Vikki Carr
Vikki Carr is an American vocalist who has had a singing career for more than four decades. Born in El Paso, Texas to parents of Mexican ancestry, she has performed in a variety of musical genres, including pop, jazz and country, while her greatest success has come from singing in Spanish. She established the Vikki Carr Scholarship Foundation in 1971.
Career
Cardona was born in El Paso, Texas. She graduated from Rosemead High School in 1958 in a class that included famed fashion designer Bob Mackie. Under the stage name "Vikki Carr" she signed with Liberty Records in 1962. Her first single to achieve success was "He's a Rebel", which in 1962 reached No. 3 in Australia and No. 115 in the United States. Producer Phil Spector heard Carr cutting the song in the studio and immediately recorded a cover version which reached No. 1 in the United States, billed to the Crystals, although this was in fact incorrect as the actual recording artists were The Blossoms. In 1966, Carr toured South Vietnam with actor/comedian Danny Kaye to entertain American troops. The following year her album It Must Be Him was nominated for three Grammy Awards. The title track reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States in 1967, sold more than 1 million copies and received a gold disc. Carr had two other songs make the US Top 40: 1968's "The Lesson" and 1969's "With Pen in Hand". Around this time, Dean Martin called her "the best girl singer in the business". Carr had 10 singles that made the US pop charts and 13 albums that made the US pop-album charts.In 1968, Carr taped six specials for London Weekend TV. She appeared on various television programs, such as ABC's The Bing Crosby Show in the 1964–1965 season. In 1970, she was named "Woman of the Year" by the Los Angeles Times. She guest-hosted The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1973. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1981. Carr also achieved the rare feat of singing for five presidents during her career: Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George Bush and Bill Clinton.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Carr had enormous success in the Latin music world, winning Grammy Awards for Best Mexican-American Performance in 1986 for her album Simplemente Mujer, Best Latin Pop Album in 1992 for Cosas del Amor and Best Mexican-American Performance in 1995 for Recuerdo a Javier Solís. She also received Grammy nominations for the discs Brindo a La Vida, Al Bolero, A Ti and Emociones. Her numerous Spanish-language hit singles include "Total", "Discúlpame", "Déjame", "Hay Otro en Tu Lugar", "Esos Hombres", "Mala Suerte" and "Cosas del Amor". "Cosas del Amor" spent more than two months at No. 1 on the US Latin charts in 1991, her biggest Spanish-language US hit. Her Spanish-language albums have been certified gold and platinum in Mexico, Chile, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Colombia and Ecuador. She also voiced Georgette in the Latin American dub of Disney's Oliver & Company.
In 1999, Carr taped a PBS TV special, Vikki Carr: Memories, Memorias, in which she performed popular bilingual tunes from the 1940s and 1950s. Her guests were Pepe Aguilar, Arturo Sandoval and Jack Jones. In 2001, she released a bilingual holiday album, The Vikki Carr Christmas Album.
Carr appeared to great acclaim in a 2002 Los Angeles production of the Stephen Sondheim musical Follies, which also featured Hal Linden, Patty Duke and Harry Groener. In 2006, Carr made a cameo appearance in a straight-to-video thriller called Puerto Vallarta Squeeze. Carr hosted a PBS TV special in 2008, Fiesta Mexicana, which celebrated the music and dance of Mexico. Later that year she was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Latin Recording Academy. Carr marked the occasion with an appearance on the Latin Grammy telecast in which she performed "Cosas del Amor" with Olga Tañón and Jenni Rivera.
In 2014, Vikki was invited by producer Gerry Gallagher to record with Latin rock legends El Chicano, Alphonse Mouzon, Brian Auger, Alex Ligertwood, Salvador Santana, Ray Parker Jr., Lenny Castro, Siedah Garrett, Walfredo Reyes Jr., Pete Escovedo, Peter Michael Escovedo, Jessy J, Marcos J. Reyes and David Paich, and is featured on a remake of the Latin classic "Sabor A Mi" from a 2019 Gallagher studio album.
Personal life
Carr married paint-company executive Michael Nilsson on August 20, 1979.Charitable work
Carr devotes time to charities including the United Way, the American Lung Association, the Muscular Dystrophy Association and St. Jude's Hospital. For 22 years she hosted benefit concerts to support Holy Cross of San Antonio Middle and High School in San Antonio, Texas. In 1971, she established the Vikki Carr Scholarship Foundation dedicated to offering college scholarships to Hispanic students in California and Texas. The foundation has awarded more than 280 scholarships totaling more than $250,000.Discography
Albums
Singles
1960s and 1970s
- Years represent year of release, not necessarily the chart peak year.
