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| Clarence Carter | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Carter performing in 1995 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Clarence George Carter January 14, 1936 Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | May 13, 2026 (aged 90) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1962–2026 |
| Labels | |
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Clarence George Carter (January 14, 1936 – May 13, 2026) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. His most successful songs include "Slip Away", "Back Door Santa" (both released 1968), "Patches" (1970), and "Strokin'" (1986).
Early life
Born blind in Montgomery, Alabama, on January 14, 1936, Carter attended the Alabama School for the Blind in Talladega, Alabama, and Alabama State University in Montgomery, graduating in August 1960 with a Bachelor of Science degree in music.[1]
Career
His professional music career began with friend Calvin Scott, signing to the Fairlane label to release "I Wanna Dance But I Don't Know How", as Calvin and Clarence, the following year. After the 1962 release of "I Don't Know (School Girl)", the pair joined Duke Records, renamed themselves the C & C Boys and released four singles for the label, though none were commercially successful. In 1965, the duo recorded "Step by Step" at Rick Hall's FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals; it was released on the Atlantic Records' subsidiary Atco label, but it also failed to chart.[2][better source needed][3]
The duo performed regularly in clubs in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1966. After Scott was seriously injured in an auto accident, Carter continued as a solo singer, and recorded for the Fame label. In 1967 he recorded "Tell Daddy", which reached number 35 on the Billboard R&B chart and inspired Etta James's answer record, "Tell Mama", for which Carter was credited as writer. At the end of 1967, Carter joined Atlantic Records. He then began a string of hits on the R&B and pop charts, starting with "Slip Away" (number 2 R&B, number 6 pop), which has been described as "a superior cheating ballad spotlighting his anguished, massive baritone alongside the remarkably sinuous backing of Fame's exemplary backing band",[2][better source needed] and "Too Weak to Fight" (number 3 R&B, number 13 pop). Both of the preceding Atlantic singles were certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.[4] At the end of 1968, he had a seasonal pop hit with the raunchy and funky "Back Door Santa" (number 4 Christmas pop), and toured nationally.[2][better source needed][5][6] His backing singers included Candi Staton; they married in 1970 and had a son together, Clarence Carter Jr., before divorcing in 1973.[7]
Carter continued to have hits in 1969 and 1970, with "Snatching It Back", "The Feeling Is Right", "Doin' Our Thing", and "I Can't Leave Your Love Alone" all reaching both the U.S. pop and R&B charts. The B-side of "Snatching It Back" was a remake of a remake of James Carr's "The Dark End of the Street", titled "Making Love (At the Dark End of the Street)". Carter's biggest hit came in 1970 with his version of "Patches", first recorded by Chairmen of the Board, which was a UK number 2 hit[8] and a U.S. number 4. The record sold over one million copies, and received a gold disc awarded by the R.I.A.A. in September 1970, just two months after its release,[9] and won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song in 1971. Following "Slip Away" and "Too Weak to Fight", it was Carter's third million-seller.[9] However, Carter's later record releases were less successful, and he left Atlantic at the end of 1971 to rejoin the Fame label. In 1975 he signed to ABC Records, releasing three albums including Loneliness and Temptation.[2][better source needed][10] According to writer Brian Ward, Carter "virtually made a career from tales of unbridled love and illicit sex..."[11]
With the advent of disco in the mid-1970s, Carter's career suffered.[10] 1981 saw the birth of another son, Herbert Deon Wilkerson. Then, in 1985, he signed with Ichiban Records and found a new audience beginning with 1986's Dr. C.C. album and its singles "Strokin'" and the title track. "Strokin'" was reputedly deemed too ribald for a public release or radio play, so the record company placed the records in jukeboxes, where bar patrons discovered the song.[12] "Strokin'" was included in the Eddie Murphy remake of The Nutty Professor and in William Friedkin's film Killer Joe.[7] The horn break from "Back Door Santa" was sampled in the Run-D.M.C. Christmas song "Christmas in Hollis".[13]
