Valerie Carter "Whistle Down The Wind" Tom Waits

[@gerrygreene6354]

Valerie was a friend of mine. Some how Val enjoyed being with my wife our son and me and we enjoyed her being in our life. Val was a wonderful to be with. Words fail me at this time.

[@mikekane6319]

This is one of the most beautiful recordings I've ever heard. An incredible, soulful voice and heartfelt performance, really breathtaking. I only learned about her through this song and must say what a terrible loss for the world that she's no longer with us...but not gone either, as long as her music is still in the air. What an incredible legacy; I hope you and your family find some peace in the knowledge that her voice still carries on the wind.

[@stargazer6753]

@@mikekane6319 Agreed.

[@Shawnjuan54]

Val was my best friend when she recorded this and I had a few hungover lunches with Tom, Rickie Lee. and Lowell George (he introduced us).

[@kevinmurphy4595]

Well said Gerry, well said sir....Right after her passing, as Fate/Karma would have it, I was recording some of my tunes w/ a stellar cast and I was able to get bassist Kenny Gradney of Little Feat for the dates... ...growing up in Maryland /DC area, Little Feat, who lived there a time were "our" band...and I of course knew of her ..... Anyway, after the 2nd day of recording, Kenny asked me if I wanted to get together the next day and we did...and eventually I asked him about her, and you should have seen the look on his face.....Everything fell away for a stolent moment and nothing but the heart was revealed and then Kenny looked at me and simply said " I cant talk about her right now"...then recovered himself a few seconds later and simply said "She was really special, man" Cheers

[@jleahwren5160]

3 years later and you have said everything. Thank you for sharing that.

[@stargazer6753]

It is still the most beautifully performed and the most beautiful song that I know of .

[@habackuk]

Touches me deeply every single time I come around. And I'll be back.

[@gtorjoepontiac5136]

I wish I could have discovered you before you left. RIP VALERIE ♥️💜

[@smokinmoose2]

This past December I lost the ability to sing or speak. The doctors don’t know why, but the left side of my larynx was paralyzed. I was referred to a speech pathologist and working together (she did most of the work) we got my speaking voice back, not my singing though. So we talked about singing, what was involved, etc. i played her some things of mine and then asked her if she wanted to hear the most emotional voice I’ve ever heard, the played her this. As she was listening you could see her actually disappear. When the song was over she could barely speak. I told her that every time I listen to Valerie sing I have the same reaction and I’ve been listening to her for many years. Of all the great performances that Valerie has done, and there are many, this one always moves me more than any other singer I’ve ever heard. She was a massive talent.

[@ValerieCarterOfficial]

So sorry to this. Glad to hear you got your speaking voice, though, and maybe your singing voice will come back as well. Thank you for sharing your story.

[@stargazer6753]

I hope this inspiration took you where you needed to be. Please tell me you can sing again.

[@brucenanney7776]

Yes she was.

[@chrisdulworth4555]

thats incredible.jeff buckley is the same for me.

[@brunoberanger5139]

I'm so sad, I'm crying. What a beautiful song! What a wonderful girl! R.I.P. anyway.

[@stargazer6753]

Me too, Bruno.Written by Tom Waits.

[@randygates1619]

She was a great singer, loved her music.😢

[@randypotter7442]

This is so touching. Rest in peace, Valerie. We'll miss you.

[@bobhrfarm]

This is absolutely beautiful…💔

[@timnoland2152]

Her voice is perfection! Truly an astonishing singer. 💟💟💟

[@jtamsincmusic6450]

I saw her summer of 1973 with Howdy Moon at Wollman Rink in Central Park. Such an unforgettable privilege. She just absolutely shone onstage.

[@stargazer6753]

I can't close out the night without hearing this . I'm addicted. Tom Waits and Valerie Carter.

[@cindyschneider4728]

Ha! What led me to this song this evening? Her voice is ethereal, and the writing is perfection.

[@stargazer6753]

@@cindyschneider4728 Agreed. Perfection on all counts. So beautiful and plaintive and with all of the expressions of sorrow that you would expect from those two.

[@stargazer6753]

@@cindyschneider4728 Her voice was ethereal and the writing is perfection, but scroll down several comments and find Ann Taylor’s comment , at 4 years ago. It used to be upfront, but now several comments below. She says it all. Just saying, for the two of those artists.

[@kmr101]

Beautiful voice, beautiful lady

[@cyrildellanora6812]

This song is close to an Ave Maria. M'am, such a loss that you are gone. Your divine voice is a blessing. Hope you feel all our love where you rest from now.

[@WadeJohnsonEBOY]

What an incredible voice, Valerie, and a beautiful song, Mr. Waits.

[@keyfla]

I booked a concert with this lovely lady. A real treat to hear her perform. Her warm heart captured me.

