, confining her for the next two years at her parents' home. Booking agencies approached her, yet illness prevented any appearances. The resulting loss of momentum proved irreversible. After departing Specialty in 1959 she signed briefly with Reprise, then spent the rest of the 1960s on Cleveland's supper-club circuit. With the arrival of the 1970s Carr withdrew from public view. Her condition worsened until her death on May 11, 1976.
Albums
