A partnership from the 1980s
Earl Carter and drummer Ricky ‘Bam Bam’ Dubra have a musical association reaching back to Chicago rockabilly in the 1980s. The Secret 4’s history places them together in the Buzzards and the Deacons before they became the rhythm section of the later group. Carter is known in that history as PoolBall.
Joining the Secret 4 sound
The Secret 4 combines those rockabilly backgrounds with Chicago blues, keyboards, and an instrumental repertoire that also reaches toward country and jazz. Carter’s bass work belongs to that broader band identity as well as to its sessions accompanying a singer. His nickname appears in several forms, including Pool Ball and Poolball.
String bass at Jam Lab
The Secret 4 at Lab Jam with Willie Buck credits Pool Ball specifically on string bass. Recorded in Brookfield, Illinois, on June 4, 2024, the session also features Dubra, LaeLo, guitarist Jack Bilby, and saxophonist A. Bruno. The group released the ten-track recording in December 2024.
Continuing with Walk On In
The 2026 release Walk On In uses the fuller credit Earl ‘Pool Ball’ Carter on bass. Carter again works with Dubra beneath the guitars, keyboards, saxophone, and Buck’s vocals. The album’s fifteen-song program ranges from ‘Big Boss Man’ and ‘That Same Thing’ to ‘Lucky Lou’ and ‘Wild Rockin’.’
A band beyond the vocal session
Before recording with Buck, the Secret 4 released an instrumental album under its own name in May 2021. Its program included “JD Walker,” “The Claw,” “Apache” and “On the Docks.” The band’s catalog subsequently added Dead Science in 2023 and recordings with Buck in 2024.
Carter’s background with Dubra in rockabilly helps explain the breadth of the group’s repertoire. The Secret 4’s own music includes surf, rhythm and blues and other instrumental styles alongside Chicago blues. Accompanying Buck added a singer to a band that also had a separate life as an instrumental group.
Two recordings with Buck
The Jam Lab release and Walk On In preserve different lineups around the same bass-and-drums partnership. Jack Bilby plays guitar on the 2024 recording; Gene Kilty is the guitarist on the 2026 album. Loiselle’s keyboards and Bruno’s saxophone are part of both ensembles.
For Carter, those records continue the work of a rhythm section formed through years of playing with Dubra. His credit as Pool Ball on the earlier release and Earl “Pool Ball” Carter on the later album identifies the same bassist, with the Jam Lab sleeve specifying string bass. The fuller name on Walk On In makes his role easier to trace across the two projects.