Fred Carter Jr., a revered Nashville session guitarist and member of the famed "A-Team" of studio musicians, died 16 years ago today, on 17 July 2010, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center following a stroke. He was 76. Though not a household name, his work helped shape the "Nashville sound" and left a mark across country, folk and rock recordings, making him a significant if under-recognised figure in American music history.

Born in Winnsboro, Louisiana, in 1933, Carter showed early musical talent, playing mandolin from age three and later guitar and fiddle, all learned by ear rather than by reading music. After serving as a USO bandleader in the US Air Force, he joined the Louisiana Hayride house band in 1956, working alongside stars such as Hank Snow, Sonny James and Jim Reeves, before touring with Roy Orbison and Conway Twitty. As a session guitarist he played on hits for George Jones, Waylon Jennings and Dolly Parton, contributed to Simon & Garfunkel's "The Boxer", and recorded with Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Muddy Waters. He was also the father of 1990s country star Deana Carter, whose career he supported in his later years.