BILL CARTER
''LOADED DICE''
1988
36:40
1 - Little Eve/4:09
2 - Loaded Dice/3:52
3 - Richest Man/4:52
4 - Dirty Blonde/3:20
5 - Can't You Take A Hint/3:36
6 - Na Na Ne Na Nay/3:08
7 - Chain Of Fools/3:50
8 - Cocktail Waitress At The Poodle Dog Lounge/2:42
9 - Winning The Battle Losing TheWar/4:03
10 - Rockola/2:43
Kenny Aronoff /Drums
Stephen Bruton /Guitar
Bill Carter /Guitar, Vocals
Dave Cochran /Bass
Helen Duncan /Vocals
Phyllis Duncan /Vocals
Jim Horn /Saxophone
Mark "Kaz" Kazanoff /Saxophone
Chuck Leavell /Keyboards
Andy Salmon /Bass
Jimmie Vaughan /Guitar
Stevie Ray Vaughan /Guest Artist, Guitar
Keith Winking /Horn
Kent Winking /Horn
ABOUT
Bill Carter has long been a renowned songwriter from the Austin, TX area, and his connection with Johnny Depp is his participation as a co-guitarist and co-bassist along with Johnny in the 90's band, P. It is impossible to talk about Bill without including his wife, Ruth Ellsworth, who has been his songwriting partner for many years. Even when regarding the fact that Bill was a member of P, we are reminded that Ruth served as a guest keyboardist on the P album.
Bill Carter was originally a member of a band called The Blame, which formed in 1978. Their music was a very edgy hard rock style, and they played many gigs in the Austin area until their breakup in the early 80's. In the early to mid 80's, Bill and Ruth were struggling to make a living as songwriters and musicians. However, their credibility as renowned songwriters soon began to make their mark, as their compositions began to be noticed by the likes of the late Stevie Ray Vaughan and The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Stevie added Carter/Ellsworth compositions such as Willie The Wimp and Crossfire to his repertoire, and Why Get Up? was included on The Fabulous Thunderbirds' Tuff Enuff album. Soon, the songwriting team of Carter and Ellsworth was one to be reckoned with, and many other artists such as Will Sexton, Terry McBride, Kent Dykes, Christine Albert and the Stray Cats' Brian Setzer were lining up to write songs with them.
I have found a used CD called Stompin' Grounds that showcases Bill Carter's songwriting. This album was released by a German label, CrossCut Records, in 1988. It features Bill on guitars and vocals, with Ruth Ellsworth guesting on vocals and piano on several tracks.
According to Jimmie Vaughan's Discography, the album was first released on South Coast Records in 1985. A synopsis of the album, as well as several brief but excellent reviews.
In 1988, another album called Loaded Dice was released, featuring both Stevie Ray Vaughan and his brother Jimmie on guitars. Sadly, Loaded Dice is now out of print.
One song, Na-Na-Ne-Na-Nay, was re-released in 2007 on a Stevie Ray Vaughan compilation called Stevie Ray Vaughan & Friends: Solos, Sessions & Encores.
In 1992, Bill met Johnny Depp and helped to form the group P, along with Sal Jenco and the Butthole Surfers' Gibby Haynes. Bill and Ruth collaborated with Johnny and Bruce Witkin on the Once Upon A Time In Mexico soundtrack selection, Sands Theme, in 2003. In addition, they have long been close personal friends of Johnny and Vanessa Paradis, and their two children, Lily-Rose and Jack. They are often seen in paparazzi shots and spotted at events in which Johnny is seen. Bill has also been identified in recent years as Johnny's personal trainer.
In addition, there are two 90's releases shown on what appears to be a now-inactive site by Penguinville Records: City of the Violet Crown and Lifelong Rhapsody. City of the Violet Crown was released in 1994 on Down Low Records and features Denny Freeman, Reese Wynans and others. Lifelong Rhapsody has a copyright record stating that the sound cassette was created in 1994, and published and registered in 1995. Both albums are comprised mostly of Bill Carter/Ruth Ellsworth Carter compositions, though a few titles are not found in the copyright records.
Copyright records may also indicate additional cassette tapes/CDs for Bill. Bill and Ruth have also collaborated with members of The Derailers, David Holt, and others.