[@joshmangum3652]

Rest in peace, beautiful girl with the angelic voice.

[@stargazer6753]

So beautiful on every level. This song haunts me. Tom Waits , the songwriter. Valerie Carter the singer.

[@cindyschneider4728]

Reminds me of the Eagles song, Sad Cafe-"I don't know why fortune smiles on some and lets the rest go free." There is no rhyme or reason why some people hit super stardom and some people of this caliber remain relatively unknown. She had the voice of an angel.

[@stargazer6753]

@@cindyschneider4728 So well said. I’m going to revisit “The Sad Cafe”.

[@stargazer6753]

Cindy , please say more.

[@anntaylor5165]

This is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard by one of the best song writers of his time(Tom Waits) and one of the very best singers of her time (Valerie Carter). Someone whomJackson Browne loved for years ("That Girl Could Sing"), and with whom he wrote a wonderful song called "Love Needs A Heart", but she would just never settle down.She died Spring of 2017 with her only living relatives being her mother and her sister.

[@mannyleela4473]

One of the best singers from any time.

[@stargazer6753]

@@mannyleela4473 Yes , indeed my friend.

[@javadude54]

Long after we are all gone musical historians will look back and wonder why Valerie Carter wasn't the biggest star in music during her lifetime. They will say, 'Yes, that girl could really sing.'

[@brendamilloy2557]

That's what Jackson Browne said... kzbin.info/www/bejne/mpXZe3p6rLR6oJI

[@stargazer6753]

Absolutely. And yes, as Jackson Browne (her wanna be lover) would say “That Girl Could Sing.” I think that she had so many ranges in her voice and so many styles of singing because her many talents , that she never established herself as a certain kind of singer with a certain kind of voice for a certain kind of song. Linda Ronstadt (spelling ?) spent a few years establishing herself in a genre to make it. As for Valerie , she was just too multi - talented. And she did have the voice of an angel when she wanted to have one. She had so many.

[@catherinetodd]

Her heart moves me like no other... her voice is bringing me to tears. Sorry she's gone. Kathleen Brennan & Tom Waits know how to write a song, too.

[@TheCyndy13]

Rest In Peace. Some of the best were blessed to sing with you!

[@dmanLVN]

I'm dying... OMG!! RIP baby.... you were my champion!!

[@dangermain486]

WOW, this song is so perfect, and I LOVE the Cello that gives it such perfect emotions...I have listened to this song about 100 times and still welcome more

[@stargazer6753]

Well said. Unbelievably beautiful , Tom waits and Valarie Carter .

[@mindakahn9964]

Thank you. As a cellist I’m so appreciative of people who hear the orchestration. Sweet angel, May her memory be a blessing.

[@stargazer6753]

Dan, thanks for highlighting the Cello. Now I have one more reason to love this song. I also have listened to it many many times.

[@koo1965sh]

Always coming back, you're one of a kind....

[@brianmark3088]

Beautiful sad song. Valerie's voice is wonderful. Amazing!

[@martlet530]

A vocal which is Haunting, Timeless and a Stunning musical image of the melody and lyric.

[@TASIAawful1]

I've just by accident come across this beautiful lady what a wonderful voice she had I'm sorry to read she has passed. Rip.

[@JamaisMEC]

I've been a Valerie fan since a friend shared his "Just a Stone's Throw Away" album back in 1982. I had no idea she was so physically beautiful--my God--with a voice that so perfectly matches it.

[@paulcullum9564]

There simply are no words. Beautiful perfection. Rest in sweet peace

[@stargazer6753]

Yes, simple beautiful perfection.

[@stargazer6753]

I never get tired of this song. The sadness and despair so beautifully expressed , and if you have lived long enough, you know that deep down feeling of no way out. Hopefully fleeting. But you know it takes guts to express that. Tom Waits (with his wife) has really touched a chord here. Most people will not write about despair in a song , but he does it so beautifully as opposed to angrily. Tom himself gives a heart wrenching performance elsewhere, but I think it best be sung by Valerie Carter in her beautiful , wistful way with the longing for that chance that that was missed.

[@marystack3577]

Tom waits is powerful a once in a a lifetime genius. I love him ❤

[@stargazer6753]

@@marystack3577 So right you are.

[@karlamcsweeney4315]

Have this song and love the whole CD. Believe I have most if not all her solo music on vinyl or CD. Very special artist to me.

[@stargazer6753]

@Karla McSweeney. What a lovely name. And for everything that you have mentioned : GOOD FOR YOU.

[@McRocket]

Jeez...what an incredible song. What a voice she had.

[@thomasrae9205]

This woman was amazing and her music live on for ever sleep well Valerie

[@stargazer6753]

On April 22, 2017 during a concert Jackson Browne stated that a good friend of his named Valerie Carter had died. He said that he had loved her for years and he had written that song for her "That Girl Could Sing".

