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Strong yet sultry, commanding yet still vulnerable…that’s the style. Leslie Carter is the woman, and she has been on stage wowing audiences far and wide. But it has been proven that a beautiful voice does not an artist make. The difference between being just a vocalist and being an artist-songwriter-producer is determination, drive and vision. That’s just what Leslie’s got. After putting in many performance hours as the leader of her own R&B band Leslie went on to complete her Bachelor of Arts degree in Broadcast Communications with a Minor in Music at S.U.N.Y. at Fredonia, N.Y. She joined the staff of WCVF-FM and hosted jazz and top 40 Urban Contemporary radio shows. With additional studies in Recording and Engineering Technology, her interest in writing and producing her own original material was sparked. But what does it take to make a career? It takes guts and Leslie Carter has that word on her list of attributes. She got the chance to serenade one of her favorite vocalists, Will Downing at the world renowned Westbury Music Fair. At the concert, which featured Rachelle Farrell, Will Downing, Jonathan Butler, Gerald Albright and Bobby Lyle, she received a standing ovation after she sang a short impromptu improvisation to Jonathan Butler’s new release, “I’m Down On My Knees”. And performing to large audiences is something this artist is familiar with. In January of 2000, Ms Carter charmed a sold out crowd of 20,000 at Madison Square Garden when she sang the national anthem for the NY Knicks/NJ Nets basketball game. Live shows are more demanding and more competitive these days but that’s not a problem for this artist. With over 125 performances a year as one of the two lead vocalists for her band Chaser, Leslie’s supporters flock from club to club. This leaves club owners requesting her back for more. Her N.Y.C. appearances have been at venues such as: The Village Underground, Show, Studio 450, Chaz and Wilson’s’, Metronome, The Red Lion, Cafe Wah, The Central Park Boathouse, The Penthouse N.Y.C., and The Apollo. In addition to all of her live performances, during which time Ms. Carter’s has shared the stage with singing superstars such as Chaka Khan and Teena Marie, she is also the singing voice of WE (Women’s Entertainment Network). She wrote and sang the channel’s 2001-2003 ad campaign station Ids. In 2001 Leslie broke into the world of House Music when she was introduced to DJ/Producer Frank Delour. After their release of “Keep On Dancing” on Strictly Rhythm and Nervous Records’ “ Living For Love”, she was ready to move into another phase of her career. Owner of her own recording
studio and described as a technology buff, Ms. Carter is currently on
staff at the famed Subliminal Records. Initially coming on board as
a recording engineer, she excelled to the position of Studio Manager
and currently lends her talents as recording engineer/vocalist/producer
for the label. Her first release on Subliminal Soul was the 2002 “Must
Be Heaven” and in addition to adding her writing skills and soaring
vocals to “Waiting In The Darkness” from the 2004 Morillo
“My World” album, she was the tracking engineer for a number
of songs on the album. When it was time for the final mixes she was
honored to work with one of this industry’s geniuses. “I
loved working in the studio with Dave Darlington. I learned a great
deal from him. He’s a true professional and I loved his commitment
to the project.” Her latest release on Subliminal Soul “Refresher” finds Ms. Carter vocalizing as part of “Time Of Your Life” (aka Erick Morillo and Al MacDowell). This summery Ibiza inspired track has been getting club play from industry leading D.J.’s such as Joey Llanos, Benji Candelario and Ruben Toro and has received rave reviews from the UK, Spain and the U.S.
Leslie Carter is a rare talent not to be missed.
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