During those young years, Carter's major influences were Tony Williams, Papa Jo Jones, and of course, Buddy Rich.
Throughtout his career, Carter has played with many different bands with various musical styles. Carter feels it is important to have an open mind musically and to expose oneself to different forms of music.

One band, besides the Dave Matthews Band, that Carter is very proud of was called, Secrets. This band played the Richmond, Virginia area and was composed of many talented musicians, including Carter on the drums. After this band dissolved, Carter went to California to try out for the Arsenio Hall show. For whatever reason, the Show didn't want Carter, so he moved back to Virginia; which is where the next chapter of his life starts.