Today, May 1, live music fans across the country observe the passing of Roy Carter, an innovative festival founder and talent buyer who committed his life to service of the cultural community he helped create. Carter was best known as an original founder of High Sierra Music Festival, which fundamentally transformed the concert landscape upon its 1991 debut and has since become a Northern California institution. Carter passed on Monday, April 29, from congestive heart failure. He was 68.
Carter found his start in the music industry working publicity for local clubs and venues, as well as pioneering new recycling programs for events. This latter endeavor has endured to this day through High Sierra, which continues to be a standard-bearer in its innovative greening programs that demonstrate deep respect for its natural surroundings. Carter founded the festival alongside three partners in 1991 in Leland Meadows, Calif. At the time, music festivals were widely understood as single-genre experiences, congregating pre-established subsets of fans around a limited range of artists and styles. With High Sierra, Carter merged audiences of rock, Americana, bluegrass, jazz, folk and more to create eclectic new communities that expanded beyond tightly bound cultural divides, forever changing the spirit and format of live entertainment across the country.
After two moves, High Sierra settled at its present venue of Quincy, Calif.’s Pluma County Fairgrounds in 2000, where it has thrived since. The festival is well known to have its own distinct following, drawing attendees to return year after year; many have met, married, and introduced their children to live music at High Sierra, and after more than three decades, some of those children have begun to bring families of their own. Carter also went on to establish Del McCoury’s DelFest, which is now considered one of the premiere summits of bluegrass music and its fan community. Through his events, he gave a platform to the emergent jam scene, bringing bands like The String Cheese Incident, Leftover Salmon, Yonder Mountain String Band and Umphrey’s McGee to widespread acclaim.
Roy Carter is survived by his wife, Carla, and daughter, as well as sister Anne and brother Bob. In a fitting tribute to his selfless service, Carter has requested donations to the American Heart Association or local food banks in lieu of flowers.
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