The Austin Chronicle cites many performances in the Austin area by Bill Carter and The Blame during the 90's and 00's, but this band bears no real relation to the version of The Blame that was together in the 70's and early 80's. These are said to be informal performances of R&B and country-flavored tunes, not too closely related to the hard rock style of the original band.
In 1995, Bill won 9th place for Best Songwriter at the Austin Chronicle Awards.
In March of 2000, once again as part of the Austin Music Awards, Bill and Ruth were co-winners of the Decade Award for Best Song, for the song popularized by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Crossfire.
In 2007, Bill, Ruth, and members of Double Trouble also received a certification from BMI for the 1 millionth broadcast of Crossfire.
In October of 2007, the Japanese version of Vanessa Paradis' album Divinidylle was released; this version features 2 bonus tracks not on the French release. One of them is a song co-written by Ruth and Bill called I Wouldn't Dare. The song was later re-released on Vanessa's 2009 Best Of album.
Recently, Ruth has begun a clothing line called SWAG (sea wear and gear) based on linen pirate pants she designed for Bill and Johnny Depp to wear at the beach. The line has an online store. Ruth is also an acclaimed soup chef!
Bill continues to perform both solo and with The Blame in and near Austin, TX. An example is an Aug. 3, 2010 Blame gig with Alejandro Escovedo at the Continental Club.
On August 28, 2010, Bill participated in the Voices for Justice concert/rally in Little Rock, AR, in support of the West Memphis Three. He played Something Made Of Paper, an original song that he and Ruth wrote specifically for Damien Echols, with Will Sexton. He also joined Patti Smith for People Have The Power during the show's finale along with Eddie Vedder, Natalie Maines, Ben Harper, and of course, Johnny.
In the fall of 2010, a new official site was launched: Bill Carter And The Blame. The site has a bio, a gig calendar, photos, videos and a music store.
2011 is looking to be a big year in recordng for Bill. In January, Bill released a brand new CD with Stephen Doster and Will Sexton. The self-titled album, CarterDosterSexton has 14 tracks and is available in both CD form and as a digital download from the official Bill Carter And The Blame website.
As if that wasn't cool enough already, in March he released another new video, April Mays, from a promised upcoming album called Behind The Barn. The album is to be released on Lowdown Records; stay tuned for info about a release date!
''LOADED DICE''
1988
36:40
1 - Little Eve/4:09
2 - Loaded Dice/3:52
3 - Richest Man/4:52
4 - Dirty Blonde/3:20
5 - Can't You Take A Hint/3:36
6 - Na Na Ne Na Nay/3:08
7 - Chain Of Fools/3:50
8 - Cocktail Waitress At The Poodle Dog Lounge/2:42
9 - Winning The Battle Losing TheWar/4:03
10 - Rockola/2:43
Kenny Aronoff /Drums
Stephen Bruton /Guitar
Bill Carter /Guitar, Vocals
Dave Cochran /Bass
Helen Duncan /Vocals
Phyllis Duncan /Vocals
Jim Horn /Saxophone
Mark "Kaz" Kazanoff /Saxophone
Chuck Leavell /Keyboards
Andy Salmon /Bass
Jimmie Vaughan /Guitar
Stevie Ray Vaughan /Guest Artist, Guitar
Keith Winking /Horn
Kent Winking /Horn
ABOUT
Bill Carter has long been a renowned songwriter from the Austin, TX area, and his connection with Johnny Depp is his participation as a co-guitarist and co-bassist along with Johnny in the 90's band, P. It is impossible to talk about Bill without including his wife, Ruth Ellsworth, who has been his songwriting partner for many years. Even when regarding the fact that Bill was a member of P, we are reminded that Ruth served as a guest keyboardist on the P album.
Bill Carter was originally a member of a band called The Blame, which formed in 1978. Their music was a very edgy hard rock style, and they played many gigs in the Austin area until their breakup in the early 80's. In the early to mid 80's, Bill and Ruth were struggling to make a living as songwriters and musicians. However, their credibility as renowned songwriters soon began to make their mark, as their compositions began to be noticed by the likes of the late Stevie Ray Vaughan and The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Stevie added Carter/Ellsworth compositions such as Willie The Wimp and Crossfire to his repertoire, and Why Get Up? was included on The Fabulous Thunderbirds' Tuff Enuff album. Soon, the songwriting team of Carter and Ellsworth was one to be reckoned with, and many other artists such as Will Sexton, Terry McBride, Kent Dykes, Christine Albert and the Stray Cats' Brian Setzer were lining up to write songs with them.
