Born in Emmerton, Carter was given the nickname "Gabby" as a child, and first had success as a calypsonian in 1968, when his "Heart Transplant" won him the title of Barbados Calypso Monarch.

[2] He returned to music, and carnival success, in 1976, his "Licks Like Fire" giving him the first of a string of victories at Crop Over.

[2] In 1979 he won the Crop Over Road March title with "Burn Mr Harding", and went on to tour Cuba.

[2] He continued to produce controversial material, including "The List", which dealt with AIDS, "Jack" which criticised the local tourist industry for giving preferential treatment to foreign visitors, and "Boots", an attack on the government's assistance in the US invasion of Grenada.

[5] In the late 1980s he began an association with singer and producer Eddy Grant, who owned the Blue Wave studio, helping to break through to a wider audience.