A gifted singer and talented songwriter, Valerie Carter remains that rare commodity that is driven by musical creativity alone with little ego involved. She's worked with an impressive list of artists over the years, singing backup vocals for the likes of Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Lowell George, and countless others. She also wrote Judy Collins' 1973 hit "Cook With Honey" and has penned songs for albums by Jackson Browne and Earth, Wind & Fire.
Carter's career began as a teenager in a trio called Howdy Moon. The trio consisted of friends Jon Lind and Richard Hovey and they were signed to A&M in 1974. Their self-titled debut was produced by Little Feat founder, Lowell George, who would become a major influence, collaborator, and mentor to Carter. When the group disbanded, George actively encouraged Carter to pursue a solo career, co-producing her critically acclaimed debut album, Just A Stone's Throw Away, which was released on Columbia Records in early 1977. A testament to her talent, Carter was able to recruit a remarkable assemblage of musicians for these sessions, including well established singers like Linda Ronstadt, Maurice White, and Deniece Williams. Jackson Browne played piano and guitar; Toto's Jeff Porcaro sat in the drum chair and both Little Feat members, Bill Payne and Lowell George, contributed to the sessions. Upon the album's release, a fine new road band was assembled, which featured former Boz Scaggs/Steve Miller keyboardist, Joachim "Fly Like An Eagle" Young.
Over the next several decades, she only released five more albums, happy to make her mark in the songwriting world.