A baritone and actor in amateur productions, Jack Carr served overseas in World War I as a member of the 369th U.S. Infantry; he moved to Greenwich, Connecticut where he owned and operated a janitorial business for several years before joining the Ford Randolph Singers, and, after returning from Europe he subsequently joined the Hall Johnson Choir. He appeared on Broadway in the 1934 production "Yellow Jacket" playing Dr. Chambang, a native African medical doctor.