ArtistInfo

Joyce Carr

voc, 1931-2002
Jazz

Born: 1931 in Great Falls, Montana, Died: January 26, 2002 in Arlington, Virginia Joyce Carr was a soft-voiced interpreter of jazz standards, She was a well known performer in the Washignton area, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s. Joyce Carr abandoned her studies at the University of Montana at the age of 19 to become a successful pop vocalist. After testing the waters of performing in Montana, she left her home state for New York, where she intended to pursue a career in musical comedy. Instead, she ended up in Washington, D.C., where she soon began singing in a local club, where she was seen by other musicians. Word of mouth began to spread about the 20-year-old, who soon found herself a winner on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scout television show. From there, it was on to entertaining President Eisenhower at the White House, and a six-year engagement at the King Cole Room in D.C., where she became a top attraction for foreign dignitaries visiting the city. After that establishment was sold, she moved on to other top venues in the city. She cut albums for Seeco and appeared on television, as well as performing with orchestras in concert. Then, in the mid-'60s, Carr left music to pursue less strenuous and steadier ways of living and making a living, in tandem with the advent of her second marriage. At the end of the '70s, after a decade away from performing, she returned to music, singing at Charlie Byrd's club in Georgetown. She also resumed recording in 1981 with Joyce Carr on the Audiophile label, accompanied by Bob Vigoda, Jay Leonhart, Bill Gibson, and Dick Thomas.