How about “Crossfire,” “Tightrope” and “Willie the Wimp” and his Cadillac coffin, recorded by Stevie Ray Vaughn? Or “Why Get Up?” by the Fabulous Thunderbirds? “Jacksboro Highway by John Mayall? Bill Carter and his wife Ruth Ellsworth have written a lot of great songs, many of them covered by artists like Waylon Jennings, Robert Palmer, The Counting Crows, Ruth Brown, Brian Setzer and many others. Carter’s performance at Sings like Hell was a trip through a bunch of favorites we know from other performers, and some newer material . There were backstories too, like the fact that there was a real Willie the Wimp, murdered son of a flamboyant Chicago drug dealer and gambler, who was buried in a coffin made to look like a Cadillac. When Stevie Ray Vaughn learned the particulars of the origin story, he stopped performing it… Over 200 artists have recorded and performed his songs (including long-time friend and former bandmate Johnny Depp) and now maybe this prolific and prodigious talent will step a little more into the spotlight where he deserves to be.
Singer songwriter Bill Carter at Sings Like Hell 11/19/16 The Lobero Theatre
Singer songwriter Bill Carter at Sings Like Hell 11/19/16 The Lobero Theatre
Singer songwriter Bill Carter at Sings Like Hell 11/19/16 The Lobero Theatre