I have found a used CD called Stompin' Grounds that showcases Bill Carter's songwriting. This album was released by a German label, CrossCut Records, in 1988. It features Bill on guitars and vocals, with Ruth Ellsworth guesting on vocals and piano on several tracks.
According to Jimmie Vaughan's Discography, the album was first released on South Coast Records in 1985. A synopsis of the album, as well as several brief but excellent reviews.
In 1988, another album called Loaded Dice was released, featuring both Stevie Ray Vaughan and his brother Jimmie on guitars. Sadly, Loaded Dice is now out of print.
One song, Na-Na-Ne-Na-Nay, was re-released in 2007 on a Stevie Ray Vaughan compilation called Stevie Ray Vaughan & Friends: Solos, Sessions & Encores.
In 1992, Bill met Johnny Depp and helped to form the group P, along with Sal Jenco and the Butthole Surfers' Gibby Haynes. Bill and Ruth collaborated with Johnny and Bruce Witkin on the Once Upon A Time In Mexico soundtrack selection, Sands Theme, in 2003. In addition, they have long been close personal friends of Johnny and Vanessa Paradis, and their two children, Lily-Rose and Jack. They are often seen in paparazzi shots and spotted at events in which Johnny is seen. Bill has also been identified in recent years as Johnny's personal trainer.
In addition, there are two 90's releases shown on what appears to be a now-inactive site by Penguinville Records: City of the Violet Crown and Lifelong Rhapsody. City of the Violet Crown was released in 1994 on Down Low Records and features Denny Freeman, Reese Wynans and others. Lifelong Rhapsody has a copyright record stating that the sound cassette was created in 1994, and published and registered in 1995. Both albums are comprised mostly of Bill Carter/Ruth Ellsworth Carter compositions, though a few titles are not found in the copyright records.
Copyright records may also indicate additional cassette tapes/CDs for Bill. Bill and Ruth have also collaborated with members of The Derailers, David Holt, and others.
The Austin Chronicle cites many performances in the Austin area by Bill Carter and The Blame during the 90's and 00's, but this band bears no real relation to the version of The Blame that was together in the 70's and early 80's. These are said to be informal performances of R&B and country-flavored tunes, not too closely related to the hard rock style of the original band.
In 1995, Bill won 9th place for Best Songwriter at the Austin Chronicle Awards.
In March of 2000, once again as part of the Austin Music Awards, Bill and Ruth were co-winners of the Decade Award for Best Song, for the song popularized by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Crossfire.
In 2007, Bill, Ruth, and members of Double Trouble also received a certification from BMI for the 1 millionth broadcast of Crossfire.
In October of 2007, the Japanese version of Vanessa Paradis' album Divinidylle was released; this version features 2 bonus tracks not on the French release. One of them is a song co-written by Ruth and Bill called I Wouldn't Dare. The song was later re-released on Vanessa's 2009 Best Of album.
Recently, Ruth has begun a clothing line called SWAG (sea wear and gear) based on linen pirate pants she designed for Bill and Johnny Depp to wear at the beach. The line has an online store. Ruth is also an acclaimed soup chef!
Bill continues to perform both solo and with The Blame in and near Austin, TX. An example is an Aug. 3, 2010 Blame gig with Alejandro Escovedo at the Continental Club.
On August 28, 2010, Bill participated in the Voices for Justice concert/rally in Little Rock, AR, in support of the West Memphis Three. He played Something Made Of Paper, an original song that he and Ruth wrote specifically for Damien Echols, with Will Sexton. He also joined Patti Smith for People Have The Power during the show's finale along with Eddie Vedder, Natalie Maines, Ben Harper, and of course, Johnny.
In the fall of 2010, a new official site was launched: Bill Carter And The Blame. The site has a bio, a gig calendar, photos, videos and a music store.
2011 is looking to be a big year in recordng for Bill. In January, Bill released a brand new CD with Stephen Doster and Will Sexton. The self-titled album, CarterDosterSexton has 14 tracks and is available in both CD form and as a digital download from the official Bill Carter And The Blame website.
As if that wasn't cool enough already, in March he released another new video, April Mays, from a promised upcoming album called Behind The Barn. The album is to be released on Lowdown Records; stay tuned for info about a release date!
