I believe it is impossible to overstate just how important the Southern Baptist Church was to the development of American popular song.

There is hardly a great Black vocalist pre-1968 that did not cut their teeth – in some cases, literally – while singing the praises of Jesus, only to find the pursuit of happiness a calling that overwhelmed their dedication to the church doctrine that trained them. Dedication to something bigger than the bigoted misery that defined their lives may have provided the impetus, but the calling and culture must have provided something more tangible – what else could explain so many wondrous vocalists all claiming extraordinarily similar roots?

James Carr was one of thousands of southern singers who opted to leave the church in pursuit of the American dream. Like the large majority, Carr never got much further than the Southern chitlin circuit. He was luckier than most, and became a regional star within the 200 mile radius of his home base of Memphis, but virtually ignored everywhere else. Such a fate is intolerably cruel when you consider Carr’s indisputable talent.

Carr had the same restrained scream that made Bobby Bland so popular five or six years earlier, but Carr was more inclined to let his power wash over you and overwhelm your senses. It is very hard to avoid comparisons with Otis Redding in that regard, but any such comparison might convince you that Carr had the interpretive edge. Back in 1966, your label affiliation mattered more than your abilities. While Redding was lucky enough to record for Stax, which had a generous distribution/production deal with Atlantic Records, Carr worked for Goldwax Records, a small label with no such affiliation. Nevertheless, he still managed to come to the attention of Chips Moman and Dan Penn, who gave Carr one of their best songs. “Dark End of the Street has since been covered hundreds, if not thousands of times by others, yet nobody has approached the dignified glory of Carr’s original interpretation.

His albums were sporadic (only two before his latter day attempt at a comeback) and neither ever came near a pop chart. “You Got My Mind Messed Up” was his only collection of songs to even grace the R&B charts, and even then it only reached #25 in 1966. With a talent as great as this, wouldn’t you say that James Carr is long overdue for a reassessment?

June 1969 - Billboard Charted: Did Not Chart

The Dark End of the Street

You Got My Mind Messed Up