Bobby Carter
Bobby Carter is the host and series producer for NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts.
In 2014, Carter produced his first Tiny Desk concert. Since then, his work has been at the intersection of music, technology, and engagement. He turned a modest Tiny Desk celebration of Black History Month in 2021 into a cross-cultural event combining music, film, photojournalism, and commentary. Carter leveraged this template to pull new teams together to bring a multi-dimensional, multi-continent, multi-platform celebration of Black Music Month, LatinX Heritage Month, Asian American/Pacific Islander Month and Indigenous People Month.
His vision has helped forge partnerships with, among others, HBO, Complexcon, and Amazon. Tiny Desk Concerts average 40 million views per month on YouTube and the phenomenal success of the brand has led to its expansion into Korea and Japan.
From 2020-2022, Carter and the music team adapted to the challenges of the pandemic to produce the innovative Tiny Desk [Home] Concerts series with artists like Kirk Franklin, Tame Impala, Tems, Jazmine Sullivan and C. Tangana.
Carter's career with NPR started in 1999 as a DJ for member station WJSU in Jackson, Mississippi. After graduating from Jackson State University in the summer of 2000, he traveled to Washington D.C. to begin his stint as the first intern for the yet-to-be-released web music program, All Songs Considered. He was later hired by NPR's 'New Media' department where he helped to lead and build the digital infrastructure for daily operations of NPR.org, driving live and on-demand programming for countless historical events including five Presidential elections, the Iraq War, and 9/11. When NPR Music launched in 2007, he lent his talents to the team, leading live remotes from the 9:30 Club, La Poison Rouge in New York, The Americana Awards, SXSW, and the Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals.
During his time at NPR, Carter has helped expand NPR Music's reach, earning multiple Webby Awards, an Anthem Award, and a BET Hip Hop Award nomination.
Carter hails from St. Louis, is a globally-respected DJ, writer, public speaker, and judge for the Tiny Desk Contest. [Copyright 2024 NPR]
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The jazz pianist performs a decades-spanning set, including a new, improvised version of "Nautilus" with DJ Jazzy Jeff and Talib Kweli. -
With decades clocked behind the piano and a strong catalog, Kiefer Shackelford is primed for this moment. -
The jazz duo known for dazzling, brilliant live performances delivered at the Tiny Desk, with a set of songs from its debut album.
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These songs take on some of the ugliest stories in our history and reflect the commitment of Black musicians to telling the truth of how Black people have been wronged, and survived, and fought back. -
The slow asphyxiation of heartache. The deep resonance of bravado. Heat Check's playlist returns with Victoria Monét, Denzel Curry and Kayla Steen. -
The LA-based trio makes an intricate blend of jazz, R&B and hip-hop. For their Tiny Desk set, they pulled out all the stops: flutes, flugelhorns, saxophones, keyboards, ukuleles and more.
