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Bill Carter and The Blame

Singer-Songwriter, Musician & Member of Austin Music Hall of Fame

Singer-Songwriter, Musician & Member of Austin Music Hall of Fame

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Austin, TX, USA
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Bill Carter and The Blame Biography

Austin-based Bill Carter writes the kind of songs other artists turn to for inspiration and for their own material. Over the past three decades, he has earned a reputation for his own recordings and for providing songs for many legends of rock, blues and country, including The Fabulous Thunderbirds, John Mayall, Ruth Brown, Robert Palmer, The Brian Setzer Orchestra and Waylon Jennings. Stevie Ray Vaughan’s cover of Carter’s “Crossfire” earned Carter a BMI “Million Air” award for more than three million spins.

On his own acclaimed records Carter has previously assembled some of the finest sidemen in music (as well as long-time friend and former bandmate actor Johnny Depp, who appeared backing Carter in 2013 on The Late Show With David Letterman).

For his tenth release, it’s appropriate that Carter would return to the very basics of the songs that have built his career. “I love to get in the studio and record and arrange music with great players,” Carter says. “But I also firmly believe that a song should stand on its own merits, stripped down and performed with only the tools used to create it in the first place.”

For his new, eponymously titled release, Carter does just that, and in so doing, illustrates why he is considered among Texas’ elite songwriters and artists. For Carter, writing songs is not about making hits for other artists. In fact, his approach is more art than commerce.

“I try to make sure that every single word is right,” he says. “I can’t stand a ‘cringe-point’ in a song where it’s obvious the writer just settled for a word that kind of fit. I refuse to just throw stuff out there. The lyric and the melody — these matter to me. And that’s not easy to do.”

On Bill Carter, the recordings are no frills-edgy, with Carter providing all the vocals and instrumentation. Take “Crossfire,” for example, which opens the album with his sparse, stripped down production. On this version, his world weary tenor is a cry for help in the confusion of dehumanizing distraction.

The humorous “Why Get Up” — covered by the Fabulous Thunderbirds and Robert Palmer — takes on a universal question, while “Anything Made of Paper” is a re-telling of his tribute to the West Memphis 3’s Damien Echols and becomes a story of unrelenting love and endurance in the face of cruelty and injustice.

Not one to mine clichés, Carter immortalizes a real Chicago criminal’s flamboyant farewell on “Willie The Wimp,” and takes listeners down a dangerous strip of road in Texas on “Jacksboro Highway.” There’s the moment by moment of capturing the emotion of anticipation in “Paris.” He rants like a psychotic fugitive on “Fire On The Wire.”

“I am inspired to write by everything I experience; the weather, an odd conversation, a weird observation about someone, something that’s happening around me, and books I’ve read spark songs,” he explains. “Other music always penetrates my soul, especially the past masters who created the American roots blues, country, jazz, bluegrass and R&B. Writing is so cerebral that discipline is a major factor in delving deep into the cosmic consciousness and extracting some form of original substance.”

Though Carter just about holds native-son status in Austin, his roots actually trace back to Kentucky where his father, Cash Carter was born. Cash was the son of William Henry Carter (Bill’s namesake). William Henry’s first cousin was A.P. Carter, scion of country royals the Carter Family. Like so many kids of his generation, Carter picked up a guitar after hearing Bob Dylan and joined a band after hearing the Beatles. He made his way to Austin in 1976 and soon met his partner and collaborator, Ruth Ellsworth not long after.

With all its simplicity, Bill Carter is a gripping and honest collection filled with his perceptive lyrics told through an artistic blend of folk, rock, blues and Americana.

Bill Carter and The Blame Videos

  • Bill Carter and The Blame: Crossfire
    Texas music legend Bill Carter and his wife Ruth Ellsworth write songs, lots of songs, an incredible amount of songs, including some of the biggest...
  • Bill Carter and The Blame: Paris
    Texas music legend Bill Carter and his wife Ruth Ellsworth write songs, lots of songs, an incredible amount of songs, including some of the biggest...
  • Bill Carter and The Blame: Willie the Wimp
    Texas music legend Bill Carter and his wife Ruth Ellsworth write songs, lots of songs, an incredible amount of songs, including some of the biggest...

FAQs on booking Bill Carter and The Blame

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  • What are the speaker fees for Bill Carter and The Blame

    Speaking fees for Bill Carter and The Blame, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Bill Carter and The Blame are for live events and for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Bill Carter and The Blame, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does Bill Carter and The Blame speak about?

    Bill Carter and The Blame is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Music.
  • Where does Bill Carter and The Blame travel from?

    Bill Carter and The Blame generally travels from Austin, TX, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
  • Who is Bill Carter and The Blame’s agent?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Bill Carter and The Blame for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Bill Carter and The Blame for your next private or corporate function.
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    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Bill Carter and The Blame or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
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    If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.

Bill Carter and The Blame is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics . The estimated speaking fee range to book Bill Carter and The Blame for your event is $5,000 - $10,000. Bill Carter and The Blame generally travels from Austin, TX, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Willie Nelson, Big Red Machine, Indigo De Souza, The Walcotts and Kaleo. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Bill Carter and The Blame for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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