Stunned airport piano man earns $61K in tips after viral videos

For Tonee “Valentine” Carter, the piano and its melodies cut through the chaos and noise of frenzied travelers rushing to make flights. As his hands stride across the keys — and his eyes close as he tickles out a tune — some people stop to witness the professional musician in Concourse A of Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

But Carter, 66, who plays for international audiences almost every day, might have just met his biggest fan.

Carlos Whittaker, a motivational speaker and author, was traveling home to Tennessee last Wednesday after a speaking engagement was canceled. For an hour and a half, the disappointed influencer sat at the piano bar listening to Carter’s rhythmic playing. Little did Carter know that Whittaker took now-viral videos of his performance and posted them on Instagram for his more than 200,000 followers.

Whittaker then asked if Carter wanted to be in his podcast “Human Hope.” Then another idea popped into his mind.

“Suddenly I was like, what would happen if I asked my Instagram followers if we could give him the biggest tip he’s ever gotten,” Whittaker told CNN. “Within 30 minutes, we had raised $10,000.”

Up until that point, the largest tip the veteran piano man had ever received was $600. In just minutes, Whittaker and his followers collected more than ten times that amount.

Whittaker told his thousands of followers to send money through Venmo — unbeknownst to Carter. His fans donated $10,000 in a half-hour and $61,000 in two days, sending appreciation messages to the talented pianist.

“I saw his empty tip jar and asked you guys to cash app and Venmo a tip for him,” Whittaker wrote on Instagram. “30 minutes later and after a 20 minute conversation getting to know him, we tipped Tonee, who has kidney disease and is on dialysis 9 hours every night but still comes into work everyday to play… $10,000… which has grown to $61,000. I love it when we show the talking heads who make a living stoking outrage that there’s a better way to be human.”

Carter — who has quickly racked up more than 13,000 Insta followers himself — was obviously shocked by the kindness of random strangers. But for Carter, “life is good” when playing music, and Whittaker had made his life all the more better.

His fans donated $10,000 in a half-hour and $61,000 in two days, sending appreciation messages to the talented pianist.
His fans donated $10,000 in a half-hour and $61,000 in two days, sending appreciation messages to the talented pianist.
Instagram

“This guy, Carlos Whittaker, blew into my life like a tsunami,” Carter told the Washington Post. “I was having a typical day at work, and now, I’ve been blessed by this man and his followers.”

Carter’s father, also a pianist, got him into music at the tender age of 6 by taking him to a Ray Charles concert. Since then, he has viewed music as his calling, working in bands and on cruise ships going to 87 countries. Yet his music career — and his life — turned upside down when he was diagnosed with severe kidney disease in 2008.

Carter has viewed music as his calling, working in bands and on cruise ships going to 87 countries.
Carter has viewed music as his calling, working in bands and on cruise ships going to 87 countries.
Instagram

With his kidneys functioning at just 10%, Carter started to give up his nights of music for dialysis. For 13 years, he has performed at the airport, navigating his illness while keeping music lovers enamored with the piano.

“He’s just so happy and joyful,” Whittaker told The Post. “He kind of has this smile that he does when he plays where his mouth is halfway open like he’s laughing. It’s just his energy is very impactful.”

Carter told CNN that Whittaker and his followers — deemed the “Instafamilia” — had him “crying for days, not because of the total, but because of the individual donations.” Thousands of people were donating what they could afford, which signaled to him that they were also drawn to his music and passion for brightening people’s days.

For thirteen years, he has performed at the airport, navigating his illness while keeping music lovers enamored with the piano.
For 13 years he has performed at the airport, navigating his illness while keeping music lovers enamored with the piano.
Instagram

This is not the Instafamilia’s first rodeo — or concert. Previously, they had funded a pregnant woman living out of an RV, a woman with epilepsy who wanted a seizure-alert dog and lodging for urban Brooklyn children in Alaska through the nonprofit Brooklyn to Alaska.

The musician has become a celebrity at the airport overnight.

Jokingly, Carter told CNN that he first plans to get an oil change for his car. But he will use this money — which he says is “not mine” — to give back to others.

But Carter has already been cherishing his fans’ contributions. Carter keeps a box full of notes from people thanking him for his airport shows. Carter pulls at the heartstrings of listeners by playing everything from oldies to classical to modern hits — as well as “Baby Shark” for the kids.

source: nypost.com