Joan Armatrading 2012 interview

Vikki Carr

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. 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 Ford called her his “favorite Mexican dish.” She also performed for Presidents’ Reagan, Bush and at the 1992 Presidential Summit hosted by President 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. 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. She has had several guest roles in numerous television series ranging from Mod Squad to Fantasy Island, 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, and most recent in the motion picture “Puerto Vallarta Squeeze” . Vikki's music has been featured in movies such as "The Silencers", "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind", Walt Disney's "Oliver & Company" in Spanish, HBO thriller "Mrs. Harris", and recently in John Turturro's "Romance and Cigarettes".

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 it's 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.

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.

“My voice is a gift and a gift is nothing unless you can share it. The Foundation is one of the ways that I am able to share my gift,” said Carr. “The Foundation seeks to help young Mexican-American students achieve their goals through a college education, something I myself was never able to do.”

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.