Born Jean-Léon Carrère, he moved to nearby Carbonne early to become a blacksmith apprentice in his older
brother's François workshop; "lou haouré" (Occitan for "the blacksmith") would remain his nickname throughout his
life.
He started studying voice and music in 1903, first at the Toulouse conservatory, then in Paris with Cazenave, Escalaïs and
Saint-Saëns, no less. He made his debut in Nice (perhaps in 1907?), and gave his farewell at the Capitole in Toulouse in
1937. In the thirty years in between, he made a good career throughout France, with guest appearances in Belgium, Germany and
Morocco. From 1918 to 1923, he was regularly at the Paris Opéra, singing Radames, Otello, Samson, Arnold, Jean and
Manrico. He was considered a specialist for Verdi and Wagner. Carrère is said to have sung more than 100 roles.
Reference 1, reference 2