Carter's later songs continue to appeal to a primarily African-American working-class audience that is also interested in contemporary blues artists such as Denise LaSalle, Bobby Rush, Marvin Sease and Sir Charles Jones.[citation needed] He continued to record and released six albums for the Ichiban label from 1986 on. Carter also established his own Cee Gee Entertainment label.[14] He also continued to tour regularly in the Southern states[citation needed] and internationally.[10]
Death
Carter died at a hospice facility in Atlanta, Georgia, of complications from pneumonia on May 13, 2026, at the age of 90.[15][16][17][18] He had also been recently diagnosed with prostate cancer.[18][19]
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [20] | US R&B [20] | ||||
| 1968 | This Is Clarence Carter | 200 | 49 | ||
| 1969 | The Dynamic Clarence Carter | 169 | 22 | ||
| Testifyin' | 138 | 35 | |||
| 1970 | Patches | 44 | 18 | ||
| 1973 | Sixty Minutes with Clarence Carter | — | 41 | ||
| 1974 | Real | — | — | ||
| 1975 | Loneliness & Temptation | — | 58 | ||
| 1976 | A Heart Full of Song | — | — | ||
| 1980 | Let's Burn | 189 | 28 | ||
| 1981 | Mr. Clarence Carter in Person | — | — | ||
| 1982 | Love Me with a Feeling | — | — | ||
| 1984 | Singing for My Supper | — | — | ||
| 1985 | Messin' with My Mind | — | — | ||
| 1986 | Dr. C.C. | — | 20 | ||
| 1987 | Hooked on Love | — | 34 | ||
| 1989 | Touch of Blues | — | 52 | ||
| 1990 | Between a Rock and a Hard Place | — | 48 | ||
| 1992 | Have You Met Clarence Carter...Yet? | — | 73 | ||
| 1995 | I Couldn't Refuse | — | — | ||
| 1996 | Carter's Corner | — | — | ||
| 1999 | Bring It to Me | — | — | ||
| 2011 | Sing Along with Clarence Carter | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||
Compilation and live albums
- 1971 That's What Your Love Means to Me
- 1977 I Got Caught Making Love
- 1991 Dr. CC's Greatest Prescriptions: The Best Of
- 1994 Live with the Dr.
- 1995 Together Again
- 1997 Too Weak to Fight
- 2001 Live in Johannesburg
- 2003 All Y'all Feeling Alright
- 2005 One More Hit
- 2007 The Final Stroke
- 2007 I'm Easy
- 2009 On Your Feet
- 2010 A Christmas Party
- 2015 Dance to the Blues
- 2020 Mr. Old School
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Certifications | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop [5] | US R&B [6] | AUS [22] | UK [23][24] | CAN | |||
| 1967 | "Tell Daddy" | — | 35 | — | — | — | |
| "Thread the Needle" | 98 | 38 | — | — | — | ||
| 1968 | "Looking for a Fox" | 62 | 20 | — | — | — | |
| "Slip Away" / "Funky Fever" | 6 88 | 2 49 | — | — — | 12 85 | ||
| "Too Weak to Fight" | 13 | 3 | — | — | 14 |
| |
| "Back Door Santa" | 4[nb 1] | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969 | "Snatching It Back" | 31 | 4 | — | — | 11 | |
| "The Feeling Is Right" | 65 | 9 | — | — | 30 | ||
| "Doin' Our Thing" | 46 | 9 | — | — | 37 | ||
| 1970 | "Take It Off Him and Put It on Me" | 94 | 23 | — | — | — | |
| "I Can't Leave Your Love Alone" | 42 | 6 | — | — | — | ||
| "Patches" | 4 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 16 |
| |
| "It's All in Your Mind" | 51 | 13 | — | — | — | ||
| 1971 | "The Court Room" | 61 | 12 | — | — | — | |
| "Slipped, Tripped and Fell in Love" | 84 | 25 | — | — | — | ||
| "Scratch My Back (And Mumble in My Ear)" | — | 41 | — | — | — | ||
| 1972 | "Back in Your Arms" | — | 46 | — | — | — | |
| 1973 | "Put on Your Shoes and Walk" | 112 | 40 | — | — | — | |
| "Sixty Minute Man" / "Mother-in-Law" | 65 80 | 17 24 | — | — — | — — | ||
| "I'm the Midnight Special" | 101 | 15 | — | — | — | ||
| 1975 | "I Got Caught" | — | 49 | — | — | — | |
| 1981 | "It's a Monster Thang" | — | 81 | — | — | — | |
| 1986 | "Strokin'" | — | — | 24 | 82 | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||||
Note
- One week at number 4 on separate Christmas chart
References
- Carter, Clarence. "Biography". Clarence Carter. p. 1. Archived from the original on July 5, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2009.
