The Carter Edwards Biography

Talking about Carter Edwards, the Australian show business legend Bobby Limb turned to his audience and was heard to ask.... "How can one man have so much talent?"

Possibly the most amazing single factor in the sparkling success story of this incredibly versatile entertainer is that....he never really intended a career in show business!!

Yes, Carter's extraordinary talents may never have come to the notice of the audiences he now commands if it hadn't been for a series of quite unrelated ACCIDENTS!

A teenage beginning
It was an ACCIDENT that as a young lad in his home town of Perth WA, his mother, being a very accomplished pianist, tried unsuccessfully to pass on her talents to her son. At the time he much  preferred to kick a football rather than practice piano.

His father on the other hand used child psychology and instructed a young Carter that under no circumstances was he to touch his dad's prized drum kit. But boys will be boys! When eventually caught red handed, Carter's father insisted that he take lessons from a professional tutor.

An All-Round Entertainer
Another ACCIDENT occurred with a local hotel band a few months later. The drummer was injured in a car accident and a desperate band leader heard about CARTER and grabbed him for the job! Following this turn of events, he played drums with various Perth groups for around 12 years, being quite content and able to drive a band along with his hands and feet until....

A further ACCIDENT pushed the entertainer yet another rung up the ladder of success. One night, working with a group called "The 4 Spots" the band singer lost his voice. The band was issued with an ultimatum from the venue management. "Get a singer right away or don't bother coming back!"

Carter Edwards had never sung a note of music in his life but desperately he needed the money. And so he was railroaded into singing a song. Having worked with the group for 5 years, Carter had a fair idea of some of the lyrics in the group's repertoire.  He was literally pushed on stage to go through the nerve racking experience of opening his mouth and discovering a voice he didn't know he had!

The audience was obviously surprised and delighted, so much so in fact that the band's employers insisted upon Carter fronting the entire show!

Having tasted the thrill of an audience's reaction, Carter's enormous drive and motivation to become a successful all-round performer began when several members of the group put him down. They told him he would never make it as a solo performer. Carter gave himself six months to prove them wrong and did so with two weeks to spare!!

In 1969, unbeknown to Carter, his family registered him as a contestant in the Perth Channel 7 "New Faces Program". The nomination which was really submitted as a joke was to ACCIDENTALLY take him yet another step on his path to success! Well, Carter reluctantly agreed to appear on the programme....and ended up winning the contest, hands down!

This first appearance was followed by semi finals, finals, and a grand final, all of which he was lucky enough to win!

Following this success Carter Edwards was offered all kinds of floorshows which ACCIDENTALLY included a job as compere in a Night Club. The boss had just sacked a drunken compere on the spot. He then turned to Carter and nominated him for the job but an inexperienced Carter declined!

However, under serious threat of being the second person sacked that night, Carter was finally forced to reconsider! With the Boss's heavy hand in the middle of his back Carter Edwards was literally catapulted on stage. And that night he discovered an ad lib wit which had previously been overlooked and untapped! Carter was immediately promoted to the Night Club's new resident compere!

Carter later moved on to 3 years of "Music Hall" which gave him invaluable experience and taught him to work with other people in comedy situations. He learned how to both act and react with razor sharp timing and it taught him how to write comedy sketches! Carter now truly discovered what the skill of getting laughs is all about!

The Consummate Showman
Carter decided it was now time to try his luck on the East Coast of Australia....but it was not to be easily done. For starters he could not scrape up the necessary travelling money. But grim unswerving determination is without doubt the most evident characteristic of Carter's offstage personality. And of course his extraordinary nose for showbiz novelty and promotional stunts eventually supplied the answer.

Carter ACCIDENTLY heard that "Avis Truck Rentals" needed a truck returned to Sydney! So Carter played drums on the back of that Avis truck for 96 hours non-stop....all the way from Perth on the West Coast to Sydney on the East Coast!! It was an incredible journey of 3,824 kilometres and as the truck drove into Sydney a barrage of TV and Press cameras were fighting for news film, photos and interviews.

Yes, Carter was now an instant celebrity in Australia's largest city but he didn't know a soul. In spite of his talent and recent publicity, he had a mere $7 in his pocket and still faced the relentless showbiz challenge....getting a regular flow of bookings so he could eat on a regular basis and keep a roof over his head.

The following 11 months of knocking on agents doors and talent quest appearances culminated in a rash of bookings that have since kept Carter Edwards constantly in demand over the years!

Huge International Award!
Yet another ACCIDENT led him to fronting the highly successful, long running and International Award winning "I Did It My Way" television commercials for Taubman's Paints. A practical joking showbiz mate rang to tell him that a casting agency was looking for a rugged Australian character to appear in a baked bean commercial. He also said he had told the agency that his mate Carter Edwards was so rugged that he could open the cans with his teeth!

Carter arrived for audition at the appointed time to discover his mate had simply played a practical joke on him. In fact the casting agency had never heard of him! But Carter did ACCIDENTALLY learn that the Agency was casting for a new Taubman's Paints commercial, featuring the song "I Did It My Way".

Using his philosophy of "they might not like me.... but at least they'll know I was there...", Carter turned up for the audition along with 26 other hopeful candidates. But Carter was only guy walking on empty Taubman's Paint  cans that he had screwed to the sole of each shoe, props which he used to great advantage when he was called to strut his stuff! When the Agency and Client eventually viewed the footage they were amazed by "the idiot with paint cans on his feet". They played it again and again attracting a growing audience of passing office personnel. Eventually they stopped laughing long enough to seriously assess Carter's voice and suitability for the part. The decision makers were then called in. The heavies instantly decided that Carter was the man they were looking for and they hired him immediately!

At the annual black tie awards ceremony in New York later that year, this commercial  won the much coveted and incredibly prestigious Clio Award for "Best Commercial in the World!!

The highly successful marriage between Taubman's Paints and Carter Edwards lasted for another 9 years and Carter's face was like "one of the family" in every household throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Multiple "Mo Awards"
But it was NO ACCIDENT that Carter Edwards soon went on to became the recipient of two coveted Mo Awards as "Australia's Most Versatile Entertainer". Furthermore, Carter has also been nominated 5 times as "Australia's Entertainer of the Year".

Indeed, Carter Edwards offers a totally unique brand of entertainment and versatility. "How can one man have so much talent?"

Making Them Feel Good
Years ago Carter decided that he didn't want to be "just another singer of songs".  Instead, Carter manages to hold his audiences spellbound with a somewhat raucous and typically Australian humour that involves the audience all the way. He couples this with songs, gags and  perhaps a featured drum or guitar solo. Then he adds any of the highly entertaining and original gimmicks he's created over the years! But the mainstay of Carters onstage magic is his ability to have fun with an audience and just "make 'em feel good!"

More Television Achievements
Whilst on tour in New Zealand another ACCIDENT occurred. A technical hiccup stopped the recording of a popular TV program called "That's Country" which went on to have an American viewing audience of over 20 million people every Sunday during a seven year run. 

Despite the glitch, the show's Producer still had the video cameras running. He observed Carter clowning with a restless audience. He watched them eating out of Carter's hand and saw how he had them rolling in aisles within minutes. He also saw a potential in Carter Edwards that had previously gone unnoticed!

So Carters next venture was to write and star in a very successful one hour New Zealand television special entitled "Closer Entertainment Relationships". This was a two man show in which he starred  alongside the genius Maori entertainer, Billy T. James. The whole thing was backed up by a 24 piece orchestra.

The success of the New Zealand TV Special resulted in a chance for Carter to go on to write and star in a new TV games program called "Your Number's Up". It enjoyed a popular 13 week season before Carter left to fulfil previous commitments.

A Royal Performance Appearance
When Australian show business legend Bobby Limb first saw Carter work, he was so impressed he arranged for Carter to be booked for a Royal Command Performance at the Sydney Opera House. The success of that prestigious appearance before Royalty brought Carter a deluge of other engagements.

In fact it forced the late Mr Bobby Limb to take a very serious look at Carter's unique talents. Bobby was amazed to discover Carter's incredible skills, versatility and excellence across so many facets of the entertainment industry. It was then that Bobby publicly asked that famous rhetorical question....

"How can one man have so much talent?"

Setting Records in NSW Clubs
Around 17 years ago Carter shifted his home base from Sydney to Newcastle, where he set-up his Daytime Club Show at Cardiff Workers Club. The Show was  a great success and ran every Friday for seven years.

Way back in 1987 Carter started his weekly day show, "Hey Hey, It's Thursday" at Toukley RSL Club on the Central Coast NSW. After over 850 appearances Carter is still packing them in each and every Thursday. Now that's durability.... no that's bloody incredible!

Radio Ratings Powerhouse
Another ACCIDENTAL event occurred in 1987 when Carter Edwards was thrown into the deep end on Radio Station 2HD Newcastle. In all the years that have passed since then, Ratings Surveys reveal that the "Carter Edwards Country" programme has consistently outrated all four other Newcastle stations combined!!

Pause a minute and consider the amazing implications of that incredible radio ratings statistic! Carter now has well over 5,000 "on-air" hours to his credit. He's still successfully fronting his Radio 2HD show from 6.00 pm to midnight every Sunday night. 

A movie role for Carter
Carter was asked to play a major acting role in an Australian movie called "Walk the Talk" which was financed by the Steven Spielberg company Dreamworks. The film was produced by Jan Chapman, famous Producer of the Oscar Award winning movie "The Piano". 

No, it Never Ends!!
Carter's next project is to set-up web sites to sell the fruits of his incredibly active and creative imagination. Several books and CD's are already well advanced so watch this space for more news as it moves from dream to reality!

Now you have the basic story of an amazing journey that was never meant to be. It started at the bottom, went to the top and has been to all stops in between. And it's still moving forward at a very rapid rate! 

So now, what does the future hold for Mr Carter Edwards? Well, the chances are that when he finds out it will be.... BY ACCIDENT!