Carson Whitsett

American keyboardist, songwriter and producer.

Born May 1, 1945, Jackson, Mississippi

Died May 8, 2007, Nashville, Tennessee (brain cancer).

He joined his older brother [a1815120]'s band, [b]Tim Whitsett & The Imperials[/b] (later known as [a=The Imperial Show Band]), in 1961 and quickly became a stand-out on the B-3 organ.

He remained with the band until they disbanded, in 1969.

Following the end of [a=The Imperial Show Band], Carson made a name for himself as a producer, and even more so, as a songwriter.

In the early 1970s, Carson joined [l=Stax] Records in Memphis as a session musician and even recorded an album as a member of [a=The M.G.'s], replacing Booker T.

In 2003, the composition he co wrote with [a=Dan Penn], [i]Don't Give Up On Me[/i], was the title cut for the Grammy winning album by [a=Solomon Burke].

For several years he also served as keyboardist for country music star [a=Kathy Mattea].

[b]Carson Whitsett[/b] died May 8, 2007, after a sixteen month bout with brain cancer.