Biography of James Carr

James Carr grew up in Memphis and worked as a laborer. It is said that he never learned to read or write, but he surely could sing. Carr was part of the Goldwax stable of artists, along with the Ovations and O.V. Wright. His style was not as raw as Solomon Burke or as multi-dimensional as Otis Redding, but when he sang, you ached. His two biggest hits, "You've Got my Mind Messed Up," and "The Dark End of the Street," were never duplicated either by Carr or his label, Goldwax, but "Street" was enough to give him a major footnote in Memphis music folklore. ~ William Ashford