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/
Bye Bye Blackbird
Vikki Carr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Right outside of my door
Blackbird, blackbird who do you sit and say
There's no sunshine in store
All through the winter you hung around
Now I begin to feel homeward bound
Blackbird, blackbird gotta be on my way
Pack up all my care and woe
Here I go, singing low
Bye bye blackbird
Where somebody waits for me
Sugar's sweet, so is she
Bye bye blackbird
No one here can love and understand me
Oh, what hard luck stories they all hand me
Make my bed and light the light
I'll arrive late tonight
Blackbird, bye bye
Bluebird bluebird calling me far away
I've been longing for you
Bluebird bluebird what do I hear you say
Skies are turning to blue
I'm like a flower that's fading here
Where every hour is one long tear
Bluebird bluebird this is my lucky day
Now my dreams will come true
Pack up all my care and woe
Here I go, singing low
Bye bye blackbird
Where somebody waits for me
Sugar's sweet, so is she
Bye bye blackbird
No one here can love and understand me
Oh, what hard luck stories they all hand me
Make my bed and light the light
I'll arrive late tonight
Blackbird, bye bye
The song Bye Bye Blackbird by Vikki Carr is a poignant ode to the power of love and the desire for a better life. The lyrics are about a blackbird who sings the blues all day outside the singer's door. The blackbird is a metaphor for the singer's own sense of loneliness and despair. The bird seems to be mocking her, saying that there is no sunshine in store. But the singer decides to leave her troubles behind and go where the sunshine is galore. As she packs up all her care and woe, she sings low, "Bye bye blackbird" and heads towards a new beginning.
The second verse of the song introduces a bluebird, which is a symbol of hope and renewal. The singer has been longing for the bluebird to call her far away, and finally, she hears that the skies are turning to blue. She feels like a flower that's been fading, surrounded by tears, but with the bluebird's call, she knows that this is her lucky day, and her dreams will come true.
Overall, the song is a message of hope and a declaration of the power of love to overcome all obstacles. It's about the power of the human spirit to overcome adversity and to find a better life. The song's soft melody and powerful lyrics make it a timeless classic that still resonates with audiences today.
Line by Line Meaning
Blackbird, blackbird singing the blues all day
The blackbird outside the singer's door is singing a sad song throughout the day.
Right outside of my door
The blackbird is singing right outside the singer's door.
Blackbird, blackbird who do you sit and say
The singer wonders to the blackbird who he may be singing for and what message he wants to convey.
There's no sunshine in store
The blackbird's song indicates that there won't be any sunshine today.
All through the winter you hung around
During the winter, the blackbird was still present outside of the singer's door.
Now I begin to feel homeward bound
The singer begins to feel like it's time to go home.
Blackbird, blackbird gotta be on my way
The singer needs to leave and continue on their journey.
Where there's sunshine galore
They are headed towards a place where there will be plenty of sunshine.
Pack up all my care and woe
The singer is letting go of all their troubles and worries.
Here I go, singing low
They leave quietly and don't make a fuss.
Bye bye blackbird
The singer is saying goodbye to the blackbird.
Where somebody waits for me
The singer is going to someone who is waiting for them.
Sugar's sweet, so is she
The person the singer is going to is just as sweet as sugar.
No one here can love and understand me
The people they're leaving behind don't understand or love them.
Oh, what hard luck stories they all hand me
Everyone they meet seems to have a sad story to tell.
Make my bed and light the light
They ask for their room to be made and the light to be turned on.
I'll arrive late tonight
They know they won't arrive until later that night.
Blackbird, bye bye
The singer says bye to the blackbird once again.
Bluebird bluebird calling me far away
Now the singer hears a bluebird singing far away, calling them towards it.
I've been longing for you
The singer has been waiting to hear and follow the bluebird's song.
Bluebird bluebird what do I hear you say
The singer is curious about what message the bluebird's song holds.
Skies are turning to blue
The singer sees that the skies are turning blue and knows that good things are ahead.
I'm like a flower that's fading here
The singer feels like a flower that is slowly losing its color and wilting away where they currently are.
Where every hour is one long tear
The singer is constantly sad and upset being where they are now.
Bluebird bluebird this is my lucky day
The singer feels happy that the bluebird's song is leading them towards better things.
Now my dreams will come true
They feel like their dreams are finally going to come true.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Mort Dixon, Ray Henderson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind