Vikki Carr (born July 19, 1941 in El Paso, Texas as Florencia Bisenta de Casillas Martinez Cardona). American singer who has sung in a variety of music genres, including jazz, pop and country.
In 1966 she toured Vietnam with actor/comedian Danny Kaye. The following year her album It Must Be Him was nominated for three Grammy Awards. The title track from that album reached #3 on the music charts. Altogether she had three songs which made it to the top 40 in the late sixties, including With pen in hand in 1969.
In 1968, she taped six Vikki Carr Specials for London Weekend TV. That same year she was voted "Outstanding Entertainer of the Year" in Los Angeles.
In 1970, she was named "Woman of the Year" by the L.A. Times.
In the '80s and '90s she had enormous success in the Latin music world, winning Grammy Awards for Best Mexican-American Recording in 1985 for the album Simplemente Mujer; for Latin Pop Album in 1992 for the disc Cosas del Amor; and for Best Mexican-American Recording in 1995 for Recuerdo a Javier Solis. Her numerous Spanish-language hit singles include Total, Disculpame, Dejame, Mala Suerte and Cosas del Amor. The latter song spent more than two months at No. 1 on the U.S. Latin charts in 1992.
Respected as both an artist and a humanitarian, she devotes time to many charities including the United Way, the American Lung Association, the Muscular Dystrophy Association and St. Jude's Hospital . For 22 years she held benefit concerts to support Holy Cross High School in San Antonio, Texas. In 1971, she established the Vikki Carr Scholarship Foundation , dedicated to offering college scholarships to Hispanic students in California and Texas. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than 280 scholarships totaling over a quarter of a million dollars.
Last updated: 10-15-2005 00:42:59