Vikki Carr(I)
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Vikki Carr is one of the best-loved and most accomplished entertainers
in the United States, Latin America and Europe. She is celebrating her
fifth decade of a career in which she has won four Grammy Awards and
has released over 60 best-selling recordings. Her concert tours of
2006-2007 sold out shows in the U.S., Mexico and South America. She has
performed for the Queen of England, five United States Presidents,
wartime soldiers in Vietnam and sold-out audiences around the world.
She has worked in radio, television, film and theater. Her music
embraces two languages and she is among the first artists to bridge the
cultures of the United States and Latin America, paving the way for
many performers today.
In 2008, Vikki Carr was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy from
the Latin Recording Academy.
In 2008, Vikki filmed a TV special
Fiesta Mexicana (2008)
for PBS TV.
EMI-Gold released a 3-disc set, "Vikki Carr: The Ultimate Collection"
to rave reviews. Recordings made in the very early years of Vikki's
career debut on this compilation. Along with many of her well known
hits such as "It Must Be Him" (in English, Italian and Spanish), "With
Pen In Hand", "He's A Rebel" and concert staple including "Can't Take
My Eyes Off You". In April 2007, EMI-Gold released "Vikki Carr: Ways to
Love a Man/Nashville by Carr" a 2 on 1 CD that allowed fans to hear a
very emotional delivery of classics like "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down",
"Singing My Song" and "A Dissatisfied Man". Sony Mexico just released a
CD/DVD collection titled "Las Numero 1" featuring 20 of Vikki's top
Spanish hits on CD along with 10 of her television performances on DVD.
In 2002, Vikki starred in the Reprise production of
Stephen Sondheim's beloved musical
"Follies" in Los Angeles. She garnered glowing reviews for her
performance from the LA Times, Hollywood Reporter and Variety. Her
latest recording projects include "The Vikki Carr Christmas Album",
released on Delta, which features Christmas Classics in both English
and Spanish. Another recording, the PBS special "Vikki Carr: Memories,
Memorias", is a salute to the English-language hits of the 1940's and
1950's, which were originally composed by Latinos. Produced by
KCET/Hollywood, the program recreates the elegant setting of Hollywood
supper clubs and theaters where popular artists of the era performed.
The show, which features Jack Jones,
Pepe Aguilar and
Arturo Sandoval, was first released on
video and CD through the national PBS pledge campaigns.
The diversity of her rich voice is impressive. She can belt out the
blues or touch the heart with a soft romantic ballad.
Frank Sinatra said, "She possesses my kind
of voice", Dean Martin called her
"the best girl singer in the business" and
Bing Crosby and
Ella Fitzgerald named her among their
three favorite female singers of all time.
Elvis Presley was also very fond of her
and even remarked on stage in Las Vegas many times that Vikki Carr was
one of his favorite singers and that he liked her because "she sang
from the gut" and introduced her at many of his personal appearances in
which she attended. Born in El Paso, Texas, and raised in the San
Gabriel Valley of California, Vikki Carr, the eldest of seven children,
began performing at the tender age of four singing Adeste Fidelis in
Latin at a Christmas program. She was signed to a contract with Liberty
Records in 1961. She recorded "He's A Rebel", which first became a hit
in Australia. That title was soon followed by the unforgettable
release, "It Must Be Him", which charged up the charts in England. One
year later, the single was released in the United States and earned
Carr four Grammy Award nominations. The international hit emerged again
when she and the song were featured in the storyline of the Academy
Award winning movie Moonstruck (1987).
After "It Must Be Him" came a string of hits including "With Pen In
Hand", for which she received her fourth Grammy Award nomination, "The
Lesson", "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You", "For Once in My Life" and
"Eternity".
In the States, Vikki became a darling of the White House, performing
regularly at State Dinners and at President
Richard Nixon's 1973 Inaugural
celebration. President Gerald Ford
called her his "favorite Mexican dish". She also performed for
Presidents' Ronald Reagan,
George Bush and at the 1992
Presidential Summit hosted by President
Bill Clinton. A frequent guest-star
on major network variety shows, including
Dean Martin,
Ed Sullivan,
Perry Como,
Jimmy Dean and
Carol Burnett, Vikki also taped six
specials for London Weekend TV. Vikki was the first female to regularly
guest host for Johnny Carson on
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962).
She was also a visitor and guest host on
Michael Jackson's ABC radio
show.
Vikki made her acting debut on
The Bing Crosby Show (1964).
She has had several guest roles in numerous television series ranging
from Mod Squad (1968) to
Fantasy Island (1977), and has
co-hosted the nationally syndicated Mrs. America and Mrs. Woman of the
World Pageants. Carr also made two guest appearances on the popular
series Baywatch (1989) and, most
recently, in the motion picture
Puerto Vallarta Squeeze (2004).
Vikki's music has been featured in movies such as
The Silencers (1966),
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002),
Walt Disney's "Oliver & Company" in Spanish,
HBO thriller "Mrs. Harris" and, recently, in
John Turturro's
Romance & Cigarettes (2005).
The critics praised Vikki for her stage performances in "South Pacific"
at the Starlight Theatre in Kansas City and in "The Unsinkable Molly
Brown", with the John Kenley Players in Ohio. In 1983, her starring
performance in "I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road"
broke house records at the Westport Playhouse in St. Louis. Columbia
Records signed Vikki Carr in 1970, releasing such favorites as "Love
Story", "Live at the Greek" and "One Hell of a Woman", and "Ms.
America", which was so ahead of its time.
Proud of her Mexican heritage, Vikki Carr has always shared her birth
name with her concert audiences and held a deep desire to one day
record an album in Spanish. In 1972, she went to the head of Columbia
Records for permission to do so and, while her request was initially
met with resistance, Carr had a solution to every argument. "My Anglo
audience has asked me to do this", she responded firmly. Several months
later, she released her first Spanish language album, "Vikki Carr En
Espanol". Somos Novios, Grande, Grande Grande and Se Acabo became
momentous successes and Vikki was established as one of the most
popular and loved recording artists in the Latin World.
Since making her first personal appearance in Mexico in 1972, the
country has had a love affair with Vikki Carr. She is the first
non-National named Mexico's "Visiting Entertainer of the Year". Playing
nightly to standing ovations and appearing on numerous TV programs, her
two-hour special broke ratings records, attracting more than half of
the viewers in Mexico. In 1980, because of the enormous success of her
first Spanish language album, Columbia Records in Mexico offered her a
contract and beginning with Vikki Carr y El Amor, her triumphs were
unbridled, especially in Latin America. Songs like Total, Disculpame,
Esos Hombres, Mala Suerte earned her Gold and Platinum albums in the
United States, Mexico, Chile, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Costa Rica,
Colombia and Ecuador. Carr followed with Grammy Award nominees
Simplemente Mujer in 1986, Cosas del Amor in 1992, Brindo a la Vida, al
Bolero y a Ti in 1993, Recuerdo a Javier Solis in 1995, and Emociones
in 1997 taking three of the five awards. In 2008, Vikki Carr was
honored with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy from the Latin Recording
Academy. She marked the occasion with an appearance on the Latin Grammy
telecast in which she performed "Cosas del Amor" with Olga Tangan and
Jenni Rivera.
She has received prestigious awards, which include the 2005 National
Hispanic Media Coalition Impact Lifetime Achievement Award, 2003 Latino
Spirit Award, 2003 Tito Guizar Award, 2002 Trefoil Award, 2000
Inductee, Latino Legends Hall of Fame, 1998 Imagen Foundation
"Humanitarian Award", 1996 Hispanic Heritage Award, 1988 Nosotros
Golden Eagle Award, 1984 Hispanic Woman of the Year, 1981 Star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame, 1974 Doctorate in Law from San Diego University
and Doctorate in Fine Arts from St. Edwards University, 1972 American
Guild of Variety Artist's "Entertainer of the Year", and the Los
Angeles Times' highly respected "Woman of the Year" for 1970.
She earned the career achievement award of the Association of Hispanic
Critics, Chicago's Ovation Award, the YWCA Silver Achievement Award and
was honored in 1990 by the City of Hope with the Founder of Hope Award.
In 1991, she was presented the Girl Scouts of America Award.
Respected as both an artist and a humanitarian, she devotes time to
many charities including The United Way, The American Lung Association,
Cancer Therapy and Research Center, The Muscular Dystrophy Association
and St Jude's Hospital. For 22 years, she held benefit concerts to
support Holy Cross High School in San Antonio. In 1971, Vikki
established the Vikki Carr Scholarship Foundation, dedicated to
offering college scholarships to Latino students in California and
Texas. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than 280 scholarships
totaling over a quarter of a million dollars.
Juggling engagements, recording sessions, charity events and family,
the pace is frantic, but she remains calm. Smart, successful, warm and
engaging, Vikki Carr's energy and style are as radiant and irresistible
as her extraordinary voice.
in the United States, Latin America and Europe. She is celebrating her
fifth decade of a career in which she has won four Grammy Awards and
has released over 60 best-selling recordings. Her concert tours of
2006-2007 sold out shows in the U.S., Mexico and South America. She has
performed for the Queen of England, five United States Presidents,
wartime soldiers in Vietnam and sold-out audiences around the world.
She has worked in radio, television, film and theater. Her music
embraces two languages and she is among the first artists to bridge the
cultures of the United States and Latin America, paving the way for
many performers today.
In 2008, Vikki Carr was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy from
the Latin Recording Academy.
In 2008, Vikki filmed a TV special
Fiesta Mexicana (2008)
for PBS TV.
EMI-Gold released a 3-disc set, "Vikki Carr: The Ultimate Collection"
to rave reviews. Recordings made in the very early years of Vikki's
career debut on this compilation. Along with many of her well known
hits such as "It Must Be Him" (in English, Italian and Spanish), "With
Pen In Hand", "He's A Rebel" and concert staple including "Can't Take
My Eyes Off You". In April 2007, EMI-Gold released "Vikki Carr: Ways to
Love a Man/Nashville by Carr" a 2 on 1 CD that allowed fans to hear a
very emotional delivery of classics like "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down",
"Singing My Song" and "A Dissatisfied Man". Sony Mexico just released a
CD/DVD collection titled "Las Numero 1" featuring 20 of Vikki's top
Spanish hits on CD along with 10 of her television performances on DVD.
In 2002, Vikki starred in the Reprise production of
Stephen Sondheim's beloved musical
"Follies" in Los Angeles. She garnered glowing reviews for her
performance from the LA Times, Hollywood Reporter and Variety. Her
latest recording projects include "The Vikki Carr Christmas Album",
released on Delta, which features Christmas Classics in both English
and Spanish. Another recording, the PBS special "Vikki Carr: Memories,
Memorias", is a salute to the English-language hits of the 1940's and
1950's, which were originally composed by Latinos. Produced by
KCET/Hollywood, the program recreates the elegant setting of Hollywood
supper clubs and theaters where popular artists of the era performed.
The show, which features Jack Jones,
Pepe Aguilar and
Arturo Sandoval, was first released on
video and CD through the national PBS pledge campaigns.
The diversity of her rich voice is impressive. She can belt out the
blues or touch the heart with a soft romantic ballad.
Frank Sinatra said, "She possesses my kind
of voice", Dean Martin called her
"the best girl singer in the business" and
Bing Crosby and
Ella Fitzgerald named her among their
three favorite female singers of all time.
Elvis Presley was also very fond of her
and even remarked on stage in Las Vegas many times that Vikki Carr was
one of his favorite singers and that he liked her because "she sang
from the gut" and introduced her at many of his personal appearances in
which she attended. Born in El Paso, Texas, and raised in the San
Gabriel Valley of California, Vikki Carr, the eldest of seven children,
began performing at the tender age of four singing Adeste Fidelis in
Latin at a Christmas program. She was signed to a contract with Liberty
Records in 1961. She recorded "He's A Rebel", which first became a hit
in Australia. That title was soon followed by the unforgettable
release, "It Must Be Him", which charged up the charts in England. One
year later, the single was released in the United States and earned
Carr four Grammy Award nominations. The international hit emerged again
when she and the song were featured in the storyline of the Academy
Award winning movie Moonstruck (1987).
After "It Must Be Him" came a string of hits including "With Pen In
Hand", for which she received her fourth Grammy Award nomination, "The
Lesson", "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You", "For Once in My Life" and
"Eternity".
In the States, Vikki became a darling of the White House, performing
regularly at State Dinners and at President
Richard Nixon's 1973 Inaugural
celebration. President Gerald Ford
called her his "favorite Mexican dish". She also performed for
Presidents' Ronald Reagan,
George Bush and at the 1992
Presidential Summit hosted by President
Bill Clinton. A frequent guest-star
on major network variety shows, including
Dean Martin,
Ed Sullivan,
Perry Como,
Jimmy Dean and
Carol Burnett, Vikki also taped six
specials for London Weekend TV. Vikki was the first female to regularly
guest host for Johnny Carson on
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962).
She was also a visitor and guest host on
Michael Jackson's ABC radio
show.
Vikki made her acting debut on
The Bing Crosby Show (1964).
