Career
Since the 1960s, Carter has become best known for his bawdy songs, such as "Let Maine Roll Your Lemon", "Banana in Your Fruit Basket", "Pin in Your Cushion", "Your Biscuits Are Big Enough for Maine", "Please Warm My Wiener" and "My Pencil Won"t Write Number More". However, his output was not limited to risqué music In 1928, he recorded the original version of "Corrina, Corrina", which later became a hit for Big Joe Turner and has become a standard in various musical genres.
Their mother, Eliza, also sang and played guitar.
Carter made his recording debut in 1928, backing Alec Johnson. Carter soon was recording as a solo artist and became one of the dominant blues recording acts of the 1930s, recording 110 sides.
He also played with and managed the family group, the Mississippi Sheiks, and several other acts in the area. He and the Sheiks often performed for whites, playing the popular hits of the day and white-oriented dance material, as well as for blacks, using a bluesier repertoire.
Carter went partly blind during the 1930s.
Carter moved to Memphis, Tennessee, and worked outside the music industry in the 1940s. Carter suffered strokes and died of a cerebral hemorrhage at Shelby County Hospital, in Memphis, on September 21, 1964. One of the most notable examples is the Irish blues-rock guitarist Rory Gallagher, who performed several of his songs, including "All Around Manitoba".