Jim Carroll Biographies

I use biographies as a plural on purpose, as metamorphosis via writing is one of the key themes of Jim Carroll's work. With biographies, as opposed to autobiographies, the metamorphosis is in the hands of others. These are just a few of the biographical essays I've managed to add to the site so far. Check out the Bibliographies page for more.

CatholicBoy.com Biography by Cassie Carter (updated 2009)
In August 1998, Jim Carroll asked me to write the biographical sketch that Mercury would use to promote Pools of Mercury. This link takes you to the original, uncut version of the bio I prepared. As I was coding it I thought, hey, wouldn't it be neat to provide hyperlinks to guide readers through the tangled web I've woven here on the Jim Carroll Website? So I added as many hyperlinks as I could think of in one sitting. Most of the links are to material on this site. The links include topic pages, images, audio clips, etc. Since this bio was written to promote an album, it leans more toward Carroll's music career. I hope to continue developing it so that it will be more comprehensive. But it's more than you will find anywhere else on the web, and if it's any indication, Jim teased me for making it so long. Someone at Mercury pared it down considerably . . . You can also download this as a PDF.

Biography from All Music Guide (2000)
All Music Guide's bio of Carroll is brief but very thorough, emphasizing his music but with excellent attention to the big picture. I have edited this article to correct some minor errors. You can also download this as a PDF.

Career Overview (2001)
This is a capsule overview of Carroll's career, geared towards promoting his spoken-word performances.

Contemporary Authors Online (2000)
Contemporary Authors provides a detailed biographical overview ("sidelights") plus personal details and bibliography. Not always reliable for accurate facts.

The Complete Marquis Who's Who (1999)
A very brief list of biographical and career facts.

Mercury Records Biography (1998)
This is what the biography I wrote became after Mercury pared it down. This short version definitely has its advantages. . . . If you prefer, you can read it on the Mercury Records Website. That is, if the webmaster has fixed the HTML errors that make half of it invisible, and if you can find "Jim Carrol" (spelled wrong) in the index of artists.

Almanac of Famous People,6th ed. (1998)
This is a list of basic biographical information and research sources.

Biography from SonicNet (1995)
This biography focuses on Carroll's music career and gives lots of useful info.

John Milward, "Catholic Boy." Penthouse (1981)
Although this piece is an extended feature article rather than an ordinary biographical statement, it is the most detailed and authoritative biographical sources on Carroll available anywhere. It is based in large part upon an extended interview. Too bad it was published in a periodical hard to access even in university libraries.

Short Biographical Sketch
This sketch is sort of a "handy quick reference" to Carroll's life and work, arranged by subject and chronologically. It needs updating . . . see Career Overview (2001).

Jim Carroll Chronology
Listing major events year-by-year, the chronology is an even more condensed overview of Carroll's life and work. It also needs updating.