In addition to her many album releases, Vikki Carr has played concerts for fans around the world, as well as appeared on stage, and television. She has starred in productions of South Pacific, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road. In 2002 she starred in the Reprise production of Steven Sondheim's beloved musical Follies in Los Angeles, garnering glowing reviews from the LA Times, Hollywood Reporter, and Variety. Two years later, Los Angeles PBS affiliate, KCET, filmed a special Vikki Carr: Memories, Memorias: a salute to the English-language hits of the 1940s and 1950s originally composed by Latinos, and featuring guest appearances by Jack Jones, Pepe Aguilar and Arturo Sandoval. PBS again tapped Vikki to host and star in a production celebrating the music of Mexico, Fiesta Mexicana, which was featured on all PBS stations for their June 2008 pledge drive.
Born in El Paso, Texas, and raised in the San Gabriel Valley of California, Vikki Carr, the eldest of seven children, began performing at the tender age of four singing "Adeste Fidelis" in Latin at a Christmas program. She was signed to a contract with Liberty Records in 1961. She recorded "He's a Rebel", which first became a hit in Australia. That title was soon followed by the unforgettable release, It Must Be Him, which charged up the charts in England. A year later, the single was released in the United States and earned Carr three Grammy Award nominations. The international hit emerged again when she and the song were featured in the storyline of the Academy Award winning movie Moonstruck. After "It Must Be Him" came a string of hits, including With Pen in Hand, for which she received her fourth Grammy Award nomination, The Lesson, Can't Take My Eyes Off You, and For Once in My Life.
Her international appeal was so great that she was invited to perform at a Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth II, followed by sold-out shows throughout Europe. In the States, Carr became a darling of the White House, performing regularly at State Dinners and at President Richard Nixon's 1973 Inaugural celebration. President Gerald Ford called her his "favorite Mexican dish". She also performed for Presidents Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and at the 1992 Presidential Summit hosted by President Bill Clinton.
A frequent musical guest on major network variety shows of celebrities like Dean Martin, Ed Sullivan, Perry Como, and Carol Burnett, Carr also taped six specials for London Weekend TV. As an actor, she appeared on the Bing Crosby Show, Mod Squad, Fantasy Island, and co-hosted the Mrs. America and Mrs. World of the World pageants. She was the first woman to regularly guest host for Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show. She was also a visitor and guest host on Michael Jackson's ABC radio show.
The diversity of her rich voice is impressive. She can belt out the blues or touch the heart with a soft romantic ballad. Frank Sinatra once said, "She possesses my kind of voice", Dean Martin called her "the best girl singer in the business", and Bing Crosby and Ella Fitzgerald named her among their three favorite female singers of all time. Elvis Presley was also very fond of her and even remarked on stage in Las Vegas many times that Vikki Carr was one of his favorite singers and that he liked her because "she sang from the gut" and introduced her at many of his personal appearances in which she attended.
Vikki Carr has received numerous prestigious awards, including:
- Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2008)
- National Hispanic Media Coalition Impact Lifetime Achievement Award (2005)
- Latino Spirit Award (2003)
- Tito Guizar Award (2003)
- Trefoil Award (2002)
- Inductee of the Latino Legends Hall of Fame (2000)
- Imagen Foundation "Humanitarian Award (1998)
- Hispanic Heritage Award (1996)
- Nosotros Golden Eagle Award (1988)
- Hispanic Woman of the Year (1984)
- Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1981)
- Doctorate in Law from San Diego University (1974)
- Doctorate in Fine Arts from St. Edwards University (1974)
- American Guild of Variety Artists' "Entertainer of the Year" (1972), and
- The Los Angeles Times' highly respected "Woman of the Year" (1970)
She has also earned the career achievement award of the Association of Hispanic Critics, Chicago's Ovation Award, the YWCA Silver Achievement Award, and was honored in 1990 by the City of Hope with the Founder of Hope Award. In 1991, she was presented the Girl Scouts of America Award.
Respected both as an artist and a humanitarian, Carr devotes time to many charities including The United Way, The American Lung Association, Cancer Therapy and Research Center, The Muscular Dystrophy Association, and St Jude's Hospital. For 22 years she held benefit concerts to support Holy Cross High School in San Antonio. In 1971 she established the Vikki Carr Scholarship Foundation, dedicated to offering college scholarships to Latino students in California and Texas. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than 280 scholarships totaling over a quarter of a million dollars.
"My voice is a gift and a gift is nothing unless you can share it. The Foundation is one of the ways that I am able to share my gift", said Carr. "The Foundation seeks to help young Mexican-American students achieve their goals through a college education, something I myself was never able to do."
Official website: http://www.vikkicarr.com/
Amaneci en Tus Brazos
Vikki Carr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Y desperté llorando de alegría
Me encobije la cara con tus manos
Para seguirte amando todavía.
Y despertaste tú, casi dormida
Y me querías decir no se que cosa
Pero calle tu boca con mis besos
Cuando llego la noche, apareció la luna,
Y entro por la ventana. Que rosa más bonita
Cuando la luz del cielo ilumino tu cara
Yo me volví a meter entre tus brazos
Tu me querías decir no se que cosa
Pero calle tu boca con mis besos
Y así pasaron muchas, muchas horas
The lyrics of Vikki Carr's song, Amaneci en Tus Brazos, describe the feeling of waking up wrapped in the arms of a loved one, feeling overwhelmed with joy and tears. The singer describes how they covered their face with the lover's hands, wanting to continue loving them even more. The lover wakes up as well, still half asleep and wanting to say something, but the singer silences them with kisses. As the night comes, the moon shines through the window, illuminating the lover's face. The singer once again returns to the lover's arms, where they spend many more hours, kissing and loving each other.
The song describes a moment of pure happiness and love, where nothing else matters except the embrace of the loved one. The repetition of the phrase "me querías decir no se que cosa" (you wanted to say something) highlights the fact that spoken words are not needed in this moment of intimacy and connection. The song celebrates the power of physical touch and the importance of being present in the moment, enjoying the time spent with one's lover.
Line by Line Meaning
Amanecí o través entre tus brazos
I woke up today lying in your arms
Y desperté llorando de alegría
And tears of joy streamed down my face
Me encobije la cara con tus manos
You covered my face with your hands
Para seguirte amando todavía.
So I could keep on loving you
Y despertaste tú, casi dormida
And you awakened, still half asleep
Y me querías decir no se que cosa
And you wanted to say something, but didn't know what
Pero calle tu boca con mis besos
But I silenced you with my kisses
Y así pasaron muchas, muchas horas.
And so many, many hours went by
Cuando llego la noche, apareció la luna,
When nightfall arrived, the moon appeared
Y entro por la ventana. Que rosa más bonita
And it came in through the window. What a beautiful rose
Cuando la luz del cielo ilumino tu cara
When the light from the sky illuminated your face
Yo me volví a meter entre tus brazos
I snuggled back into your arms
Tu me querías decir no se que cosa
You wanted to say something, but didn't know what
Pero calle tu boca con mis besos
But I silenced you with my kisses
Y así pasaron muchas, muchas horas
And so many, many hours went by
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jose Alfredo Jimenez Sandoval
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind