Tracy Grammer

Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer were an American folk duo who released three albums from 1998 to 2001, as well as additional material released after Dave Carter's death. The duo consisted of Dave Carter (songwriter, vocals, banjo, guitar, organ) and Tracy Grammer (producer, vocals, violin, mandolin, guitar).

Their work dealt with a number of themes, particularly Buddhist theology, Arthurian legend (and mythic themes in general), and the American west, often juxtaposed together in one song. In 2002, shortly before his death, Dave spoke of the duo's "ever-burgeoning goddess repertoire" as another lyric theme. One example of mixture of themes may be found in the closing lines of "Happytown", the first track from the album, Tanglewood Tree:

"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"

Their first album, When I Go (1998), 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. Produced by the duo, the album was recorded in Grammer's kitchen. Their second album, Tanglewood Tree (2000), featured a more even split of singing duties, and was the first to actually be labeled as a Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer album. The album was described by Carter in an interview as "the world's first Buddhist country album". Their third album (the last released before Carter's death), Drum Hat Buddha (2001), maintained an even split between the two on lead vocals. This album met with critical success, and the pair was considered by prominent reviewers to be one of the most promising new folk acts then active. In 2002, they toured the United States with folk legend Joan Baez, who described Carter's lyric wr