Kurt Carr

Biography

Early years

Kurt Carr was born on October 12, 1964, in Hartford, Connecticut. In his childhood, he was focused on his instrument playing, and eventually also into compositions and singing. He grew up in a family that believed in Jesus, and according to Kurt Carr himself, followed "Godly Principles." However, the family were not heavily devoutly involved in church services. It was around the age of 13, Kurt Carr found himself being increasingly drawn to the church, eventually prompting the rest of his household to attend regularly. During this period, in his early teen years, he performed as an actor and dancer at the Hartford Stage Company in a Broadway musical called On the Town, which was directed by Clay Stevenson. He became an active member in his church's music department. At the age of 17, Carr chose to further be attentive in his eventual career. After high school, he entered into the music program at the University of Connecticut, where he studied classical music and earned a Fine Arts degree. Carr is a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.

Music career

Kurt Carr, after being further involved into the realm of church, was inspired under The Hawkins Family, and was cultivated under Richard Smallwood in his inception of his career. Kurt Carr eventually relocated to the Los Angeles region in the mid 1980s, subsequently hired to be musical director and pianist for Rev. James Cleveland, working for his church establishment of Cornerstone Institutional Baptist Church, alongside further aspects in the same established church and related career and ministry. This allowed Kurt Carr to be further into the Gospel Industry, including GMWA events and also on Bobby Jones Gospel. Being under the then-considered, "relevant" gospel figures, allowed Kurt Carr to further solidify his own career. In June 1987, Kurt Carr formed his first widespread wave of the gospel vocal ensemble titled The Kurt Carr Singers, continuing from the previous variant of the singers from the prior periods in the home area of Kurt Carr. The singers commenced their debut EP, I'm Glad in 1988 released on the Independent label. After signing with Light Records in 1990, the major label debut album was recorded in periods between July 1991, in concert, with further subsequent work of the record. The record, titled Together, featured blend of Traditional Gospel Music, R&B, Funk, Soul, and Classical Music, and was released in late 1991. Notable tracks included rendition of Love Under New Management, alongside the return of the indie-debut version "Holy, Holy, Holy." The record featured Kurt Carr in his role of, songwriter, arranger, producer, instrumentalist, and singer. The record charted, Number 10 on the Gospel Billboard Charts, and was Stellar Award Nominated. While still working under the ministry established under Rev. Cleveland, Carr became attendee of West Angeles Church of God In Christ, under the pastoralship of Bishop Charles Edward Blake. During the early and mid 1990s, Kurt Carr used dual roles in working for the ministry established under Rev. James Cleveland and being installed-music minister of the choir of West Angeles Church of God In Christ. In this vicinity, Kurt Carr was able to further be in the realm of both Contemporary Gospel Music and Praise & Worship. Andraé Crouch had also had his collaborations in working with Kurt Carr in his career, and further inspiring him directly. Transitions in the Light Records label, led to Kurt Carr singing to GospoCentric Records which was owned and recently co-founded by to Vicki Mack Lataillade, in 1992.

Also in 1992, Kurt Carr experienced a threatening robbery, which led a paralyzed hand, among other aspects of fretting and difficulties in continuing career. Upon recovery, Kurt Carr used this to impact his two debut GospoCentric releases, in which he also spent periods producing and working with other acts, while the GospoCentric was developing. Kurt Carr served as producer, musician, choir director, and vocalist on the record, We Haven't Forgotten You, under the Los Angeles Gospel Messengers, which was sold in 1994 on record. Kurt Carr was nominated and received awards for his role on the record. Shortly after, The Kurt Carr Singers had their debut record to be of the GospoCentric label titled Serious About It!, to be recorded circa early-mid 1994 with mostly-live tracks, with the record copies being available in late 1994. The album featured songs including the rendition of "Whatta Man" under Salt-N-Pepa titled, What a God, alongside You Always Make A Way which blends Traditional Gospel Music with R&B and Soul inspirations, and most notably, the cover of the song, Surely God Is Able. Due to the challenging factors of the GospoCentric label, the record had charted in Number 21 in the charts in 1995, leading to gradually less-widespread promotion of the record. However, the involvement on the label and possibly also, the levels of success of the record, lead the Kurt Carr and the Singers to be featured on the "Why We Sing tour" with Kirk Franklin & The Family in 1995. After the period of touring, In July 1996, the singers commenced the following album on the label, No One Else, to be recorded at the West Angeles Church. The record was also subject to the record label complexities, which led to delay in the record being available, before it was successfully sold in March 1997. The album also featured Anastacia, Mary Mary, and Andrea McClurkin-Mellini (sister of Donnie McClurkin) serving as a few of the several additional background singers. The album most notably featured "For Every Mountain," which became one of the Carr's most known recorded-songs over time. Other tracks were notably present, included the Jazz and R&B-influenced version of Kumbaya. The record also included the hip-hop and New Jack Swing "influenced" version of the previous rendition done under Edwin Hawkins, titled Do You Know Him, which is the of the same title in song. Both Serious About It! and No One Else, featured blending of R&B, Hip-Hop, Choral Compositions, and further intertwined into the musicality Kurt Carr had set forth. However, No One Else also included "certain emphasis" of lyrical content and "sound," which were less considerably-prevalent in the previous records, especially in "contrast" to Serious About It!. No One Else sold over 100,000 copies and was Number 8 the Billboard Charts for over one year. The subsequent success of later records and the still-complexities involved with the record label, also received allowed notable lack of attention for periods of No One Else. The track, For Every Mountain, often had been recognized, mostly because of it being included in later playlist records, later renditions, and widespread availability of the sole song. Despite the "lower" attention given to the early records, the lineups of most of the singers who joined between 1987 formation to No One Else, even with certain members staying in the lineup after No One Else was done and had left later on, had reunited in notable occasions – most notably, the 2025 Choir Master Awards.

Discography