Playin on the Tracks
A memoir
By Carter Robertson
Subtitled “A memoir”, Playin’ on the Tracks is the autobiography of singer songwriter Carter Robertson. Born Carolyn Ann Walker but called Carter because her sister, older by fourteen months, couldn’t quite say Carolyn, instead it came out as Carter.
In an easy to read style with a language that comes from the heart we learn about the life of a little girl growing up in a Pentecostal church in the rural San Joaquin Valley of California. Like many raised in small towns she is looking for a way to get out and explore the world. The escape comes as a mission trip to the heart of San Francisco during the height of the drug induced, free sex, Hippie era of the Haight-Ashbury scene.
By age 16, Carter’s singing abilities are being noticed and she becomes the featured singer of a church group. Soon the group’s leader, along with the help of a “Hollywood” type manager start to have greater ambitions with Carter at the center, and this becomes the beginning of a long dark period in the young singer’s life. While wrestling with a crisis of faith she also must deal with her lifelong desire to please others. Contractual obligations and concern for hurting the dreams and ambitions of the group leave her stuck in a bad place. But good does come out of it as she meets her future husband, Barny Robertson.
Once Carter and Barny are able to break from the church group they make beautiful music together performing at parties, weddings and small L.A. nightclubs. Their networking pays off in an unexpected way when a producer friend suggests she and Barny would be a good fit with Jessi Colter’s band. Ms. Colter has just scored big with the crossover-hit song, “I’m Not Lisa”. This becomes a life-changing event for Carter as eventually she will eventually take the stage as the only female member of Waylon Jennings’ band and be front and center of the great Outlaw Movement in County Music. But it is not exactly a smooth ride between the Pentecostal backup singer and the hard-living Waylon Jennings.
This is an enjoyable true story of a talented performer from a humble background, dealing with family dysfunctions, questions of church and faith, and success on the world’s stage. Ms. Robertson’s writing style finds her voice and is as smooth as the lyrics of her songs and comes across as though she is in the room telling you her story.
