By Lauren H. Dowdle
Photos by Dennis Calvert, Brian Savage and Kelsea Schafer
Sometimes it takes losing what you have to find what you need. For LeAlan Carter, that meant going on an unexpected journey to discover his voice.
LeAlan grew up around music. His grandfather, L.H. “Lucky” Carter, built pedal steel guitars in his basement and was inducted into the Alabama Steel Guitar Hall of Fame. LeAlan absorbed his rich musical heritage and continued to build onto it with his own talents.
As a teenager, LeAlan got involved with the youth worship band at his church playing lead guitar. He went on to perform with various bands at churches and later as a worship leader, and he also played in the local band Creature Camp for about 12 years. While his passion for music continued to grow, his hearing capabilities only decreased.
“I had a severe hearing impairment,” he says.
He’d always experienced some level of hearing loss, but LeAlan says his hearing got significantly worse about 10 to 15 years ago. His doctor prescribed him with hearing aids that helped some, but they continued to look into the cause of the hearing loss.
That’s when his doctor discovered LeAlan had a hereditary bone disease that caused a bone to fuse in his ear, which impacted his hearing. He underwent several surgical procedures two years ago, and most of his hearing was restored.
“It was life changing. It really helped me find my voice,” LeAlan says. “I’d played guitar, but I hadn’t been confident in my singing until I could hear myself and control my tone.”
He took that newfound confidence and started the LeAlan Carter Band about two years ago. The band now includes Andrew Glass, Dusty Jones and Scott Deason, who LeAlan has known and played with for years. LeAlan says it was a big jump to start a band and sing because he’d always been more of a background performer that contributed to the group—and now he is front and center.
With a sound that blends Americana, country-rock, soul and blues, the band has received a positive response from the community. As the winner of the 2023 Battle of the Bands during the Helena Old Town Live summer concert series, they got to perform at the Helena Amphitheater in Old Town last July 3.
“It was a really nice debut because of my ties to the town,” LeAlan says.
The band can also be found performing at local hangouts such as The Nick, Avondale Brewing Company, Elysian Gardens and Old Baker Farm. Since the band members are all working dads, they mainly perform on weekends at nearby events and venues. Next year, their goal is to tour regionally across the Southeast and maybe farther.
“We’re trying to expand out beyond the local borders to cover a good bit of Alabama and to Tennessee, Kentucky and beyond,” LeAlan says.
LeAlan writes all of the lyrics and music for the band and describes himself as an old soul when it comes to his musical sound. He blends styles from singers such as Sam Cooke, Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell and Tyler Childers to create his original sound. He also crafts songs from his life experiences and says he hopes others can relate to what he shares.
“I’ve always been a writer and avid reader,” says LeAlan, who reads two-to-three books a week. “When I started putting words to paper and pulling together melodies, it became super therapeutic for me. A lot of what I write about is family stories and tragedies. I try to be very truthful and raw.”
The title track from the band’s first full-length album, “The Weight,” addresses LeAlan’s own struggles with his weight and how that impacts his future. His father passed away at 45 years old, and as LeAlan edges closer to that age, he says he uses this song to work through the fears of a similar early death.
“The song is about the essence of time and how much I have left,” LeAlan says. “I’m trying to be really raw and true with what I’m writing stuff about.”
The album also features songs including “Word as a Gun,” “Out of Place,” “Gotta Stay Dry” and “Love Anyone Else.” Though LeAlan writes the songs, the band comes together as a group to add on to what he’s composed.
“Even before recording, we have the ability to play the songs out and refine them through live experiences,” LeAlan says. “Then when we take it to the studio, we know exactly what sound we’re looking for.”
He recently released an upbeat solo acoustic single featuring a banjo titled, “On’ry and Sad.” LeAlan says he hopes the heart-piercing melody and soul-stirring lyrics resonate with listeners.
“It really models country soul and what people call ‘y’allternative,’” he says. “I’m not trying to write typical country music and songs.”
Another new song, “Shades Mountain,” especially hits close to home. LeAlan and his wife have both lived on Shades Mountain their whole lives, and it’s where the two met. Now, they’re raising their three children there. He says he wants people who hear his music to take away the realness of what he writes to gain understanding about situations they themselves haven’t faced.
“I hope they’re able to experience things through my music that they don’t have life experiences from and gain empathy for people who have,” LeAlan says.
With more than two decades of experience playing in various churches and bands under his belt, LeAlan truly brought home his original music and authentic voice when he regained his hearing. It helped ignite his passion for writing and performing and also brought to life his soulful songs people enjoy both locally and beyond.
“It was such a monumental change in my life, and it led me to start the band and find my voice,” LeAlan says.
The LeAlan Carter Band’s songs can be found on music streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music. To learn more about the band and their songs, visit Lealancarter.com.
Shades Mountain
“Shades Mountain is, at its core, a song about home and family. I have lived in four different houses on Shades Mountain my whole life. Our grandparents started their families on Shades Crest, so our family tree’s roots are profound up here. My childhood was spent climbing the rocks and bluffs, chasing crawfish in Shades Creek and building forts on the shady side of the mountain. There is a line in the song that alludes to Shades Mountain being ‘Heaven’s Bridge’ for me, and that just stems from our plans to stay here, until we one day transition to the hereafter. The very first time we played the song to an audience was in Columbiana, Alabama, for Columbiana Cowboy Day. There was a man who came up to me afterward and talked and talked about how he also grew up on Shades Mountain, how it holds a special place in his heart and how he always thinks of it as his true home. It’s been amazing, seeing how a very personal song about my home has reached others as well.”
-LeAlan Carter