[@stargazer6753]

Jackson loved her and pursued her, ,but we will never know why it did never work out.

[@Truthmoses]

that is the best song I've ever heard.

[@stargazer6753]

Yeah. Yes indeed. Written by Tom Waits.

[@gerismith4822]

Stunningly beautiful.

[@virginiaanacleto3990]

Beautiful voice❤

[@elisabetsalzer9019]

Angel Voice ❤️

[@larciabella]

BEAUTIFUL ANGEL.............ONE HELLUVA BAND UP THERE .R.I.P. VALERIE.............TOO YOUNG........BUT YOU LEFT US YOUR GIFT.

[@dangermain486]

don't know how I came to record this song, but I keep hearing it in my head when it's not playing on my Ipod.. it's the saddest song I know. Her voice is so heartfelt, like she's experiencing it every time I hear it.. what a gorgeous voice and what a shock to find out she passed away, what a crying shame ! Reminds me of Eva Cassidy, who also had a sensational voice and who died away too young, and who did the best and most original version of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" ! By the way, the full version of Whistle Down The Wind is the one I downloaded from Itunes by Valerie Carter and I want to cry every time I hear it.

[@stargazer6753]

Dan. Agree on ever level , except for the remark about Eva Cassidy. I guess we Americans just don’t get it sometimes.

[@jimmyniland9721]

She was was a good singer; and the girl in the photo is really beautiful. All in all, it’s a good presentation.

[@andyclement2568]

Gorgeous...

[@musicandmoreblog7510]

That's a beautiful song, thanks for posting. She would have made a superb album of Waits covers.

[@stargazer6753]

Wouldn’t that have been great ?

[@anselmandrian5220]

R.I.P. please . My dearest Condolences . Thank you very much ! Greetings & best kind regards . Anselm Andrian ( I did hear you in Hamburg ( Germany ) with James Taylor ) .

[@donnajohnson6227]

We miss you Val. xo

[@steverogers3595]

Que O poderoso Deus em sua infinita misericórdia a tenha em seus braços.

[@bringyourownsnake980]

Clicked, fell in love, found out she was dead. It's been a wild couple of minutes. Rest well, beautiful lady.

[@vestertube1]

I fucking love this

[@MrJojogun]

This song will be played at my wake, if I can find some bagpipe lad , and an Irish lass to sing it.

[@stargazer6753]

Can you just imagine the lyrical sound that you have put forth ?

[@MrJojogun]

@@stargazer6753 It'll open the gates either up above or down below....

[@stargazer6753]

@@MrJojogun Very funny.

[@cletuswombat2694]

wow..

[@scorpions1965]

❤❤❤❤

[@ottoschneider7659]

R.I.P.

[@mannyleela4473]

Nice voice from a free spirited woman.

[@thosmoody]

RIP Val.

[@soapboxearth2]

i yelled and i cursed if i stay here i'll rust

[@roadierules]

Wish I knew her

[@nyg1954]

the only thing more beautiful than her voice is her face.

[@tedburr117]

"she wasn't very good at staying around but that girl could sing"

[@stargazer6753]

There is a history there in the song. Jackson and Valerie. I so wished it worked out. Maybe she would still be alive, by Jackson’s side. Wouldn’t that be something? But it apparently just wasn’t meant to be. Although Valerie overcame her addictions, she later died from a heart attack .

[@stargazer6753]

I can"t stay here and I'm scared to leave So kiss me once and then

[@stargazer6753]

One of my favorite lines, and it breaks my heart every time.

[@Alexander-vg9vh]

RIP

[@SouperAsH]

Just imagining .... Valerie, singing with Emmylou Harris... Might have been something pretty nice.

[@kimh5566]

You can hear her harmonize with Emmylou and Linda Ronstadt on Linda's recorded version of Neil Young's "After The Gold Rush". There might be other tracks where they sing together. Not sure. Cheers.

[@stargazer6753]

Kim. You're absolutely right. The way it is sung , well, according to Jackson Browne, " You might hear the angels sing". Another song altogether, but absolute perfection on "After The Gold Rush". The sound they create with their voices is indescribable. It can give you chills.

[@stargazer6753]

She did harmonize with Emmylou Harris.

[@KM00Youtube]

I agree, you could hear echos of Emmylou...

[@stargazer6753]

“I can’t stay here , but I’m afraid to leave, so kiss me once and then."

[@randallfrank5682]

So sweet compared to Tom!

[@stargazer6753]

Yeah...... Tom Waits is a little rough. Rumor is that his wife helped him write it, but that doesn’t matter. Happens all the time (input from others) ; just hope she got credit.

[@cokostwinder6145]

R.I.P.