Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer were an American folk duo who released three albums from 1998-2001. The duo was composed of Dave Carter, who wrote the music and originally sang lead on most of the tracks, but steadily turned singing duties over to his partner, Tracy Grammer, who also did instrumental work (violin, mandolin, and guitar). Folk Music, in the original sense of the term, is music by and of the common people. ... Dave Carter (August 13, 1952-July 19, 2002) was an American folk singer and songwriter who self-described his style as post-modern mythic American folk music. ... Tracy Grammer is an American folk singer best known for her work as half of the folk duo Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer. ...

Their work dealt with a number of themes, particularly ones involving Buddhist theology, Arthurian legend (and mythic themes in general), and the American west, often juxtaposed together in one song. One example of this style is the closing lines of "Happytown," the first track from the album, Tanglewood Tree: A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... The Matter of Britain is a name given collectively to the legends that concern the Celtic and legendary history of the British Isles, centering around King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. ... The Western United States, also referred to as the American West or simply The West, traditionally refers to the region constituting the westernmost states of the United States (see geographical terminology section for further discussion of these terms). ...

parceval and valentino, ridin' winged palominos

willie in his el camino, on the run

here in the shining city, here in the endless summer

here in the cave of wonder, number ninety-two

the gods will lounge around until the show is through

but it's all right, it's all right with me if it's all right with you

Musically, their work often straddled both bluegrass and Celtic influences, as with the track "I Go Like the Raven" from their third album, which contains the line "down in the meadow, deep in the holler/ bullfrog sing to the bug-eye crawler/ slide to the rake, hop to the caller/ reel with the willow waivin." The song is driven by a strong fiddle line provided by Grammer that also straddles the line between Celtic and bluegrass. Bluegrass music is considered a form of American roots music with its own roots in the English, Irish and Scottish traditional music of immigrants from the British Isles (particularly the Scots-Irish immigrants of Appalachia), as well as the music of rural African-Americans, jazz, and blues. ... Celtic music is a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic peoples of Western Europe. ...

Their first album, When I Go, was actually released as a Dave Carter album "with Tracy Grammer" and Carter sang the lead vocals on all but one of the tracks, "Kate and the Ghost of Lost Love," which was a duet. Their second album, Tanglewood Tree, featured a more even split of singing duties, and was the first to actually be labeled as by Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer. The album was described by Dave Carter in an interview as "the world's first Buddhist country album." Their third and final album, Drum Hat Buddha, was an even split between the two on lead vocals. This album was met with considerable critical success, and the pair was considered to be one of the most promising new folk acts.

The group came to an end in 2002, when Dave Carter died of a massive heart attack while on tour. The impact on the folk community was considerable, and a substantial shrine was erected by fans at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival shortly after, where Tracy Grammer chose to perform anyway. Following his death, a tribute song was written and recorded by Richard Shindell, and Lucy Kaplansky put a recording of "Cowboy Singer" from Tanglewood Tree, on her next album. Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Main Stage 2004 The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival is a yearly summer music and dance festival formerly held at the Long Farm in Hillsdale, New York, USA. Beginning in 2006 it will be held at Dodds Farm . ... Richard Shindell is an American folk singer currently living in Argentina. ... Lucy Kaplansky (born February 2, 1960) is a New York City-based folk musician. ...

Following Carter's death, Grammer went on to release a solo album, Flower of Avalon, of previously unreleased songs by Carter. The album was produced by John Jennings (Mary Chapin Carpenter, Indigo Girls, John Gorka, Janis Ian, Beausoleil, Iris DeMent) and Tracy was joined by Mary Chapin Carpenter on many of the tracks - another testament to Carter's influence on folk music. Mary Chapin Carpenter poses with Lt. ...

External link

• Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer's web site