Bio

The Artist

This songstress began singing at the age of three in her mother’s fashions shows and began her professional career at twelve years of age as the headliner for national fund raising concert in Denver, Colorado. This native Angelino is purely creative and her distinctive voice manifests itself in various ways in her life. Joi Carr is singer-songwriter, actor, producer/recording engineer, playwright/director, and academician. These areas are all different sides of the same voice and journey.

Her experience in the arts range from television appearances, theatrical productions, serving as a session singer for R&B, Hip Hop, and Pop/Rock artists, and as a guest vocalist for national events. Her credits include guest-starring roles on television sitcoms and dramas such as Amen, 227, The Bronx Zoo, and a starring role in Juvi, a CBS Schoolbreak Special.

Her vocals are featured on sound recordings for several national artists, most notably David Lee Roth. Her vocals are also featured on more than a dozen a cappella gospel recordings, including “One More Day,” Johnnie Wilder, Jr. (on eight tracks), Acappella Gospel, and Acappella Gospel Long Play, Acapella Series, The Acappella Company/Word Records. She has also been invited to sing the National Anthem for the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team and several university sports teams and as a guest artist for the McDonald's Gospel Fest, Hollywood, CA.

Joi has been devoted to her personal a cappella gospel ministry for over two decades. She has crisscrossed the country sharing her music and leading symposiums for national conferences and vocal workshops. After listening to a few bars of one of her songs, there is no mistaking her unique pure tone, vocal runs, and chameleon multi-octave range. Her style fuses a range of genres—Jazz, R&B, Pop, and Soul—to forge a definitive sound. Though she draws comparisons to Minnie Ripperton and Mariah Carey, her confessed vocal influences are Phoebe Snow, Carolyn King, Amel Larrieux, Nina Simone, and Mahalia Jackson.

Each of her seven solo recording develops an emotive theme that expresses the complexity of life in the midst of wresting with developing a relationship with God.

The Producer

Chara Music is Joi Carr’s music ministry and production company. Chara (khar-ah') means joy or delight—gladness in relationship to God’s grace. Chara is grace recognized and represents Joi’s desire to share with others. Over the years she has produced and engineered about a dozen recordings and has written and published over seventy songs. She extends her ministry and expertise as a producer/engineer and vocal arranger to other artists. She is formally trained in Seth Riggs' legendary speech level vocal technique by noted vocal coach Ricky Nelson and received classical vocal training at Lubbock Christian University.

Selected Projects:

Maybe I Could (spoken word),
Demi McCoy, Pepperdine University Posse Fellow (© 2011 D. McCoy)

I Believe,
Willie Norwood (© 2006 Knockout Gospel)

Great Sunday Morning,
Jay Green (© 2005 Mission Entertainment Group)

Music for the Soul,
a maxi single, Infusion (© 2005 Chara Music)

God of Second Chance,
Rhynette Chatman (© 2001 Chara Music)

The Professor and Author

Dr. Carr is an Associate Professor of English and Film Studies at Pepperdine University, currently serving as the Director of the Film Studies and the Creative/Program Director of the Multicultural Theatre Project. Her research interests are interdisciplinary: film studies, women studies, and African American studies (literature, film, music), primarily focusing on identity. She teaches courses in film studies, American literature after the Civil War to present, and theater ensemble. She is the recipient of two teaching awards at Seaver College: Brett J. Love Award for Teaching Excellence and the award for Exemplary Teaching in the Area of Faith and Learning. She is an active member of SAG-AFTRA and serves as an elected Los Angeles Convention Delegate, an Alternate member on the SAG-AFTRA National Board and Local Board Member, and on national/local committees (EEO, Women’s, and LA Host Committees).

About Scholarship:
Dr. Joi Carr

The Director & Playwright

Dr. Carr has written, directed, and produced several plays and related events, for the Multicultural Theatre Project (MTP) at Seaver College, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA. The Multicultural Theatre Project is an transdisciplinary, arts-based, critical pedagogy, a theatrical experience that provides an environment where students can explore issues of diversity: intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. Students encounter these various literary and historical texts over an 8- to 10-week period, beginning with an introductory retreat. Theatre games are employed throughout this process to help develop a learning community and explore textual questions. Students respond in various ways to these texts, culminating in a theatrical production presented to the university campus community. Her work with this project since its inception in 2000 has culminated in a book, which provides her rationale, method and theoretical underpinning employed MTP’s. The book also provides a how-to guide delineates a model toward developing and employing a similar praxis for the reader’s context

Encountering Texts: The Multicultural Theatre Project and 'Minority' Literature
Copyright 2015 Joi Carr, Peter Lang

Available on Amazon

Awards & Honors

Recipient

Album of the Year, Noel (An Acappella Christmas)

Christian Acappella Music Association, 2018

SAR Lifetime Achievement Award,

Sing A Rama, 2016

Producer of The Year,

Christian Acappella Music Association, 2014

RUBAL Lifetime Achievement Award,

Christian Acappella Music Association, 2012

Album of the Year, Heaven (duets),

Christian Acappella Music Association, 2012

Sharon Tolliver Exemplary Faith Award,

Christian Acappella Music Association, 2008

Singer/Songwriter/Producer of the Year,

Christian Acappella Music Association, 2000

Female Vocalist of The Year,

Christian Acappella Music Association, 1998

Studio Vocalist of the Year,

Christian Acappella Music Association, 1996

Female Vocalist of The Year,

Christian Acappella Music Association, 1994

Best Doo-Wop/R&B Song,

“Stamp of Approval” Acappella Company,

Contemporary Acappella Society of America, 1995

Adopted as Honorary Alumna,

Southwestern Christian College by University Board of Directors, given in honor of service and commitment to Christian ministry and education, 2004

Nominations

Female Vocalists of the Year,

Christian Acappella Music Association, 2014

Album of the Year, Sing Hallelujah!,

Christian Acappella Music Association, 2014

Songwriter of the Year,

Christian Acappella Music Association, 2014

Producer of the Year, Heaven (duets),

Christian Acappella Music Association, 2012

Song of the Year, In the Garden feat. Wayburn Dean,

Christian Acappella Music Association, 2012

Songwriter of the Year,

Christian Acappella Music Association, 2012

Female Vocalist of the Year,

Christian Acappella Music Association, 2012

Producer of the Year,

Christian Acappella Music Association, 2010

Female Vocalist of the Year,

Christian Acappella Music Association, 2010

Female Vocalist of the Year,

Christian Acappella Music Association, 2008

Producer of the Year, I Believe,

Christian Acappella Music Association, 2008

Album of the Year, Love Enough,