Gaylord Carter

Gaylord Carter (August 3, 1905 – November 20, 2000) was an American

Early life and musical beginnings

Gaylord Beach Carter was born in

church organist

.

The young Carter displayed the family talent for music and became a soloist in a church choir, until his voice changed. He also played the organ in another church from the age of ten. As the "Jazz Age" evolved, he found himself drawn to the new musical form and dared to try jazz on the church organ. On one occasion this transgression was discovered by the pastor, who then chastised him: "Gaylord, stop playing that high-falutin' music in church!" By the time he was fourteen he was playing at a local movie theater, accompanying the silent films at children's matinees.[2]

Silent movie-era career

The family remained in Wichita until 1922 and then made the long drive in the family's Chandler touring car to

where, by 1926, he was engaged in pre-law studies. He continued playing in theaters to finance his education.

Carter was playing accompaniment to a

Radio, television, and postwar career

Through the remainder of the 1920s, Carter played at the Million Dollar and other theaters, including Sid Grauman's larger downtown venue,

", with Carter providing accompaniment on the Hammond organ. When, at age 90, he was asked about the making of this short and if there had been any further film appearances, he responded (with mock incredulity), "I don't remember making THIS one!"

He spent

. He also made recordings on several of these vintage instruments, releasing numerous albums on the Artisan, RCA Victor, Malar, Pelican, New World, Win Mil, Delos and FTC labels. Carter had previously recorded pipe organ and Hammond organ singles during the 1940s on the Capitol, Black & White, and Imperial labels. Also, the pioneer "program music" impresario C.P. MacGregor made recordings of Carter in the 1940s. MacGregor had a recording studio located on Western Ave. in Los Angeles. These were Hammond organ solos, and are astonishing upon the listening as regards the musical styles and technique Carter displays in them.

Silent movie revival and beyond

In the 1960s and beyond, Carter helped fuel a revived public interest in silent movies with his production company Flicker Fingers Productions, which he had formed with business partner Jim Day. In the 1970s, Carter was hired to provide recorded scores for theatrical re-releases of several Mary Pickford movies.^[4] With the arrival of home video players, recorded versions of classic silent movies became available and Carter recorded scores, many of his own composition, for a variety of these films. Among them were many movies made by his early benefactor and old friend Harold Lloyd. Carter often told the story of scoring a Harold Lloyd picture with Lloyd present during the recording session; during the sequence from Safety Last! in which Lloyd is scaling the side of a building, he loses his grip. As Lloyd catches hold of the hands of an enormous clock, Carter at the organ swings into the song "Time on My Hands" – which prompted Harold Lloyd to give Carter a mock stern glance and declare, "Gaylord, I'LL do the jokes!" Starting in 1975, Carter began recording Wurlitzer organ scores to classic silent films for Blackhawk Films, which distributed 8mm and 16mm film prints for the home movie market. In the 1980s, he scored a dozen silent classics for home video release by Paramount Pictures. Owing to the efforts of noted film historian and preservationist David Shepard, several of the Blackhawk films were later issued onto Laserdisc and then DVD through Image Entertainment. During the late 1960s, he also performed as the organist at Los Angeles Lakers games at the Forum, including at the 1969 NBA Finals.^{[citation needed]}. He is known to have performed the manic organ part of "Grim Grinning Ghosts" for the Haunted Mansion ride soundtrack.^[5]

Final years

Carter remained active into the 1990s. He made tours of North America, Europe, and Australia, performing on many of the world's surviving theater organs. In 1975 and 1994, he was inducted into the hall of fame of the American Theatre Organ Society. In 1987, he was the first organist to perform for the "Last Remaining Seats" program, which had been launched by the preservation organization, the Los Angeles Conservancy, playing the organ at the Orpheum Theatre in that city's Broadway Historic Theatre District, a few blocks from the Million Dollar Theatre which had been the scene of his first great success. In 1994, he was interviewed by Huell Howser.^[6] In his last years he also performed occasionally at the Warner Grand Theatre, which was fairly near his home in San Pedro, California.

Carter began experiencing T.I.A.s (

. His 90th birthday and farewell performance celebration was held with the assistance of his protege Christian Elliott in 1995 at Oakland's Paramount Theatre. In 1996, he suffered a massive stroke at age 91, from which he recovered mentally but not physically. For the next four years he held court in San Pedro, unable to play but ever the witty survivor, still receiving many friends and admirers who basked warmly in his company. After a second stroke in 2000, Carter died peacefully in his home overlooking the Pacific Ocean at the age of 95.

Notes

Further reading

• Gaylord Beach Carter. The Million Dollar Life of Gaylord Carter. Oakland, CA: Paramount Theatre of the Arts, 1995.

External links

• Gaylord Carter at
  IMDb