Wilf Carter

Early years Carter was born in Port Hilford, Nova Scotia, Canada. One of nine children, his father was Swiss.

In 1923, at age 18, after working as a lumberjack and singing with hobos in boxcars, Carter moved west to Calgary, Alberta, where he became friends with Pete Knight and found work on the Davis ranch, near Brooks, as a cowboy. That same year, Carter also wrote and recorded "Pete Knight, The King of the Cowboys," which also became a hit. CBS changed his name to "Montana Slim,"

He sold his ranch in 1949 and moved his family to a farm in New Jersey.

Touring (1949–1991) In 1949, Carter resumed live performances with tours in Canada and the United States.

In 1980, Country Music Queen Kitty Wells and her husband Johnnie Wright encouraged Carter to tour with them, which was billed as Carter's 80th Birthday Tour. From 1980 to 1985 he toured different parts of Canada.

In 1985, Carter toured with Slim Whitman.

Business In 1952, he moved, this time to Orlando, Florida, where he opened the Wilf Carter Motor Lodge, a venture that lasted only two years.

Honours and awards In 1971, Wilf Carter was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

A video documentary was released in 2000, called The Last Round-up: The Wilf Carter Story, which examined Carter's distinguished career.

Legacy He wrote hundreds of songs covering a wide range of themes, including traditional country western, cowboy, folk, and hobo songs. His recordings of "Blue Canadian Rockies" and "You Are My Sunshine" are among the most popular. Another Canadian artist, Stu Davis, acknowledged the importance of Carter's mentorship early in his career and credited him with securing Davis's first recording contract with Sonora Records in New York.

Discography

Year Album CAN Country 1960 The Dynamite Trail 1960 Songs of the Calgary Stampede 1962 Reminiscin' with Wilf Carter 1962 By Request 1963 Old Prairie Melodies 1964 Let's Go Back to the Bible 1964 Nuggets of the Golden West 1965 Christmas in Canada 1965 Yodeling Memories 1965 32 Wonderful Years 1966 God Bless Our Canada 1966 Golden Memories 1967 If It Wasn't for the Farmer What Would City Slickers Do? 1967 Waitin' for the Maple Leaves to Fall 1968 Hittin' the Track 1968 How My Yodeling Days Began 1968 Songs of the Rail and Range 1969 The Best of Wilf Carter 1969 Balladeer of the Golden West 1969 Wilf Carter Sings Jimmie Rodgers 1970 Sings Songs of Australia 1970 Away Out There 1971 Walls of Memory 1972 My Heartache's Your Happiness 1973 40th Anniversary Special 1973 Wilf Carter's Best / Wilf Carter's West 1974 The Wilf Carter Souvenir Album 1978 Walkin the Streets of Calgary 1979 I'm Happy To-day 1980 My Home on the Range 14

Charted singles Year Single CAN Country Album 1973 "Shoo Shoo Shoo Sha-La-La" 60 My Heartache's Your Happiness 1976 "Have a Nice Day" 27 Have a Nice Day 1988 "What Ever Happened" 91 What Ever Happened

Other singles "There's a Love Knot in My Lariat" (1937)