Leslie Carter
Leslie Carter | |
|---|---|
 Carter in 2004 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | December 13, 1978 Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop, rock, jazz |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Associated acts | Aaron Carter, Nick Carter, The Backstreet Boys, The Other Half |
Leslie Barbara Ashton (née Carter) (born December 13, 1978) is an American pop singer with autism best known as the sister of Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter and singer Aaron Carter.
Her first and only official single, "Like Wow" was released through DreamWorks Records in 2001. An album was set to follow, but was cancelled and Carter was dropped from the record label.
Carter was a founding member of the rock band The Other Half, which lasted from 2006 to 2009 when they amicably split.
Personal Life and Family[edit]
Leslie Carter was born at the Garden Villa Retirement Home in Tampa, Florida as the third of five children. Her parents are Jane Eleonora Schneck (nèe Spaulding, previously Carter) and the late Robert Gene Carter (1952-2017). She is the first child and younger sister of Nick Carter and Bobbie Jean Carter (1982–2023), and the older sister of Angel Conrad (née Carter) and Aaron Carter (1987–2022). In addition, she also had an older half-sister named Ginger Lee Carter (1972-2023) from her father's first marriage, and a younger half-brother, Kaden Brent Carter, from her father's third marriage. Her mother remarried in 2005 to Gregory W. Schneck. She also had several step-siblings on both sides.
Carter married Mike Ashton on September 12, 2003 and moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where her husband is from. They welcomed their three child, a daughter they named Alyssa Jane Ashton, on April 1, 2011. Despite legally changing her last name, she kept using the name 'Carter' professionally.
Other Family[edit]
All of her siblings, except Kaden, has at least one child, which made Leslie an aunt.
Ginger has two daughters, one with life companion George Stroebel IV and one with an ex; Carly Rae Stroebel and Tayler Treadway, and three stepchildren; George Stroebel VI, Marah Stroebel, and Lexi Stroebel. In addition, Ginger has six grandchildren; Gavin Thomas Bush, George Stroebel VI, Addison Grace Stroebel, Ethan Jay Rojo-Zavala, Madilynn Kay Stroebel, and Ophelia Quinn Stroebel. Her older brother Nick Carter has three children with his wife Lauren Kitt-Carter; Odin, Saoirse, and Pearl. Her old sister Bobbie Jean Carter has one daughter, Bella, with her deceased ex Richard Marrero. Younger sister Angel Conrad has one daughter, Harper, with her husband Corey, and her younger brother Aaron Carter has a son, Prince, with his former fiance Melanie Martin.
Early Recordings[edit]
Leslie Carter sang backing vocals on her younger brother Aaron's song "I Will Be Yours" from his 1997 self-titled album. She is not credited in the album's liner notes.
Carter signed a record deal with DreamWorks Records in 1999 at the age of 13, and then began recording her debut album. It was initially set to be released in June 2000, but was delayed because the label wanted to test Leslie's fan base. A second release date was set for April 10, 2001, however it was cancelled by DreamWorks Records.
According to an article in Stylus Magazine, which is no longer available online, from November 2006, Carter never wanted to record her first album, but was pressured to do so by her mother.
Like Wow![edit]
A promotional recording of her song "I Need To Hear It From You" was released to radio in 2000, and was then followed up by "Like Wow!" on January 13, 2001. "Like Wow!" appears on the Shrek soundtrack, and is also played in the film's end credits. The song was later featured in the GameCube game Donkey Konga.
However, "Like Wow!" only received minor airplay, and peaked at No. 99 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Like Wow" has two music videos, one live action which features Leslie in a denim jacket and an actor playing her boyfriend. It has a lot of bright colors and images. The second video is animated and shows Leslie and a boyfriend trying to meet up for a date. The first video was rarely shown on the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon, nor was it featured on any release. The video was directed by Gregory Dark and cost $350,000 to make.
The Other Half[edit]
Carter started a solo club tour in Canada in December 2005, and had a showcase in New York city on January 19, 2006, with hopes it would lead to a new record deal. The songs she performed were more mature and with a pop-rock oriented sound, as opposed to bubblegum pop music from her first album. This time she co-wrote her own songs with High Holy Days guitarist Dave Thompson.
She founded the rock group The Other Half in late 2006. The original lineup consisted of Mike Ashton, DJ Porter, Casey Clowater, Paul Davidson, Daniel Resanovic, and Dave Thompson. The final lineup consisted of Carter (vocals), Ashton (drums), Jason Eldon (electric guitar), and Sean Smit (bass guitar and back-up vocals). The band mutually split up in September 2009.
Leslie Carter appeared in the reality TV show, House of Carters (2006) with her siblings Nick Carter, BJ Carter, Angel Conrad, and Aaron Carter. She appeared in all eight episodes, and can be seen writing and performing her own songs for her siblings.
Social Media[edit]
Leslie is very active on the early social media platform MySpace.com, and often posted pictures of herself and her husband, Mike.
Discography[edit]
Singles[edit]
- "I Need to Hear It From You" — promotional recording[12]
- "Like Wow!" — Billboard Hot 100 peak: 99
Albums[edit]
- Like Wow! (2001)
- Day-O (2004; with Harry Belafonte)
- Longest Time (2015)
Filmography[edit]
- Where will my feet take me today? – Episode: The Five Senses Today (2004)
