Tracy Grammer serves as Director of the DCLP. Dave Carter
Dave Carter began writing songs when he was six years old, but he did not enjoy national recognition until he was well into his 40’s. Carter’s trajectory on the national folk scene spanned four short years, from his 1998 wins at the Kerrville New Folk, Napa Valley, and Wildflower Performing Songwriter contests to a five-week tour with Joan Baez in the spring of 2002. The summer of 2002, at the height of his popularity, he died of a heart attack while on tour. He was 49 years old. Over the past decade, artists at every level of the spectrum have performed Carter’s songs, with Joan Baez, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Chris Smither, Richard Shindell, and Ellis Paul being among the most notable. To date, more than 100 different artists have covered the work of Dave Carter -- a testament to the resonance and reach of a masterful songwriter whose performing career was altogether too brief. Tracy Grammer, Project Director
Playing a sole and unique role in bringing Carter’s music to the public is Tracy Grammer, Carter’s touring partner, muse, and advocate from 1996-2002. In addition to sharing the stage with Carter, Grammer was the duo’s first booking agent, promoter, accountant, publicist, and manager. Grammer’s unshakable dedication to Carter’s legacy took hold in a small Portland, Ore. bar where she first saw him perform. She continues to advocate for Carter’s work to this day. Since 2002, Grammer has carried Dave Carter’s music to audiences around the world, sharing the songs and the stories behind them with fans who may or may not have seen the duo perform. She continues to bring recordings, transcriptions, and archival materials to an ever-expanding fan base, ensuring that Dave Carter’s work and life story continue to circulate through the folk world and beyond.
