Bill Carter: Ramblin' Fever - The Complete Recordings 1953-61 (2-CD)

2-CD, 36-page booklet, 67 tracks. Total playing time approx. 155 min.

Bill Carter was born in 1929 in Eagleton, Arkansas, moved with his family to Oklahoma in 1937 and six years later to Indio, California. His family encouraged the teenager's interest in music and paid for his singing lessons. Before joining the U.S. Air Force in 1949, he had already performed on several local radio stations. During his military service in California, he formed his first C&W bands and performed in the San Francisco area and at a radio station in San Antonio, Texas.

After completing his military service in 1953, Carter joined Jim DeNoone's country band as a vocalist and performed at the 'California Hayride' in San Francisco and elsewhere. The band's recordings for Gilt-Edge Records, produced that same year, feature Bill Carter as a singer for the first time. He eventually formed his own trio, with whom he worked regularly over the next five years, aiming to become known beyond the local area. During the 1950s in California, he and his band accompanied numerous big names in country music such as Marvin Rainwater, Lefty Frizzell, Freddie Hart, T-Texas Tyler and Buck Owens on tour on the West Coast.

Between 1956 and 1961, Carter recorded under his own name for small and mid-sized labels such as 4-Star, Republic, Tally, Black Jack, Honey B, 'D', Rural Rhythm and Ozark. The 1957 up-tempo number I Wanna Feel Good, produced in Bakersfield, California for Tally, became his biggest hit and opened the doors to the 'Louisiana Hayride' and the 'Grand Ole Opry'.In the years after 1961 Carter followed a new personal orientation and produced Christian Country Music from then on.

With this double CD Bear Family Records® delivers the comprehensive work show on the career of the versatile Bill Carter. Of the total of 67 tunes, only the ten best rockers were previously released on Bear Family's 10"LP 'Cool Tom Cat' (BAF14010). So Carter's complete commercial recordings from the years 1953-61 are united on this double album!

The detailed liner notes are written by Michael Hurtt, who together with Billy Miller, deceased five years ago, wrote the great book 'Mind Over Matter' about the history of Detroit's Fortune label!

• On this double CD, Bear Family Records® is the first label to present all commercial recordings of the great Bill Carter released between 1953 and 1961, including recordings he made as a singer with Western Swing bandleader Big Jim DeNoone.
• The Arkansas musician kicked off with country music and hillbilly and jumped on the rockabilly bandwagon in the mid-50s.
• This compilation additionally includes his outstanding gospel recordings for the Rural Rhythm label and recordings with Western Swing bandleader Big Jim De Nonne for 4-Star., among others, with the Cooper Brothers.
• A total of 67 recordings for 4-Star, Republic, Tally, Ozark, Rural Rhythm, Honey B and 'D' among ohers.
• 41 songs on CD for the first time and 14 of them are previously unreleased!
• In the 1950s California, he and his band accompanied numerous big names in country music on tour on the West Coast.
• Shortly after signing a promising contract with M-G-M and before his final breakthrough, Carter retired from the music business in 1961 and from then on devoted himself exclusively to Christian country music.
• Extensive liner notes by Michael Hurtt in the comprehensive illustrated booklet.
• Carefully restored and remastered recordings.

BEAR FAMILY - RAMBLIN' FEVER: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS FROM BILL CARTER