Jeff Carter: Family Man, Attorney, Musician

By Victoria Stewart; Photos by Katie DeSantis

The music is the most important thing. Not who you know or got connected with. Don’t get lost. Preserve the love and fun that is attached to music.

Jeff Carter is a successful Commercial Litigation and Entertainment Attorney with Panama City based Barron and Redding Law Firm. He is also a musician, singer and songwriter who has performed with many famous artists. Above all, he is a devoted husband and father. Beautiful wife Jessie, six-year old son Beau and three-year old daughter Caroline, are his family he affectionately refers to as “The Carter Four”.

His newly formed band, the Jeff Carter Group, opened the Backstage Pass concert series this August at the Marina Civic Center in Panama City. The group lit up the stage with blues and rock ‘n’ roll tunes, both original and cover songs.

Singing and songwriting is in Jeff Carter’s genes. He was born in Nashville, Tennessee on January 8, 1975 to parents Fred Carter, Jr. and Anna Carter. The late Fred Carter, Jr. was a session musician in Nashville for thirty-five years and played with famous musicians such as Roy Orbison, Conway Twitty, Waylon Jennings, Bob Dylan and even Simon and Garfunkel. He played with Johnny Cash on Bob Dylan’s album Nashville Skyline . It is also Fred Carter, Jr. you hear playing guitars on Simon and Garfunkel’s hit song The Boxer!

Jeff, the youngest of three children, grew up in Nashville. When he was twelve, his parents moved back to their childhood town of Winnsboro, Louisiana. Jeff, unsettled after moving to Louisiana, would retreat to his room where he spent countless hours playing his guitar. After vowing to return to Nashville when he turned eighteen, that’s exactly what he did. In 1993, the day after high school graduation, he went back to Nashville where he moved in with his sister. They lived there for two years. During that time, he worked as a bar back, played in bands and later went to work for Studio Instrument Rentals (SIR). While working at SIR he learned to run sound. He went to work at Chas Sandford’s studio, Secret Sound . Sandford produced Stevie Nicks and wrote John Waite’s number one hit, Missing You. After Secret Sound, he went to Memphis and worked at Delta Sound for a short time. It was at these studios he learned to mix sound, record, produce, and was even a part of the staff band. Always resourceful and a great guitar player, Jeff had no problem getting gigs . He even played on Beale Street at B .B . King’s Blues Club.

Deana Carter, Jeff’s sister, is the famous country/pop singer who sang the number one hit song, Strawberry Wine. In the spring of 1996, Deana asked him to play with her on a small acoustic retail convention tour. While they were playing the retail convention dates, Capitol Records chose to air Strawberry Wine on the radio. The song went to number one in six weeks and was ultimately certified quadruple platinum! Jeff went from playing in a small band with Deana, to a full band opening for Alan Jackson in just a couple of months! Jeff continued to tour with his sister until the end of 1999. After that time, he worked with other artists and recorded his own record.

One event in March 1998 would change Jeff’s life forever. Deana wanted to rehearse in preparation for the next tour and was looking for a small venue to rent. Her tour manager found the Panama City Marina Civic Center was available and rented it for a week. At week’s end, they decided to put on a show. Tickets sold out in one day! During the show, there was a ten-year old boy in the front row with a sign asking for a guitar pick. Jeff would throw a pick down to him, but others in the audience would always get them. By the end of the show, the young boy had still not gotten a pick. Jeff told him to wait and he would bring him a guitar pick from backstage. When Jeff came back, the young boy was gone, and there were three college girls waiting . They asked if they could get a picture with him. He agreed, but had to wait for their friend to show up with the camera. This is where life changed for Jeff . The girl with the camera would be Jeff’s future wife, Jessica Stanley (Jessie). One look at Jessie and Jeff was smitten! Sitting on the back steps of the Civic Center, they talked for hours. Jeff had to get on the bus and continue on tour, but got to know Jessie over the phone during the five weeks that followed. When the tour ended, Jeff, after riding for fifty- three hours, got off the bus, took a shower and drove down to Panama City (Blountstown) to see Jessie. They were engaged that year and married in 1999.

Jeff continued to pursue his songwriting and has had publishing contracts with Criterion and Graham publishing. He has toured and/or played with artists such as Charlie Daniels, Keith Urban, Alan Jackson, Bob Dylan, Jamie O’Neal, Jake Owen, Brian Wilson and more. He appeared on the Jay Leno, David Letterman and Rosie O’Donnell shows. He also played at Austin City Limits, the Country Music Awards and the Academy of Country Music Awards. One of his original songs aired on national radio and was picked up by CBS for a commercial!

While touring, playing and songwriting, Jeff attended Columbia State Community College, Columbia, Tennessee. He received his four-year BS degree in less than three years from Middle Tennessee State University. Jeff and Jessie moved to Knoxville, Tennessee in the summer of 2008 three weeks after the birth of their son, Beau. Jeff had been accepted at the University of Tennessee, College of Law where he obtained his Juris Doctor (J.D.) Degree in 2010. He not only took and passed the Florida State Bar Exam, he took and passed the Tennessee State Bar exam the same week.

Jeff received offers from Nashville-based law firms, but ultimately chose Panama City after his mother-in-law, Sue (Montford) Stanley, connected him with Barron and Redding. After accepting the law firm’s offer in the spring of 2011, Jeff, Jessie and Beau moved to Panama City. That August, they were blessed with the birth of their daughter, Caroline.

In spite of all his successes, Jeff stays modest and down to earth. When performing, he mesmerizes his audience with his infectious smile and amazing talent. He advises aspiring young musicians to focus on enjoying music. “The music is the most important thing. Not who you know or got connected with. Don’t get lost. Preserve the love and fun that is attached to music.”Jeff and his family continue to live and work in Panama City, Florida. They enjoy going to the beach, wearing flip flops year round and the casual coastal life style. Jeff generously donates his time as a pro bono attorney for the Music Matters initiative in downtown Panama City. It is inspiring to have a musician of his caliber in our midst . More importantly, we are fortunate to have such a great role model for the youth in our community.