| Year | Titles Both sides from same album except where indicated | US 100 | CB | US AC | UK | AUS | Original Source |
| 1962 | "I'll Walk the Rest Of The Way" b/w "Beside A Bridge " | - | - | - | - | - | Non-album tracks |
| 1962 | "He's A Rebel" b/w "Be My Love" | 115 | 102 | - | - | 3 | Non-album tracks |
| 1963 | "The Rose and Butterfly" b/w "From Nine To Five" | - | - | - | - | - | Non-album tracks |
| 1963 | "San Francisco" b/w "Look Again" | - | - | - | - | - | Color Her Great |
| 1963 | "Medley: Poor Butterfly/Stay" b/w "The Right Kind Of Man" | - | - | - | - | - | Discovery! |
| 1964 | "Forget You" b/w "Her Little Heart Went To Loveland" | - | - | - | - | - | It Must Be Him |
| 1965 | "Busca Ese Camino" b/w "No Seas Asi" | - | - | - | - | - | Non-album tracks |
| 1965 | "The Color Of Love" b/w "There Goes My Heart" | - | - | - | - | - | Unforgettable |
| 1965 | "Unforgettable" b/w "Theme From Peyton Place" | - | - | - | - | - | Unforgettable |
| 1965 | "I Only Have Eyes For You" b/w "None But The Lonely Heart" | - | - | - | - | - | Anatomy Of Love |
| 1966 | "The Silencers" b/w "Santiago" | - | - | - | - | - | Non-album track |
| 1966 | "Heartaches" b/w "True Love's A Blessing" | - | - | - | - | - | Anatomy Of Love |
| 1966 | "My Heart Reminds Me" b/w "Can I Trust You" | - | 127 | 31 | - | - | The Way Of Today! |
| 1966 | "Summer Samba " b/w "It Must Be Him" | - | - | 32 | - | - | Unforgettable |
| 1966 | "Until Today" / | - | - | 39 | - | - | Non-album track |
| 1966 | "Now I Know The Feeling" | - | - | 28 | - | - | Unforgettable |
| 1967 | "Sunshine" b/w "Fly Away" | - | - | - | - | - | The Very Best Of Vikki Carr |
| 1967 | "There I Go" b/w "One More Mountain" UK release only | - | - | - | 50 | - | Vikki! |
| 1967 | "It Must Be Him" b/w "That's All" | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | It Must Be Him |
| 1968 | "The Lesson" b/w "One More Mountain" | 34 | 35 | 1 | - | - | Vikki! |
| 1968 | "She'll Be There" / | 99 | 92 | 13 | - | - | Don't Break My Pretty Balloon |
| 1968 | "Your Heart is Free Just Like the Wind" | 91 | - | 32 | - | - | Don't Break My Pretty Balloon |
| 1968 | "Don't Break My Pretty Balloon" b/w "Nothing To Lose" | 114 | 103 | 7 | - | - | Don't Break My Pretty Balloon |
| 1968 | "A Dissatisfied Man" b/w "Happy Together" | - | - | 18 | - | - | The Ways To Love A Man |
| 1968 | "With Pen In Hand" | 35 | 42 | 6 | 39 | - | For Once In My Life |
| 1969 | "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" | - | - | - | - | - | It Must Be Him |
| 1969 | "Eternity" b/w "I Will Wait For Love" | 79 | 69 | 5 | - | - | The Best Of Vikki Carr |
| 1970 | "Singing My Song" b/w "Make It Rain" | - | - | 30 | - | - | Nashville by Carr |
| 1970 | "I'll Be Home" b/w "Call My Heart Your Home" | 96 | 117 | 7 | - | - | Vikki Carr's Love Story |
| 1971 | "Six Weeks Every Summer " b/w "If You Could Read My Mind" | - | - | 28 | - | - | - |
| 1971 | "I Can't Give Back the Love I Feel for You" b/w "I've Never Been A Woman Before" | - | 103 | - | - | - | Superstar |
| 1971 | "I'd Do It All Again" b/w "I'm Gonna Love You" | - | 102 | 39 | - | - | Superstar |
| 1972 | "The Big Hurt" b/w "Cabaret" | 108 | - | 31 | - | - | Non-album track |
| 1972 | "Grande, Grande, Grande" b/w "Y Volvere" | - | - | - | - | - | Los Exitos De Hoy Y De Siempre |
| 1972 | "Let the Band Play On" b/w "Reflections" | - | - | - | - | - | Non-album tracks |
| 1973 | "Ms. America" b/w "We Didn't Know The Time Of Day" | - | - | - | - | - | Ms. America |
| 1973 | "Leave A Little Room" b/w "Have You Heard The News" | - | - | - | - | - | Live At The Greek Theatre |
| 1974 | "Sleeping Between Two People" b/w "Borrowed Time" | - | - | - | - | - | One Hell Of A Woman |
| 1974 | "Wind Me Up" b/w "One Hell of a Woman" | - | - | 45 | - | - | One Hell Of A Woman |
| 1975 | "Hoy" b/w "El Pajaro Herido" | - | - | - | - | - | Hoy |
| 1975 | "Puttin' Myself In Your Hands" b/w "I Don't Want A Sometimes Man" | - | - | - | - | - | Non-album tracks |
1980s to the present
Cultural references
- In the "Family Guy" episode Total Recall, Peter is envious of his wife Lois, after she becomes very popular among his friends. After she comments "one of them drives a Volvo" referring to "trapeze people", a joke which makes no sense, everyone but Peter laughs. He remarks, "So what? She can name a kind of car. Big whoop, I can do that, too. Vikki. Vikki Carr".
- At a November 12, 1974 state dinner, Don Penny was dancing with Betty Ford while President Gerald Ford was dancing with Vikki Carr. Carr ask the president “what’s your favorite Mexican dish” to which he said, “you are.” Betty Ford was not amused.
- In the movie Moonstruck, Rose says "Now he's going to play that damn Vikki Carr record and when he comes to bed he won't touch me."
- In the season 2 episode 24 of "The Nanny," several nannies celebrate the retirement of, Mona, played by Tyne Daly. Bemoaning how little she received after devoting her life to raising the children of other people, Mona says "you give somebody's kids the best years of your life and what do you get? A pat on the back and a couple of stinking Vikki Carr CDs."
- On the October 5, 1969 episode of Monty Python, John Cleese says, "The final score, Pigs 9, British Bipeds 4. The Pigs go on to face Vikki Carr in the finals."