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/
La Nave Del Olvido
Vikki Carr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Aun la nave del olvido no ha partido.
No condenemos al naufragio lo vivido.
Por nuestro ayer, por nuestro amor, yo te lo pido.
Espera.
Aun me quedan en mis manos primaveras
para colmarte de caricias todas nuevas
Espera un poco, un poquito mas,
para llevarte mi felicidad.
Espera un poco, un poquito mas.
Me morirá si te vas.
Espera un poco, un poquito mas,
para llevarte mi felicidad.
Espera un poco, un poquito mas.
Me morirá si te vas.
Espera.
Aun me quedan alegras para darte.
Tengo mil noches de amor que regalarte.
Te doy mi vida a cambio de quedarte.
Espera.
No entenderá mi mañana si te fueras,
y hasta te admito que tu amor me lo mintieras.
Te adorara aunque tu no me quisieras.
Espera un poco, un poquito mas,
para llevarte mi felicidad.
Espera un poco, un poquito mas.
Me morirá si te vas.
Espera un poco, un poquito mas,
para llevarte mi felicidad.
Espera un poco, un poquito mas.
Me morirá si te vas.
The lyrics of Vikki Carr's "Nave del Olvido" are a plea from the singer to her lover to not give up on their relationship. The singer asks her lover to wait a little longer before leaving, reminding them of the good times they had together and offering to make new memories. She promises to give her lover her all, including her life, just to stay together. The singer acknowledges that her future will be difficult without her lover and even admits that their love may have been one-sided, but she is willing to continue loving them even if they won't love her back. The repetition of "Espera" (Wait) emphasizes the singer's desperation and desire to save their relationship.
The lyrics are a representation of the universal feelings of love, longing, and the fear of losing someone. The singer is pleading with nothing but love and vulnerability, showing the depths of emotion that many can relate to. The metaphor of a ship leaving represents the idea of missed opportunities and the regret that comes with not trying hard enough to keep a relationship alive.
Line by Line Meaning
Espera.
Wait.
Aun la nave del olvido no ha partido.
The ship of forgetfulness has not yet sailed.
No condenemos al naufragio lo vivido.
Let us not condemn what we have experienced to shipwreck.
Por nuestro ayer, por nuestro amor, yo te lo pido.
For our yesterday, for our love, I ask you.
Aun me quedan en mis manos primaveras
There are still springs in my hands
para colmarte de caricias todas nuevas
to shower you with all new caresses
que morirán en mis manos si te fueras.
that will die in my hands if you leave.
Espera un poco, un poquito mas,
Wait a little, a little more,
para llevarte mi felicidad.
to take my happiness with you.
Me morirá si te vas.
I'll die if you leave me.
Aun me quedan alegras para darte.
There are still joys for me to give you.
Tengo mil noches de amor que regalarte.
I have a thousand nights of love to give you.
Te doy mi vida a cambio de quedarte.
I give you my life in exchange for you staying.
No entenderá mi mañana si te fueras,
My future will not make sense if you leave,
y hasta te admito que tu amor me lo mintieras.
and even admit that you lied to me about your love.
Te adorara aunque tu no me quisieras.
I will adore you even if you do not love me back.
Lyrics © ACUM Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Francisco Dino Lopez Ramos
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind