Vikki Carr
(born July 19 1941, in El Paso, Texas as Florencia Bisenta de Casillas Martinez Cardona
) is an American singer who has performed in a variety of music genres, including jazz, pop and country, but has enjoyed her greatest success singing in Spanish.
|
VIKKI CARR TICKETS
|
Career
After taking the stage name "Vikki Carr" the singer signed with
Liberty Records in 1962. Her first single to achieve any success was "
He's a Rebel", which in 1962 reached No. 5 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 billed to
The Crystals that reached No. 1 in the United States. In 1966, Carr toured
Vietnam with
actor/
comedian Danny Kaye. 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. She had two other
songs make the U.S.
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 which made the U.S. pop charts and 13 albums which made the U.S. pop album charts.
In 1968, she 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. Ford writes in his
autobiography,
A Time to Heal,
that when Carr appeared at the
White House, she asked the president, "What Mexican dish do you like?" His response: "I like you." He goes on to write that the
First Lady was not pleased: "Betty overheard the exchange, and needless to say, she wasn't wild about it."
In the 1980s and 1990s Carr had enormous success in the
Latin music world, winning
Grammy Awards for Best
Mexican-American Recording in 1985 for the album
Simplemente Mujer
; for Latin Pop Album in 1992 for the disc
Cosas del Amor
; and for Best Mexican-American Recording in 1995 for
Recuerdo a Javier Solis
. She also received Grammy nominations for the discs
Brindo a La Vida, Al Bolero, A Ti
(1993) and
Emociones
(1996). Her numerous
Spanish-language
hit singles include "Total," "Discúlpame," "Déjame," "Hay Otro en Tu Lugar," "Esos Hombres," "Mala Suerte" and "Cosas del Amor." The latter song spent more than two months at No. 1 on the U.S. Latin charts in 1991, her biggest Spanish-language U.S. hit. Her Spanish-language albums have been certified gold and platinum in
Mexico,
Chile,
Puerto Rico,
Venezuela,
Costa Rica,
Colombia and
Ecuador.
In recent years, she taped a
PBS TV special,
Vikki Carr: Memories, Memorias
(1999), 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
.
In 2002, she appeared to great acclaim in a
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.
In 2008, Carr hosted a
PBS TV special,
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. She marked the occasion with an appearance on the Latin Grammy telecast in which she performed "Cosas del Amor" with
Olga Tañón and
Jenni Rivera.
Charitable work
Respected as both an
artist and a
humanitarian, she devotes time to many charities including the
United Way, the
American Lung Association, 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,
Texas. In 1971, she established the Vikki Carr Scholarship Foundation, dedicated to offering college scholarships to
Hispanic students in California and Texas. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than 280 scholarships totaling over a quarter of a million dollars.
Discography
Albums
Year
| Album
| U.S. albums
| U.K. albums
| U.S. Latino
| notes
|
1963
| "Color Her Great"
| -
| -
| -
|
|
1964
| "Discovery"
| 114
| -
| -
|
|
1965
| "Anatomy of Love"
| --
| --
| -
| liner notes by Ethel Merman
|
1966
| "The Way of Today!"
| -
| 31
| -
|
|
1967
| "Intimate Excitement"
| -
| -
| -
|
|
"It Must Be Him"
| -
| 12
| -
| UK release differs from US release
|
"It Must Be Him"
| 12
| -
| -
| US release differs from UK release
|
1968
| "Vikki!"
| 63
| -
| -
|
|
"Don't Break My Pretty Balloon"
| -
| -
| -
|
|
1969
| "For Once in My Life"
| 29
| -
| -
| live
|
1970
| "Nashville By Carr"
| 111
| -
| -
| recorded in Nashville
|
1971
| "The Ways to Love a Man"
| -
| -
| -
|
|
"Que sea el"
| -
| -
| -
|
|
"Love Story"
| 60
| -
| -
|
|
"Superstar"
| 118
| -
| -
|
|
1972
| "The First Time"
| 146
| -
| -
| title "Song Sung Blue" in UK
|
"En español"
| 106
| -
| ?
