Carol Hunter (April 19, 1946 – July 26, 2018) was an American guitarist and vocalist notable for her work with

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and others. Hunter was also one of the first prominent female instrumentalists in rock music.

Biography and musical history

Hunter was a self-taught guitarist who began learning the instrument in her teens after receiving her first guitar at age 13. She shortly added 12-string and bass guitar, eventually being admitted to the

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in New York City. Hunter was a teenager playing in New York clubs, allowing her the opportunity to make music with numerous musicians including

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at The Scene club. Her first recordings were with the folk singer/guitarist

. She also worked as an arranger with singer

. Hunter was recorded as part of the '' Music From Free Creek'' supersession album in 1969, appearing with

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and others. After leaving Juilliard, Hunter moved to Los Angeles and became a session guitarist before being hired by

as the lead guitarist for his live band from 1969 to 1971. Hunter's guitar and vocals were included on the Diamond record ''

Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

'', recorded live in Los Angeles in 1970, and she contributed guitar and vocals to several subsequent studio recordings by Diamond in the 1970s. In 1971, Hunter chose to leave Diamond's band to pursue other projects and a solo recording, releasing ''The Next Voice You Hear'' on Purple Records in 1973. Hunter returned to her role as a studio guitarist and singer, including recording with

on the soundtrack for the movie ''

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''. Hunter reportedly turned down an offer from Dylan to be the lead guitarist for his

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, a role eventually filled by

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. Hunter is also the mother of model/actress/dancer/choreographer Dusty Paik. Paik announced the death of her mother on Facebook as a result of pneumonia and multiple sclerosis on July 26, 2018.

References

*Neil Diamond - His Life, His Music, His Passion by Laura Jackson, ECW Press 2005, *Janis Ian - Society's Child, Tarcher/Penguin 2008,
2001 Interview with Carol Hunter on The Neil Diamond Home PageCarol Hunter Credits on MSN MusicCarol Hunter Official MySpace pageBio of Dusty Paik
American women singer-songwriters American acoustic guitarists American women guitarists Singer-songwriters from New York (state) American artists American session musicians American bass guitarists American women bass guitarists American rock guitarists American lead guitarists Guitarists from New York (state) 1946 births 2018 deaths 21st-century American women {{US-guitarist-stub