John Carter
June 14, 1945 – May 10, 2011
John Carter was a successful producer, songwriter, A&R man, and artist manager who due to the respect he garnered, was commonly referred to as simply, Carter. His earliest success came in 1967 when “Incense and Peppermints,” a song he co-wrote, became a hit for the Strawberry Alarm Clock. He in fact also came up with the band’s name by putting together random words he found on the singles chart. He was soon hired by Atlantic Records where he worked in promotion, and eventually went to work at Capitol Records where he produced numerous hit albums by the likes of Sammy Hagar, Bob Seger, the Steve Miller Band, Bob Welch, and the Motels, to name just a few. In 1983, he made perhaps his biggest mark on pop music by A&Ring Tina Turner’s landmark album, Private Dancer, which sold over 20 million copies, collected numerous Grammy’s and made the singer relevant again. In later years he held high positions at Chrysalis, A&M, Atlantic, and Island Records. John Carter died of cancer on May 10, 2011. He was 65.
Thanks to Bruce Kilgour for the help
Lee Freeman is best remembered as a founding guitarist and co-lead singer for ’60s psychedelic rock band, Strawberry Alarm Clock. Formed in Glendale, California in 1967, the band scored a handful of charting hits, including their biggest, “Incense and Peppermints.” Freeman was still in high school when, in 1965, he co-founded and sang lead for local garage band, Thee Sixpence. Within a couple of years, the group evolved into Strawberry Alarm Clock, a name chosen to pay tribute to the Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever.” “Incense and Peppermints” took a bit longer than most singles to become popular, but by the time it did, it propelled the group’s debut album to #11 on the Billboard charts. It ended up being their only album to chart. Over the next couple of years, they shared the bill with the likes of the Who, Country Joe & The Fish, the Beach Boys, and 
The Music's Over 