Carole Fredericks

Both Tant Qu’Elle Chante, Elle Vit! and Couleurs et parfums Activity Books are used by teachers of French in more than 2000 K-12 schools and 65 colleges and universities throughout the United States, Canada and as far away as Singapore.

Carole Fredericks, Florent Pagny, Chérubins de Sarcelle choir perform Edwin Hawkins’ classic gospel song Oh Happy Day for Les Enfoirés Au Grand Rex live concert and television audiences. Video on YouTube

By the time she was 20, Fredericks was living in Oakland, California. A year after her graduation from Classical High School, she persuaded Taj Mahal to send for her. Upon her arrival in San Francisco, He put Fredericks to work as a background vocalist on a number of his albums – Mo' Roots; Music Fuh Ya'; Together; and Evolution. To supplement the income from session work, Carole was employed as a receptionist for the Pacific Personnel Services. She was one of 71 voices in the New Generation Singers Gospel Choir (Oakland, California) and performed with Odetta in the stage play Look What A Wonder. Fredericks organized a trio – piano, bass and voice – and booked singing engagements on the weekends.

One of the songwriters for Black Orchid was another American singer, Ann Calvert. Through Calvert, Fredericks met Baltimore native Yvonne Jones. Together they formed a trio of background vocalists that were in demand by leading recording artists – Dalida, Johnny Hallyday, Hugues Aufray, Carlos and Sylvie Vartan.

Fredericks' knowledge of the French language greatly contributed to her success. By now Fredericks was singing with leading Francophone artists – Johnny Hallyday, Mylène Farmer, François Feldman, Patricia Kaas, Julien Clerc, and Liane Foly.

Couleurs et Parfums was the natural evolution of an artist coming into her own. Again Carole surrounded herself with good friends and musicians – Yvonne Jones, Jean-Jacques Goldman, Jacques Veneruso and newcomer, Frédéric Kocourek. Together they created a rap, rhythm and blues inspired album. Everything came together ... Carole's early experiences in America and her love affair with France found full expression on Couleurs et Parfums' 11 original tracks.

December 2–11, 1999 Carole headlined as a solo act in Paris at Saint-Germain-des-Prés Auditorium. She shared the stage with invited guests: Jean-Jacques Goldman, Faudel, Allan Théo, Bruno Pelletier, Michael Jones, Kani Curry of Poétic Lover and Nicole Amovin.

On August 18, 2006, the family and a team of French language educators established the Carole D. Fredericks Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization devoted to promoting the study of French as a second language, the study of francophone cultures and the preservation of Fredericks’ musical legacy. The Foundation publishes the activity books, and develops related methodologies that employ her music.

Also in 2006, Carole Fredericks’ life and contribution to the study of French were recognized posthumously by the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Fredericks and Taj Mahal received the James W. Dodge Memorial Foreign Language Advocate Award in recognition of the potential of music to foster intercultural communication and to maintain cultural heritages.

By 2004 her solo albums, Springfield and Couleurs et parfums were available for the first time in the United States. Later that same year, CDF Music Legacy joined forces with Tralco Educational Services (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) to develop a second Activity Book based on Fredericks’ French-language album. In 2005 Couleurs et parfums: Apprendre le français grâce à l'héritage de Carole Fredericks was released in Quebec, Canada, at the American Association of Teachers of French Conference.

In 2003, CDF Music Legacy secured permission to create French teaching materials that used Fredericks’ catalog of music including the songs recorded with the group, Fredericks Goldman Jones. In tribute to her memory, Carole Fredericks’ biography, songs and music videos were transformed into Activity Books that formally combined popular French music and teaching methodology. Tant Qu’Elle Chante, Elle Vit! Apprendre le français grâce à l'héritage de Carole Fredericks was introduced to educators at the American Association of Teachers of French conference in Martinique.

In May 2002, a year after her death, the Fredericks family (Connie Fredericks-Malone and brothers, blues icon, Taj Mahal, Edward Fredericks, Richard Fredericks and Osborne Williams) established CDF Music Legacy, LLC, a family company dedicated to preserving their late sister's legacy. CDF Music Legacy secured the world rights to all of Fredericks’ solo recordings in France.

2002 Hommage à Carole Fredericks, Time: 5:15 Dailymotion.com

In his 2002 tour, "Un Tour Ensemble", Goldman paid tribute to his fallen friend, Carole Fredericks. During the concert, Michael Jones and Goldman sang Juste Après, a song from the Rouge album made famous by the trio. Midway through the song a screen was lowered and film footage of Carole was shown as her voice is heard singing with them. Dailymotion video

Two days after her 49th birthday, Fredericks died of a heart attack in Dakar, Senegal, on June 7, 2001. At the request of the French Minister of Culture, Fredericks was buried in Montmartre Cemetery. On June 18, a funeral service was held for her at Eglise Notre-Dame de Clignancourt, the church that stands across from her apartment in the 18th district.

Early in 2001, Carole Fredericks performs with Roch Voisine the new single release L’Aziza on the studio television show, Taratata. Following the performance, Carole and Roch are interviewed. L’Aziza was written by Daniel Balavoine and suggested by Jean-Jacques Goldman for Voisine's new album. Dailymotion video

Carole followed the success of Springfield with an all French album Couleurs et Parfums in 1999. The album name was no accident – "I love color," she said. "It's like life, the sun, it's smiling. As for perfume, I always wear the same mixture of an extract of coconut oil and of Nocturne de Caron. That is my signature."

Carole ended the 1900s with a performance on December 31, 1999 at the world famous Le Lido in Paris. Early in 2001, Carole Fredericks performs with Roch Voisine the new single release L’Aziza on the studio television show, Taratata. Following the performance, Carole and Roch are interviewed. L’Aziza was written by Daniel Balavoine and was a great anti-racist hit by this French humanist singer-songwriter in the 1980s. Dailymotion video

1999 Une femme amoureuse / A Woman in Love, Time : 4:32

Carole recorded Personne Ne Saurait, a duet with the all-boy group Poétic Lover. Dailymotion.com video The song was written by Goldman and Jacques Veneruso. The CD single generated "best in sales in its class for autumn 1998" on the pop charts. A celebrity, Carole made the rounds for talk shows and television interviews.

Carole recorded Springfield, the first of two solo albums, in July 1996. Named after her hometown in Western Massachusetts, Springfield was dedicated to her mother, Mildred, who died just before the album was completed.

In 1995 Jean-Jacques wrote a new album, D'eux for Céline Dion. Carole, Yvonne Jones and Becky Bell were asked to provide background vocals for the album. D'eux became a breakthrough international hit for Céline Dion and was released in the United States under the name The French Album. D'EUX / THE FRENCH ALBUM sold a record 9 million copies worldwide to become the best selling French-language album of all time.

1992 Fredericks Goldman Jones released a second album Sur scène in 1992. The album reached Platinum sales.

Between 1990 and 1996 she was in the trio Fredericks Goldman Jones alongside singer-songwriter Jean-Jacques Goldman and Welsh–French guitarist Michael Jones.

Jean-Jacques asked Carole to record Brother, the theme song for the film L'UNION SACRÉE by Alexandre Arcady in 1989. In between projects with Jean-Jacques, Carole continued to go out on tour this time with Mylène Farmer and she was in the studio working on albums for Vanessa Paradis and Véronique Sanson.

In September 1987, Carole went into the studio with Jean-Jacques Goldman to record background vocals on his album Entre gris clair et gris foncé. She then toured with him for a year, August 1988 to August 1989.

Fredericks was determined to learn French as quickly as possible. As her knowledge improved, engagements extended from the studio to the stage. By 1985, Fredericks had established herself as a singer and performing in concerts with Laurent Voulzy, Michel Berger, France Gall and Eddy Mitchell. In 1981 she was a backing singer for Jean-Claude Pascal on the Luxembourg entry to the Eurovision Song Contest, tying for eleventh place.

In 1985, Fredericks was featured in the Gilbert Bécaud spectacular. Later that year, she toured Scandinavia with Mireille Mathieu. She was cast in Je vous aime by Claude Berri and in Roman Polanski's Pirates opposite Walter Matthau. Other film roles followed.

Fredericks arrived in France to pursue a singing career in January 1979. Fredericks met the owner of La Belle Helene at the airport.

The 53rd Annual Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages awarded Carole Fredericks (posthumous award) and her brother, blues musician Taj Mahal, the James W. Dodge Memorial Foreign Language Advocate Award in recognition of the spotlight they shine on the vast potential of music to foster genuine intercultural communication and to maintain cultural heritages.

Carole Denise Fredericks (June 5, 1952 – June 7, 2001) was an American singer best known for her work in French music. She was the younger sister of Taj Mahal.

Carole Denise Fredericks was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, on June 5, 1952, the youngest of Mildred and Harry Fredericks' five children. She and her siblings were raised in Springfield and were educated in the public school system. Her mother who was originally from Bennettsville, South Carolina, sang with Big Bands and on Sundays was the lead singer for a local gospel choir. Her father, the son of immigrants from the island of Saint Kitts, was a pianist and wrote arrangements for jazz trios. Growing up in her household, Fredericks was exposed to music from around the world. Her parents encouraged creative expression in all their children. Fredericks' brothers and sister developed careers in art, music, dance and theatre. Her eldest brother is Grammy-winning blues musician, Taj Mahal.