John Carter passes

[Larry Behm]

Just got word from Harley James that John Carter had passed away at home sitting in his easy chair.

John was a very active steeler in the Portland Oregon area for 35 years plus. He use to go to the St Louis convention every year until the last 10 or so.

John always had a smile on his face, was so happy to be a member of the steel brotherhood here in the area and with the folks at the convention and was a very good steel player to boot. I do not know of a player who worked at his craft as hard as John did.

When I talk about the steel jams being about the brotherhood this is exactly what I am talking about, you never know when there will be an empty chair and you did not have the chance to say a kind word and now they are gone.


More info will come here as it is revealed.

Larry Behm
503-722-7562

[Tony Glassman]

This is out of nowhere!. John seemed like one of the healthier PDX steel players. He was such a truly good guy. I haven't seen him often in recent years, but I'll miss him.

[Doug Jones]

Indeed a shocking surprise. Such a mellow guy! Guess he was about 64. All us Pac NW boys knew Carter. He will be missed.

[Tony Glassman]

Larry.....Do you know when and where the funeral service will be?

[Larry Behm]

Harley has more details.

Larry Behm

[Tony Glassman]

Someone should post the details on SGF, so we can have a strong PDX steel guitar presence at the funeral service. He was a 'bro, and would want to know we will all miss him.

[Pete Burak]

I always fear clicking on the Gone Home section.
I split a 16 week run of the Patsy Cline Always show with John, a few years back.
So sorry to hear of Johns passing.
He was a nice guy and a good player.

[Bill Stafford]

So saddened to hear this. Please give my condolences and respect to his family and all his friends. Rest in Peace, my friend.
Bill Stafford

[Bryan Daste]

I didn't know John, but it is always sad to hear of a steeler passing away. At least it sounds like he went somewhat peacefully. My condolences to those of you who knew him well.

[Eric West]

My condolences to his family. John has ALWAYS been a bright spot on the Portland Pedal Steel Scene. None more exacting, friendly, and willing to gig.

Saddened by this, and I pray that his spirit is on the way to a beautiful place where there's just enough challenge to give him the satisfaction of playing and learning new things.

Off to a gig where I'll have a yellow legal pad out to the side to remember him by. Private humor.

One of the Good Guys. FoOr sure.

EJL

[Dennis Lee]

I just learned today that John passed away last Tuesday. He lives across town from me, just minutes away. I hadn't talked with him in awhile, but would see him driving his VW pick-up now and then. He was nearing retirement I know, and very busy teaching special education and coaching for multiple sports in the Hillsboro area. I know he is in the best of all worlds now, though I'm shocked and saddened. Bless you John, and may you be at peace and rest.

[Eric West]

John seemed like one of the healthier PDX steel players.- Dr Pleasure

No place for humor, but Tony, anymore with most of us taking turns on the business ends of scalpels, in chemo and other palliative (life end comfort) therapies...... It ain't saying a lot...

I'll miss John. Both he and Arnie were blindsides to all of us that knew and loved them.

More reasons to pray every day I wake up.

EJL

[Harley James]

John's funeral service will be this Tuesday, Feb 23rd at 3 pm at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Forest Grove. The address listed is 1660 Elm street.

[Dennis Lee]

I'll see you there, Harley. Hope others can make it as well. John had a kind heart. I'm going to miss him.

[Tony Glassman]

I'll see you there, Harley. Hope others can make it as well. John had a kind heart. I'm going to miss him.

Wish I could make it, but I've got patients scheduled all day with no appointments open for rescheduling until late March. I'd have to cancel all those appointments to make the 3 hour drive up.

My thoughts will be with John.

[Eric West]

I will be working as well, and I'm not making funerals as much as I should.

I'll make a hospital visit no matter what.

I prefer to remember the couple times we both laughed as loud as we could. He was a sucker for subtle humor, and I remember MANY times at a gig I'd come up with some off hand remark, and a pulled down hat, and he'd light up and forget whatever serious thing he was concentrating on. Once I slipped up and replaced his precisely notated yellow legal pad with a blank one. I gave it back to him "in time", and we both laughed a lot.

A heck of a lot more loud laugher between us than grumbling.

I'm trying to remember all the times we had, but with John, they all were of the best type and had to do with making light of some of the things that weighed on us.

We had a good couple laughs about a couple of the bands that we tried to make sound better, and the different reasons a couple of them just couldn't be buffed up with a pedal steel guitar...

Like with Arnie, I'm so very glad I got the time with him, and never hesitate to let the players that have meant so much to me over the years, and even the "young and healthy" ones how very much they mean to me, from the GREAT young tigers, like Bryan Daste Pete B, and others ( hey, you're not 50..) to the "more seasoned" guys like Bill Connor, Dale Granstrom and others.

There's nothing like knowing that here we seem to have a bunch of guys that love, support, and help each other at ANY time.

Especially while we're alive.

I've recieved MORE than my share.

That's for sure.

From the guys like John Carter.



EJL

[Pete Burak]

One John Carter story that I will always treasure...
Of all people, "John Carter" had met "Jerry Garcia" at a party back in the the day, and asked Jerry about Pedal Steel.
John said that Jerry was super into Pedal Steel. John said that Jerry said (my memory of John's story now)... 'Oh Man, Pedal Steel is the coolest instrument of all, but I'd need another lifetime just to figure it all out!'

In my book... That's so cool.

I also remember him proudly telling me the story about how he found his Emmons D10 at a St.Louis convention that he had attended with his wife.


I'll be working a 12-ver out in Hillsboro, Tues.
I will try to arrange to be at John's service.

[Dave Grafe]

i just heard about John's passing, I'm sitting at home with busted ribs and don't know if I am up for the drive to FG but it could happen....

[Dennis Lee]

John's funeral was a good tribute to this interesting man and a friend to us all in the Portland psg brotherhood. I learned a lot about John that I did not know. It's always curious how people are humble and never share interesting facts when they are still here with us. It was good to see Mr. & Mrs. Harley James and Pete Burak in attendance for this memorial to honor our friend John Carter. I know others were there in spirit. I learned I lost another friend from the Forest Grove area just a few days ago. The cycle of life does not always seem fair, and it is always untimely, but that is the cycle of life. Sorry for the philosophical nature of this epilogue. Rest in peace, John Carter!

[Mike Winter]

I found out about John's passing yesterday afternoon. I didn't know him very well, but I had the pleasure having John sit in with or band Blue Moon Highway 3 or 4 times. He was a pleasure to play with, and a gentleman in every sense of the word. He told me he loved playing with us because we were willing to turn him loose. Why not? He was a great player.

Pete B - he told me the Garcia story as well...said Jerry was sitting on an upside down bucket. I wish I could've been there.

That VW pickup? He bought that thing new back in the early seventies...and was still driving it the last time I saw him, which was at the Jubitz PSG Jam.

He was a gentle soul, and I wish I would've known him better.

Peace, my friend.