Wesley Dean "Wes" Carr (born 14 September 1982), also recording as Buffalo Tales, is an Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for winning the sixth season of ''Australian Idol'' in 2008. He released his first studio album, '' Simple Sum'', independently in 2008 shortly before entering ''Australian Idol''. After ''Idol'', he signed a record deal with

Sony Music Australia Sony Music Entertainment Australia is the predominant record label operated by American parent company Sony Music Entertainment in Australia. SMEA also formerly published and distributed video games in Australia & New Zealand on behalf of Sony ...

and released his debut single, "

You In Modern English, ''you'' is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers. History ''You'' comes from the Proto- ...

". The song peaked at number one on the

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

and was certified Gold by the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...

(ARIA). Carr's second studio album, ''

The Way the World Looks ''The Way The World Looks'' is the second studio album by Australian singer and songwriter Wes Carr. The album was released on 20 March 2009 and contains Carr's '' Australian Idol'' winners single, " You" as well as the other released singles, " ...

'', soon followed after. It reached number two on the

ARIA Albums Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

and also achieved Gold certification. The second single "

Feels Like Woah "''Feels Like Woah''" is the second single from Wes Carr's second studio album, ''The Way the World Looks''. It was released on 7 March 2009 and has been used as the theme song for the 2009 NRL season. Track listing Music video A music vid ...

" peaked at number 14 and gained Gold certification. In June 2011, Carr released " Been a Long Time", the lead single from his third album. It peaked at number 33 on the ARIA Singles Chart. In November 2011, Carr announced that he was no longer with Sony and would be releasing his album independently.Wes Carr facebook
facebook. 9 November 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2011 In August 2012 Carr released an EP titled ''Blood & Bone'' under the pseudonym Buffalo Tales.Bones, John (15 November 201
Wes Carr...Heart of a lion
thebeast.com.au. Retrieved 10 December 2012Blood & Bone EP
iTunes. Retrieved 10 December 2012 His third studio album "Roadtrip Confessions" was released in June 2013 and debuted at number 83.Ryan, Gavin (29 June 2013
ARIA Album Report
Noise11. Retrieved 29 June 2013

Early life

Wes Carr was born and raised in

Gawler, South Australia Gawler is the oldest country town on the Australian mainland in the state of South Australia. It was named after the second Governor (British Vice-Regal representative) of the colony of South Australia, George Gawler. It is about north of the ...

, a town near the

Barossa Valley The Barossa Valley ( Barossa German: ''Barossa Tal'') is a valley in South Australia located northeast of Adelaide city centre. The valley is formed by the North Para River. It is notable as a major wine-producing region and tourist destinati ...

on Adelaide's northern fringe. Carr took classes five nights a week at the Johnny Young Talent School, but eventually left

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

to live with his father in Sydney at the age of fifteen. From here on, Carr began his DIY education of the music industry, swapping time at school for time at bars, performing and meeting other musicians. His first big gig was supporting Australian band

Leonardo's Bride Leonardo's Bride were an Australian pop band that formed in 1992. It consisted of Abby Dobson on lead vocal and acoustic guitar; Dean Manning on electric guitar, piano, wurlitzer and hammond; Jon Howell on drums; and Patrick Wong (aka Patr ...

for their last gig at The Basement Carr also played gigs with

Missy Higgins Melissa Morrison Higgins (born 19 August 1983), known professionally as Missy Higgins, is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. Her Australian number-one albums are ''The Sound of White'' (2004), ''On a Clear Night'' (2007) and ''The Ol ...

Lior Lior Attar, better known simply as Lior, is an independent Australian singer-songwriter based in Melbourne. He is best known for his 2005 debut studio album ''Autumn Flow'' and for the song "Hoot's Lullaby". Early life and education Lior was bo ...

Paul Mac Paul Francis McDermott (born 17 September 1965), who performs as Paul Mac, is an Australian electropop musician, singer-songwriter, producer and music re-mixer. He was classically trained at Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Mac has formed variou ...

Andrew Farriss Andrew Charles Farriss (born 27 March 1959) is an Australian rock musician and multi-instrumentalist best known as the keyboardist, backing vocalist, and main composer for rock band INXS. Farriss released his debut studio album in 2021. Care ...

INXS INXS (a word play, phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian Rock music, rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. The band's founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboar ...

and Don Walker of

Cold Chisel Cold Chisel are an Australian pub rock band, which formed in Adelaide in 1973 by mainstay members Ian Moss on guitar and vocals, Steve Prestwich on drums and Don Walker on piano and keyboards. They were soon joined by Jimmy Barnes (at the ...