|
|
1973
| "Ms. America"
| 142
| -
| -
|
|
"Live at the Greek Theatre"
| 172
| -
| -
|
|
1974
| "One Hell of a Woman"
| 155
| -
| -
|
|
1975
| "Hoy"
| 203
| -
| -
|
|
1976
| "The Story of a Woman"
| -
| -
| -
| live from Japan (JP release only)
|
1980
| "Y el amor"
| -
| -
| -
|
|
1981
| "El retrato del amor"
| -
| -
| -
|
|
1982
| "Vikki Carr"
| -
| -
| -
|
|
1984
| "A todos"
| -
| -
| -
|
|
1985
| "Simplemente mujer"
| -
| -
| 3
| US Reg Mx 3 / US Latino Pop 15
|
1986
| "Promesas"
| -
| -
| -
|
|
"Esta noche vendras"
| -
| -
| -
|
|
"OK Mr. Tango"
| -
| -
| -
| with Mariano Mores
|
1987
| "Dos corazones"
| -
| -
| 2
| with Vicente Fernandez
|
1988
| "Esos hombres"
| -
| -
| 4
| US Latino Pop
|
1990
| "Set Me Free"
| -
| -
| -
| several songs from "Esos hombres" sung in English
|
1991
| "Cosas del amor"
| -
| -
| 1
| US Latino Pop
|
1993
| "Brindo a la vida, al bolero, a ti"
| -
| -
| -
|
|
1994
| "Recuerdo a Javier Solis"
| -
| -
| 10
| US Latino Pop
|
1996
| "Emociones"
| -
| -
| -
|
|
1998
| "Con el Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán"
| -
| -
| -
|
|
1999
| "Memories, Memorias"
| -
| -
| -
| from the PBS TV Special
|
2001
| "Christmas Album"
| -
| -
| -
|
|
- Color Her Great!
(1963)
- Discovery!
(1964) (U.S. #114)
- Discovery Vol. II
(1964)
- Anatomy of Love
(1965)
- The Way of Today
(1966) (UK #31)
- Intimate Excitement
(1967)
- It Must Be Him
(1967) (U.S. #12; UK #12)
- Great Performances
(1967) (UK release only)
- Vikki!
(1968) (U.S. #63)
- Don't Break My Pretty Balloon
(1968)
- For Once in My Life
(1969) (U.S. #29)
- Nashville by Car
(1970) (U.S. #111)
- The Ways to Love a Man
(1971)
- Que Sea El
(1971)
- Love Story
(1971) (U.S. #60)
- Superstar
(1971) (U.S. #118)
- The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face)
(1972) (U.S. #146)
- En Español
(1972) (U.S. #106)
- Ms. America
(1973) (U.S. #142)
- Live at the Greek Theatre
(1973) (U.S. #172)
- One Hell of a Woman
(1974) (U.S. #155)
- Hoy
(1975) (U.S. #203)
- Y El Amor
(1980)
- El Retrato del Amor
(1981)
- Vikki Carr
(1982)
- A Todos
(1984)
- Simplemente Mujer
(1985) (U.S. Latin Pop #15; U.S. Regional Mexican #3)
- Promesas
(1986)
- Esta Noche Vendrás
(1986)
- OK Mr. Tango
(with Mariano Mores) (1986)
- Me Enloqueces
(1987)
- Dos Corazones
(with Vicente Fernandez) (1987) (U.S. Regional Mexican #2)
- Esos Hombres
(1988) (U.S. Latin Pop #4)
- Set Me Free
(1990)
- Cosas del Amor
(1991) (U.S. Latin Pop #1)
- Brindo a La Vida, Al Bolero, A Ti
(1993)
- Recuerdo a Javier Solís
(1994) (U.S. Latin Pop #10)
- Emociones
(1996)
- Vikki Carr con el Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán
(1998)
- Memories, Memorias
(1999)
- The Vikki Carr Christmas Album
(2001)
Singles
- Years represent year of Release, not necessarily the chart Peak year.
Year
| Song
| U.S. Hot 100
| US Adult Contemporary Chart
| UK singles
| AU singles
| US Latin Chart
| Mexico
| Original Source
|
1962
| "I'll Walk the Rest of the Way"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| single
|
"He's a Rebel"
| 115
| -
| -
| 5
| -
| -
| single
|
1963
| "The Rose and Butterfly"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| single
|
"San Francisco"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Color Her Great
|
"Poor Butterfly / Stay"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Discovery
|
1964
| "Forget You"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| single
|
1965
| "The Color of Love"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| single
|
"Busca ese camino"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| single
|
"Unforgettable"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| single
|
"Tell Her of Our Love"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| single
|
"None But the Lonely Heart"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| single
|
1966
| "The Silencers"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| single
|
"Heartaches"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Anatomy of Love
|
"My Heart Reminds Me"
| -
| 31
| -
| -
| -
| -
| The Way of Today!
|
"It Must Be Him"
| 3
| 1
| 2
| 2
| -
| -
| It Must Be Him
|
"So Nice"
| -
| 32
| -
| -
| -
| -
| single
|
"Until Today"
| -
| 39
| -
| -
| -
| -
| single
|
"Now I Know the Feeling"
| -
| 28
| -
| -
| -
| -
| single
|
1967
| "Sunshine"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| single
|
"There I Go"
| -
| -
| 50
| -
| -
| -
| Vikki!
|
"The Lesson"
| 34
| 1
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Vikki!
|
1968
| "She'll Be There"
| 99
| 13
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Don't Break My Pretty Balloon
|
"Your Heart Is Free Just Like The Wind"
| 91
| 32
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Don't Break My Pretty Balloon
|
"Don't Break My Pretty Balloon"
| 114
| 7
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Don't Break My Pretty Balloon
|
"A Dissatisfied Man"
| -
| 18
| -
| -
| -
| -
| single
|
1969
| "With Pen in Hand"
| 35
| 6
| -
| -
| -
| -
| For Once In My Life
|
"Can't Take My Eyes Off of You"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| It Must Be Him
|
"Eternity"
| 79
| 5
| -
| -
| -
| -
| single
|
1970
| "Singing My Song"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Nashville By Carr
|
"Everybody's Talkin'"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Nashville By Carr
|
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Love Story
|
"For Once in My Life"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| For Once in My Life
|
"I'll Be Home"
| 96
| 7
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Love Story
|
1971
| "Six Weeks Every Summer"
| -
| 28
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Love Story
|
"I Can't Give Back the Love I Feel For You"
| -
| 28
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Love Story
|
"Que sea el"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Que sea el
|
"I'd Do It All Again"
| -
| 39
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Superstar
|
1972
| "The Big Hurt"
| -
| 39
| -
| -
| -
| -
| single
|
"Grande, Grande, Grande"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| En español
|
"Let the Band Play On"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| single
|
1973
| "Ms. America"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Ms. America
|
"Leave a Little Room"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Live at the Greek Theatre
|
1974
| "Sleeping Between Two People"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| One Hell of a Woman
|
"One Hell of a Woman"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| One Hell of a Woman
|
"Wind Me Up"
| -
| 45
| -
| -
| -
| -
| One Hell of a Woman
|
"It Came Upon a Midnight Clear"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| single
|
1975
| "Hoy"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Hoy
|
"Puttin' Myself in Your Hands"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| single
|
1980
| "Disculpame"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Y el amor
|
"Abrazame"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Y el amor
|
1981
| "Total"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| El retrato del amor
|
1982
| "Todo me gusta de ti"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Vikki Carr
|
1983
| "Ya"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Vikki Carr
|
"Prefiero amar un extraño"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| El retrato del amor
|
"Eso no"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| El retrato del amor
|
1984
| "Comprendeme"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| A todos
|
1985
| "Ni princesa ni esclava"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Simplemente mujer
|
"Atrapame"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Simplemente mujer
|
"Ni me viene ni me va"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Simplemente mujer
|
"Cantare, cantaras"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Hermanos
|
1986
| "Promesas"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Promesas
|
"Yo creo en un mundo de amor"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| OK Mr. Tango
|
"Esta noche vendras"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| 33
| -
| Esta noche vendras
|
"Tu Dicha, Tu Calma"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Esta noche vendras
|
"Asi es la vida"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Esta noche vendras
|
1987
| "Que no que no"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Me enloqueces
|
"Fallaste corazon"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Me enloqueces
|
"Me parece perfecto"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Me enloqueces
|
"Dos corazones"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| 10
| -
| Dos corazones
|
"Juntos los dos"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Dos corazones
|
1988
| "Mala suerte"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| 3
| -
| Esos hombres
|
"Hay otro en tu lugar"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| 14
| -
| Esos hombres
|
"Esos hombres"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| 37
| -
| Esos hombres
|
1991
| "Me estoy volviendo loca"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Cosas del amor
|
"Cosas del amor"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| 1
| -
| Cosas del amor
|
"Con los brazos abiertos"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Cosas del amor
|
1993
| "Dejame"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| 30
| -
| Brindo a la vida, al bolero, a ti
|
"Nadie"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Brindo a la vida, al bolero, a ti
|
"Una Mujer"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Brindo a la vida, al bolero, a ti
|
1994
| "Amaneci en tus Brazos"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Recuerdo a Javier Solis
|
"Sombras"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Recuerdo a Javier Solis
|
"En mi viejo San Juan"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Recuerdo a Javier Solis
|
1996
| "Emociones"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Emociones
|
"Que No Se Rompa La Noche"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Emociones
|
1998
| "Te Reto"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Con El Mariachi Vargas De Tecalitan
|
Chart singles
- Years represent year of Release, not necessarily the chart Peak year.
1962: "He's a Rebel" (Australia #5; U.S. #115)
1966: "My Heart Reminds Me" (U.S. Adult Contemporary #31)
1966: "So Nice (Summer Samba)" (U.S. Adult Contemporary #32)
1966: "Until Today" (U.S. Adult Contemporary #39)
1966: "Now I Know the Feeling" (U.S. Adult Contemporary #28)
1966: "It Must Be Him" (UK #2; 1967: U.S. #3; U.S. Adult Contemporary #1; Australia #2)
1967: "There I Go" (UK #50)
1967: "The Lesson" (U.S. #34; U.S. Adult Contemporary #1)
1968: "She'll Be There" (U.S. #99; U.S. Adult Contemporary #13)
1968: "Your Heart Is Free Just Like the Wind" (U.S. #91; U.S. Adult Contemporary #32)
1968: "Don't Break My Pretty Balloon" (U.S. #114; U.S. Adult Contemporary #7)
1968: "A Dissatisfied Man" (U.S. Adult Contemporary #18)
1968: "With Pen in Hand" (U.S. #35; U.S. Adult Contemporary #6)
1969: "Eternity" (U.S. #79; U.S. Adult Contemporary #5)
1970: "Singing My Song" (U.S. #111; U.S. Adult Contemporary #30)
1970: "I'll Be Home" (U.S. #96; U.S. Adult Contemporary #7)
1971: "Six Weeks Every Summer (Christmas Every Other Year)" (U.S. Adult Contemporary #28)
1971: "I'd Do It All Again" (U.S. Adult Contemporary #39)
1972: "The Big Hurt" (U.S. #108; U.S. Adult Contemporary #31)
1974: "Wind Me Up" (U.S. Adult Contemporary #45)
1986: "Esta noche vendrás" (U.S. Hot Latin Tracks #33)
1987: "Dos Corazones" (duet with Vicente Fernández) (U.S. Hot Latin Tracks #10)
1988: "Mala Suerte" (U.S. Hot Latin Tracks #3)
1988: "Hay otro en tu lugar" (U.S. Hot Latin Tracks #14)
1989: "Esos Hombres" (U.S. Hot Latin Tracks #37)
1991: "Cosas del amor" (duet with Ana Gabriel) (U.S. Hot Latin Tracks #1)
1993: "Déjame" (U.S. Hot Latin Tracks #30)
References