Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer were an American folk duo who released three albums from 1998 to 2001, as well as additional material released after Dave Carter's death. The duo consisted of Dave Carter (songwriter, vocals, banjo,

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

, organ) and Tracy Grammer, (producer, vocals,

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

, mandolin, guitar).www.daveandtracy.com
Their work dealt with a number of themes, particularly

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

theology,

Arthurian legend The Matter of Britain is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur. It was one of the three great Wester ...

(and mythic themes in general), and the American west, often juxtaposed together in one song. In 2002, shortly before his death, Dave spoke of the duo's "ever-burgeoning goddess repertoire" as another lyric theme. One example of mixture of themes may be found in the closing lines of "Happytown," the first track from the album, ''

Tanglewood Tree ''Tanglewood Tree'' is a 2000 album by American folk duo Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer. Track listing All songs written by Dave Carter. # "Happytown (All Right with Me)" – 3:34 # "Tanglewood Tree" – 3:42 # "The Mountain" – 3:39 # "Fa ...

'': :"parceval and valentino, ridin' winged palominos :willie in his el camino, on the run :here in the shining city, here in the endless summer :here in the cave of wonder, number ninety-two :the gods will lounge around until the show is through :but it's all right, it's all right with me, if it's all right with you" Their first album, '' When I Go'', was actually released as a Dave Carter album "with Tracy Grammer" and Carter sang the lead vocals on all but one of the tracks, "Kate and the Ghost of Lost Love," which was a duet. Produced by the duo, the album was recorded in Grammer's kitchen. Their second album, ''

'', featured a more even split of singing duties, and was the first to actually be labeled as a Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer album. The album was described by Carter in an interview as "the world's first Buddhist country album." Their third album (the last released before Carter's death), '' Drum Hat Buddha'', maintained an even split between the two on lead vocals. This album met with critical success, and the pair was considered by prominent reviewers to be one of the most promising new folk acts then active. In 2002, they toured the United States with folk legend

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

, who described Carter's lyric writing as "a kind of genius" On July 19, 2002, Carter died of a massive heart attack while on tour in western Massachusetts. The impact on the folk music community was considerable; a substantial shrine was spontaneously created by fans and colleagues at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival the following week. Grammer chose to attend the festival and perform without Carter. The festival organizers transformed the originally scheduled Dave and Tracy set into a tribute concert at which many of the performers at the festival sang Carter's songs, led by Grammer. Following Carter's death, Grammer went on to release a solo album, '' The Verdant Mile'', the title track of which was her own tribute to Carter's memory and music. She followed this with '' Flower of Avalon'', an album featuring nine previously unreleased songs by Carter. The album was produced by Grammer with

John Jennings John Jennings may refer to: Politicians * John Jenyns (1660–1717), MP * John Jennings (Burton MP) (1903–1990), British Conservative Party politician * John Jennings (American politician) (1880–1956), U.S. Representative from Tennessee, 1939 ...

and featured harmonies by

Mary Chapin Carpenter Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also call ...

on many of the tracks. In 2006, Grammer released another full-length Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer album, '' Seven Is the Number''. The album consisted of a 2001–2002 re-recording by the duo of Carter's out-of-print solo project ''

Snake Handlin' Man ''Snake Handlin' Man'' is a 1995 album by American folk singer Dave Carter. This was his solo debut prior to his very successful partnership with fiddler, Tracy Grammer (see Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer). The duo re-recorded "The River Where S ...

'', with the addition of two previously unreleased songs, "Seven Is the Number" and "Gas Station Girl". 2007 saw the release of Grammer's latest album, '' Book of Sparrows,'' which contained two Dave Carter songs, as well as ''

American Noel American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

'', a collection of holiday songs recorded by Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer, four of which were Carter originals.www.daveandtracy.com
In February 2012, a new Carter and Grammer album, ''Little Blue Egg'', was released by Red House Records. The material consists of eleven songs (ten of them Carter compositions) for which Carter had recorded vocals a decade or more earlier. Grammer found the tapes in their home and finished the songs herself.

References

External links

Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer's web site

Tracy Grammer's web site

Dave-and-Tracy
Yahoo! Group {{DEFAULTSORT:Dave Carter And Tracy Grammer American folk musical groups American musical duos Musical groups from Portland, Oregon 1998 establishments in Oregon 2002 disestablishments in Oregon Musical groups established in 1998 Musical groups disestablished in 2002 Signature Sounds artists