Local teen vocalist takes top honor

Staff report

link Courtesy photo

Carter, pictured on his album “Legends,” began playing the fiddle at age 7.

A Portales teen was named 2014 Western Swing Male Vocalist of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists.

Coby Carter, 19, said he was honored to take the title.

“I was shocked and thrilled,” Carter said. “I’d been singing for about a year and a half before I cut the album, and it was only out for about two and a half months in 2014. So to get an award for the year 2014 makes me feel very proud.”

Carter was nominated along with 35 leaders in the industry by the Academy of Western Artists, an organization that is part of the Will Rogers Western Awards, which promotes and preserves western heritage and music by recognizing the best in the country music industry.

Carter had a prior commitment in Carlsbad and could not attend the March 28 ceremony in Irving, Texas. Carter did not attend the March 28 ceremony in Irving, Texas, because he had scheduled a show before he knew the date of the ceremony and didn’t feel comfortable breaking a commitment.

Carter attends Eastern New Mexico University, where he is majoring in agricultural business. He said he wants to go to flight school after college to be a commercial pilot.

Carter began playing the piano when he was 4 years old, and at the age of 7, he decided he wanted to play the fiddle.

“Legends” is Carter’s first album and was recognized among the top five finalists for Album of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists. Two songs from the album, “Back in the Swing of Things,” and “That’s What I Like About a Country Song,” were also nominated for Western Swing Song of the Year and Pure Country Song of the Year.

Carter said he is pleased with the album and how it is doing.

“The album is doing very good so far,” he said. “It is getting a lot of radio play in Texas and internationally. Hopefully, it will keep performing well.”