She has had several guest roles in numerous television series ranging
from Mod Squad (1968) to
Fantasy Island (1977), and has
co-hosted the nationally syndicated Mrs. America and Mrs. Woman of the
World Pageants. Carr also made two guest appearances on the popular
series Baywatch (1989) and, most
recently, in the motion picture
Puerto Vallarta Squeeze (2004).
Vikki's music has been featured in movies such as
The Silencers (1966),
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002),
Walt Disney's "Oliver & Company" in Spanish,
HBO thriller "Mrs. Harris" and, recently, in
John Turturro's
Romance & Cigarettes (2005).
The critics praised Vikki for her stage performances in "South Pacific"
at the Starlight Theatre in Kansas City and in "The Unsinkable Molly
Brown", with the John Kenley Players in Ohio. In 1983, her starring
performance in "I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road"
broke house records at the Westport Playhouse in St. Louis. Columbia
Records signed Vikki Carr in 1970, releasing such favorites as "Love
Story", "Live at the Greek" and "One Hell of a Woman", and "Ms.
America", which was so ahead of its time.
Proud of her Mexican heritage, Vikki Carr has always shared her birth
name with her concert audiences and held a deep desire to one day
record an album in Spanish. In 1972, she went to the head of Columbia
Records for permission to do so and, while her request was initially
met with resistance, Carr had a solution to every argument. "My Anglo
audience has asked me to do this", she responded firmly. Several months
later, she released her first Spanish language album, "Vikki Carr En
Espanol". Somos Novios, Grande, Grande Grande and Se Acabo became
momentous successes and Vikki was established as one of the most
popular and loved recording artists in the Latin World.
Since making her first personal appearance in Mexico in 1972, the
country has had a love affair with Vikki Carr. She is the first
non-National named Mexico's "Visiting Entertainer of the Year". Playing
nightly to standing ovations and appearing on numerous TV programs, her
two-hour special broke ratings records, attracting more than half of
the viewers in Mexico. In 1980, because of the enormous success of her
first Spanish language album, Columbia Records in Mexico offered her a
contract and beginning with Vikki Carr y El Amor, her triumphs were
unbridled, especially in Latin America. Songs like Total, Disculpame,
Esos Hombres, Mala Suerte earned her Gold and Platinum albums in the
United States, Mexico, Chile, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Costa Rica,
Colombia and Ecuador. Carr followed with Grammy Award nominees
Simplemente Mujer in 1986, Cosas del Amor in 1992, Brindo a la Vida, al
Bolero y a Ti in 1993, Recuerdo a Javier Solis in 1995, and Emociones
in 1997 taking three of the five awards. In 2008, Vikki Carr was
honored with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy from the Latin Recording
Academy. She marked the occasion with an appearance on the Latin Grammy
telecast in which she performed "Cosas del Amor" with Olga Tangan and
Jenni Rivera.
She has received prestigious awards, which include the 2005 National
Hispanic Media Coalition Impact Lifetime Achievement Award, 2003 Latino
Spirit Award, 2003 Tito Guizar Award, 2002 Trefoil Award, 2000
Inductee, Latino Legends Hall of Fame, 1998 Imagen Foundation
"Humanitarian Award", 1996 Hispanic Heritage Award, 1988 Nosotros
Golden Eagle Award, 1984 Hispanic Woman of the Year, 1981 Star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame, 1974 Doctorate in Law from San Diego University
and Doctorate in Fine Arts from St. Edwards University, 1972 American
Guild of Variety Artist's "Entertainer of the Year", and the Los
Angeles Times' highly respected "Woman of the Year" for 1970.
She earned the career achievement award of the Association of Hispanic
Critics, Chicago's Ovation Award, the YWCA Silver Achievement Award and
was honored in 1990 by the City of Hope with the Founder of Hope Award.
In 1991, she was presented the Girl Scouts of America Award.
Respected as both an artist and a humanitarian, she devotes time to
many charities including The United Way, The American Lung Association,
Cancer Therapy and Research Center, The Muscular Dystrophy Association
and St Jude's Hospital. For 22 years, she held benefit concerts to
support Holy Cross High School in San Antonio. In 1971, Vikki
established the Vikki Carr Scholarship Foundation, dedicated to
offering college scholarships to Latino students in California and
Texas. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than 280 scholarships
totaling over a quarter of a million dollars.
Juggling engagements, recording sessions, charity events and family,
the pace is frantic, but she remains calm. Smart, successful, warm and
engaging, Vikki Carr's energy and style are as radiant and irresistible
as her extraordinary voice.