Gospel singer Kurt Carr describes himself as “an introvert”; however, his presence is larger than life. Carr, who paid his dues working with such artists as the Reverend James Cleveland and Andrae Crouch, is a giant among his peers. –tony binns
Who is Kurt Carr?
I am a man of God. I am a musician and I am a people person. I love people, but I am not the most outgoing person. The Kurt Carr person on stage is more outgoing than my private Kurt Carr. I’ve always been kind of an introverted person.
How would you describe your musical success?
My musical success has been amazing. I think my main success has been longevity — the fact that I’ve been doing this for a long time and churches keep singing my music and musicians love my music and people of all races are singing my music. I think that is successful — bringing people into praise and into the presence of God.
You’ve worked with some heavy hitters in the gospel industry — the Reverend James Cleveland and Andrae Crouch. What was that experience like?
Working with Rev. Cleveland was my first experience. … On any given Sunday, Stevie Wonder would be there or every celebrity who was anybody at the time would come to Rev. Cleveland’s church. It was quite an exciting time. I moved to California on New Year’s Day and within five days I was on the road for two months traveling and touring; that was very exciting. And then to have the opportunity to work and play with Andrae Crouch; a friend of mine told him about me and I’ve always wanted to meet him. I already had records and all that, but I just wanted to meet him because I think he is the greatest gospel songwriter, and touring the world with him opened my eyes that gospel music is not just black music or American music; it is for the world.
How did those experiences shape you personally and professionally?
… Working and walking with Rev. Cleveland, I learned about the music ministry. I had all the skills — all the talent, but I didn’t know about ministry. … With Andrae, I feel that his gospel to-date and his productions are stellar … I learned about production with him.
