He moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1952,[1] where he met Muddy Waters.
In the 1950s he performed frequently at the 708 Club, one of the premier blues clubs on Chicago's south side, often billed as Joe "Elmore James, Jr." Carter because he played slide guitar in a style similar to Elmore James.
[1] Carter worked at the Hormel Meat Packing plant for many years when he was inactive as a musician.
[1] In the late 1980s he performed occasionally at the Lilly's nightclub on Chicago's north side, backed by the band The Ice Cream Men.
By the early 1990s he had developed throat cancer and was forced to curtail his career.