. On 3 November 2003, Carr released his debut EP ''Rhythm to Fly'', independently. After Australian band

Silverchair Silverchair were an Australian Rock music, rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Newcastle, New South Wales, with Ben Gillies on drums, Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars, and Chris Joannou on bass guitar. The group got thei ...

went into hiatus in 2003, Carr and

Ben Gillies Benjamin David Gillies (born 24 October 1979) is an Australian musician, best known as the drummer of Australian rock band Silverchair from 1992 until the band went on hiatus in 2011. In 2003, Gillies formed Tambalane with Wes Carr, initially a ...

formed the band,

Tambalane Tambalane were an Australian pop rock band formed as a side-project late in 2003 by Ben Gillies (Silverchair) on drums and backing vocals, and Wes Carr on lead vocals and lead guitar. During 2004 they were joined by Greg Royal on bass guitar an ...

. Carr and Gilles parted ways in 2005 when an "unpleasant power struggle" emerged between the two. In 2006, Carr worked with

C. J. Vanston Cj (Jeffrey) Vanston is an American film composer, record producer, songwriter, and keyboardist, based in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, Hollywood, California. He was born in Denver, Colorado, the son of Bonnie L. Smith and Paul L. Vanston. ...

in Los Angeles, where they co-wrote the song "Say My Name" for the film, '' For Your Consideration''. On 11 June 2008, Carr released his debut studio album, '' Simple Sum'', independently.

Australian Idol

In 2008, Carr auditioned for the sixth season of ''

Australian Idol ''Australian Idol'' is an Australian singing competition, which began its first season in July 2003 and ended its initial run in November 2009. As part of the ''Idol'' franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program ''Pop Idol' ...

''. In the top five round, Carr sang

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

's "

Black or White "Black or White" is a single by the American singer Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records on November 11, 1991, as the first single from Jackson's eighth studio album, ''Dangerous'' (1991). Jackson wrote, composed, and produced it w ...

" and received two touchdowns, including one from judge

Marcia Hines Marcia Elaine Hines, AM (born July 20, 1953), is an American-Australian vocalist and TV personality. Hines made her debut, at the age of 16, in the Australian production of the stage musical ''Hair'' and followed with the role of Mary Magdalene ...

and guest judge

Jermaine Jackson Jermaine La Jaune Jackson (born December 11, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and bassist. He is best known for being a member of the Jackson family. From 1964 to 1975, Jermaine was second vocalist after his brother Michael of The Jackson ...

. He also received another touchdown in the top three round, from judge Ian Dickson and a TV throw from judge

Kyle Sandilands Kyle Dalton Sandilands (born 10 June 1971) is an Australian radio host and television personality. He is currently the co-host, with Jackie O, of the weekday morning radio program ''The Kyle and Jackie O Show ''The Kyle and Jackie O Show ...

also he has never being in the bottom 2 or bottom 3 appearance. On 23 November 2008, Carr was announced the winner of ''Australian Idol'' of 2008 with Luke Dickens becoming the runner-up. As winner, Carr received a recording contract with

, a car and $200,000 towards developing his craft.

Recording career

2008–09: ''The Way the World Looks''

After coming out of ''

'' as the winner, Carr signed to

. His winner's and debut single, "

" was released immediately for download following his win on 23 November 2008. The song peaked at number one on the

and was certified

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

by the

(ARIA), for shipments of 35,000 units. Carr's second studio album, ''

'', was released on 20 March 2009. It debuted at number two on the

and also certified

. "

" was released as the album's second single on 13 February 2009. The song peaked at number fourteen and certified Gold. "

Fearless Fearless or The Fearless may refer to: Psychology * Lack of fear * Courage or bravery Film, television and audio Film * ''Fearless'' (1978 film), an Italian film directed by Stelvio Massi * ''Fearless'' (1993 film), an American drama directed ...

" and " Love is an Animal" were released as the album's third and fourth singles, respectively. In May 2009, Carr embarked on a national tour to perform songs from the album. The national tour, "The Way the World Looks LIVE", began on 27 May and ended on 12 July. In September 2009, Carr served as a support act for Irish band

The Script The Script are an Irish rock band formed in 2001 in Dublin, consisting of lead vocalist and keyboardist Danny O'Donoghue, lead guitarist Mark Sheehan, and drummer Glen Power. The band moved to London after signing to Sony Label Group imprint ...

's Australian tour. In October, Carr toured with

Ian Moss Ian Richard Moss (born 20 March 1955) is an Australian rock musician from Alice Springs. He is the founding mainstay guitarist and occasional singer of Cold Chisel. In that group's initial eleven year phase from 1973 to 1984, Moss was recorde ...

on his national "Shake It Up Tour". The tour began on 8 October and ended on 19 December. At the 2009

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

, "You" was nominated for "Highest Selling Single", but lost to

Jessica Mauboy Jessica Hilda Mauboy (born 4 August 1989) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. Born and raised in Darwin, Northern Territory, she rose to fame in 2006 on the fourth season of ''Australian Idol'', where she was runner-up and subseq ...

