michelle: LMMFAO, I iz On this Friday night, getting my swerve on with some Yebisu.... Compai, and enjoy the only Friday the 13th of 2011 ;-) Btw, the "Discover Japan" link on that page is cool....

All of us are still in a state of shock and sadness over Carter's passing. Carter, you will be missed.

Carter, the legendary A&R man, producer, songwriter, manager, and lifelong fighter for songs with proper bridges (and, where possible, proper nouns) died on May 10 in Palm Springs. He was 65.

Born John S. Carter in East St. Louis, Illinois, he grew up moving around the West and Midwest, the only child of an oilman and an indefatigable Arthur Godfrey fan.

Carter’s career began in 1967, when he wrote the lyrics to “Incense And Peppermints” by the Strawberry Alarm Clock – a group he renamed by picking words from song titles on the week’s Hot 100 chart. He subsequently became a radio promotion executive for Atlantic Records in San Francisco, where he hired his favorite winos from the Mission District to hand-deliver the Rolling Stones’ Exiles On Main Street to local radio programmers.

Recruited to the A&R department of Capitol Records because of his reputation for spotting hits, Carter worked with Bob Seger and Steve Miller during the periods of their commercial breakthroughs; he also signed – and co-wrote and produced – landmark albums for Sammy Hagar, Bob Welch, and The Motels.

His outstanding creative gifts were taste, language, and wit; above all he was a maker of memes, known on the street as hooks. He collaborated fully with artists, but only contributed to a composition when he sensed a failure to surrender its essence. Fixing a chorus, refurbishing a lyric, adding the telling detail (not infrequently a proper noun) or coming up with an album title or visual image that triangulated with sound and singer to create the ineradicable tattoo of a hit: that was Carter’s calling.

He was, as reported earlier, a stickler for bridges (typically, the new melodic and lyrical information that comes after verse and chorus have repeated a few times). Formal purity was not what drove him, rather the desire to hear every song matter. Unless it was on the level of a “Louie Louie,” Carter believed, any song that wasn’t flush enough to demand a bridge probably didn’t deserve to handle the dice.

In 1983 he overcame powerful corporate opposition to sign an apparent has-been, Tina Turner. He A&R’d her first Capitol album, Private Dancer, and produced several of its tracks, including the title song. The album launched Turner’s years as a global superstar, selling more than 20 million copies.

Carter went on to work at A&M, Atlantic, Chrysalis and Island Records. Yet despite his track record, he often struggled to find colleagues who believed in the artists he loved. When faced with skepticism, Carter leaned on the Ouija and made transformative decisions for fragile careers. He nurtured the songwriting of Tonio K; fought inside battles for David & David and Tori Amos; got Melissa Etheridge a publishing deal with A&M’s affiliate when the label refused to let him sign her.

Carter discovered that he was better able to fight for the talents he revered by working independently as an artist manager. His discoveries include Mark Everett, who records as the Eels, and Paula Cole.

Throughout a life in music that spanned more than forty years, one of Carter’s achievements stands out for its rarity: he has retained the love and respect of nearly everyone he ever worked with, both on the commercial and creative sides of the business. Take as evidence his professional reunion with Sammy Hagar: after decades of unbroken friendship, more than thirty years after they made “Red” together, Hagar invited Carter to manage him. They created the group Chickenfoot, which continues to thrive, along with Hagar’s solo career.

Carter is survived by his wife Christy Carter and his daughter Crosby Carter.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to LiveStrong www.livestrong.org <http://www.livestrong.org>

RIP John Carter.

I wear my LIVESTRONG bracelet every day.

Sorry to hear that Joe.

Its our turn for a tour Joe!!

RIP John Carter. Sorry for your loss Master Joe.

I am having a great somewhat day. Just got my JS100 in. I hafta say the guitar is just awesome!! When we took out of the box, the first thing, the guitar manager and myself said was,,,WOW!!! The internet doesnt make it look as great as it really is up front. The curves, angles etc, is just stunning. And since the JS100 is the cheapest model of the series, I can only imagine what the others look like.

Anyway, I do have a problem with it though. After looking at it, another customer in the store bumped into it and knocked it over by accident. Between him and I, I dont know who was ready to cry first. Still in plastic etc.

It seemed ok, but once I brought it home I noticed a few things. Going to bring it back tomorrow and have em look it over. If I look at it real close, it looks like the neck may have moved a fraction. I can tell from looking at the side view. Plus there is a small fraction of a gap there too.

Still a sharp looking guitar. Says "Joe Satriani" at the 21 fret LOL :) Didnt see that either on the internet.

But I do have a question for everyone. I want to replace the JS100 neck with a 24 fret neck, WHICH, only comes with the JS2400 series. Are these 2 necks compatible??

Dave

My fav. Christian guitarist:

Gotta love Ozzy!

DavidFord - I have a feeling you can't just throw a 24 fret neck on a 22, something to do with scale length? There are way more competent and technical guys on here - someone will chime in, or go and post/read over at jemsite

JOE: Sorry to hear of Carter' passing away, I didn't know how much he has influenced..he will me missed....

Kayla: Godspeed to your Grandma, our prayers are with you and yours....

Ibanezplyr: Happy to see the good vibes are working for ya bro, and great news on work again!

DavidFord: I wouldn't worry about the neck gap too much.... That is normal as you get the luck of the draw when you buy a guitar..some have a gap, some don't, but if it is not out of limits, it passes QA. Now if a PRS or other hand made model has a gap, the luthier would be fired, lol.... Good luck, and btw, I'm originally from Medfa ;-)

Yup, gotta love OZZY, lol, thx. for that michelle, the man is a genius & legend!

Michelle- Thanks for asking about dad ..he is doing okay but he still has not had the arm removed yet. The Dr.s keep telling him its his best chance but he keeps delaying the decision. Maybe that is him making his decision....anyway time will tell.

Also your new kitten Loki is very cute.. :-)

Kayla- Thoughts and prayers for your gramma.

Kinda sad today ....our golden retriever TEN got really sick and had to have an operation yesterday..vets not sure if she's gonna make it . She has been a devoted pet...and a member of our family for several years.

JOE-Condolences on the loss of your friend Carter. Condolences to Sammy also ..sounds like they had a long and enduring friendship.......

Peace- I am sorry to hear about your dog and I will send prayers, I had a scare a few weeks ago with my dog. It was really hard on me, he is doing ok now!

Joe--Sorry to hear about the loss of John Carter. I first learned about him in Sammy's book, RED. One extraordinary human being!

Al Mc--Thanks for warning me about depressing things in this world. I avoid what would make the illness I deal with worse.

Michelle--You have the cutest baby...I mean..kitten! What a proud mom you are!

I'm dealing with a chronic condition every day and I'm gonna beat it if it takes me the rest of my life!