's "

Running Back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

2011–present: Buffalo Tales and ''Roadtrip Confessions''

Carr's third studio album was scheduled to be released in 2012. In an interview with ''Adelaide Now'', Carr said he wrote the album on his travels to Los Angeles,

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

, London and Paris, and is full of "personal, candid stories." Its lead single " Been a Long Time" was released for digital download on 10 June 2011. The single peaked at number 33 on the ARIA Singles Chart. In November 2011, Carr announced on that he was no longer with Sony and would release his album independently. In August 2012, Carr released an EP titled ''Blood & Bone'' under the pseudonym Buffalo. This was later changed to Buffalo Tales, given a multitude of artists using the Buffalo moniker. In April 2013, Carr uploaded a cover of

Diamonds Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, b ...

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

. The cover was praised on Twitter by

Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...

, one of the song's co-writers. In May 2013, Carr released "Amsterdam" the lead single from his third studio album – and debut as Buffalo Tales – entitled ''Roadtrip Confessions''. A video for "Amsterdam" was released on 5 June 2013. The single did not chart. ''Roadtrip Confessions'' was released on 21 June 2013 and debuted at number 83 on the ARIA Album Chart. The next single was "Puppet Strings". In November 2016, Carr featured in the Catherine Britt single, "F U Cancer" alongside

Kasey Chambers Kasey Chambers (born 4 June 1976) is an Australian country singer-songwriter and musician born in Mount Gambier. She is the daughter of fellow musicians, Diane and Bill Chambers, and the younger sister of musician and producer, Nash Chambers. ...

Beccy Cole Beccy Cole (born Rebecca Diane Thompson, 27 October 1972), also known as Beccy Sturtzel, Rebecca Diane Albeck and Bec O'Donovan, is an Australian country music singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She has released ten studio albums, wi ...

Lyn Bowtell Lyn Bowtell (born 1977) is an Australian singer-songwriter from Kleinton, Queensland. She has won ten Golden Guitar Awards at the Country Music Awards of Australia. She was primary songwriter and singer for the pop country trio, Bella (2002� ...

Josh Pyke Joshua Jon Pyke (born 18 December 1977) is an Australian singer-songwriter, producer, musician and children's book author. Biography Josh Pyke is a prolific songwriter, with a successful and critically acclaimed career both domestically and ove ...

and

Wendy Matthews Wendy Joan Matthews (born 13 January 1960) is a Canadian-born Australian singer-songwriter who has been a member of Models and Absent Friends and is a solo artist. She released Top 20 hit singles in the 1990s including "Token Angels", "Le ...

2018–present: ''Australiana''

In December, Carr self-released a new studio album titled ''Australiana''. The album is a covers album of songs performed by Australian artists.

Personal life

In February 2011, Carr announced in the Australian '' OK!'' magazine, that he was engaged to actress

Charlotte Gregg Charlotte Gregg (born December 1978/January 1979), also known as Charlotte Carr, is an Australian actress and blogger. She played the part of Charity Fernbrook in ''Home and Away'', who was a member of The Believers cult and prior to that was a ...

. Wes married Charlotte in April 2012, and their first child was born later that year.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

Singles (As featured artists)

Music videos

Awards and nominations

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the

Australasian Performing Right Association APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwr ...

(APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters". They commenced in 1982. ! , - ,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, , "

Lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

" by

( Don Walker & Wes Carr) , , Song of the Year , , , , , -

ARIA Music Awards

The

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions of ...

. , - ,

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, "You" , ARIA Award for Highest Selling Single ,

Country Music Awards of Australia

The

Country Music Awards of Australia The Country Music Awards of Australia also known as the Golden Guitar Awards (originally named Australasian Country Music Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, in Tamworth, New South Wales ...

(CMAA) (also known as the Golden Guitar Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the

Tamworth Country Music Festival The Tamworth Country Music Festival is an annual Australian music festival held for 10 days from Friday to Sunday in mid to late January each year, sometimes including Australia Day, in Tamworth, New South Wales. The festival is the second bigg ...

, celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. They have been held annually since 1973. , - , 2017 , "F U Cancer" (with Catherine Britt) , Vocal Collaboration of the Year ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carr, Wes 1982 births Australian singer-songwriters Australian Idol winners Musicians from Adelaide Living people People from Gawler, South Australia 21st-century Australian singers 21st-century Australian male singers Sony Music artists Australian male singer-songwriters