- Ankeny, Jason. "Clarence Carter Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
- "Fame Studios website". Fame2.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2010. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
- "Gold & Platinum". RIAA.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
- Whitburn, Joel (2003). Top Pop Singles 1955-2002 (1st ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 111. ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
- Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-1995. Record Research. p. 67.
- Friskics-Warren, Bill (May 14, 2026). "Clarence Carter, Singer of Lust-Filled Soul Hits, Dies at 90". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
- Rice, Jo (1985). The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles (5th ed.).
- Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins. p. 301. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- Carter, Clarence. "Biography". Clarence Carter. p. 2. Archived from the original on February 12, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
- Ward, Brian (2012). Just My Soul Responding: Rhythm And Blues, Black Consciousness And Race Relations. Taylor & Francis. p. 374. ISBN 978-1857281392.
- "Strokin' by Clarence Carter". Songfacts. Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
- "Run-DMC's 'Christmas in Hollis' sample of Clarence Carter's 'Back Door Santa'". WhoSampled.com. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
- "Clarence Carter". Soul Blues Music. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
- “Patches” and “Strokin'” hitmaker Clarence Carter dies Archived May 14, 2026, at the Wayback Machine Soul Tracks
- Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (May 14, 2026). "Clarence Carter, US soul star who had hits with Patches and more, dies aged 90". The Guardian. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
- Friskics-Warren, Bill (May 14, 2026). "Clarence Carter, Singer of Lust-Filled Soul Hits, Dies at 90". The New York Times. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
- Blistein, Jon (May 14, 2026). "Clarence Carter, Singer-Producer Who Scored Hits With 'Patches' and 'Strokin',' Dead at 90". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 14, 2026. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
- "Clarence Carter, soul singer known for 'Patches' and 'Strokin',' dies at 90". AP. May 14, 2026.
- "Clarence Carter - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on April 28, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- "Clarence Carter Albums and Discography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 57. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- Betts, Graham (2004). Complete UK Hit Singles 1952-2004 (1st ed.). London: Collins. p. 133. ISBN 0-00-717931-6.
- "CLARENCE CARTER songs and albums - full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
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Clarence Carter, Singer of Lust-Filled Soul Hits, Dies at 90
In songs like “Slip Away” and “Back Door Santa,” he performed with the fervor of a backwoods preacher and the bawdy humor of a juke joint.
Clarence Carter, the Southern soul singer and guitarist who sang unabashedly of adultery and lust on hits of the late 1960s like “Slip Away” and “Back Door Santa,” died on Wednesday in Atlanta. He was 90.
His death was confirmed by Rodney Hall, the president of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Ala., where many of Mr. Carter’s hits were recorded. Bil Carpenter, a friend of Mr. Carter’s family, said he died at a hospice facility.
Blind from youth and distinguished by his deep, declamatory baritone and lecherous, full-throated laugh, Mr. Carter combined the sermonic fervor of a backwoods preacher and the bawdy humor of a juke joint.
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His sensibilities are clear on the extended recitation that takes up much of “Making Love (At the Dark End of the Street),” his thorough reimagining of the soul singer James Carr’s 1967 hit “The Dark End of the Street,” written by Chips Moman and Dan Penn.
“They always talk about making love,” Mr. Carter begins, his stentorian drawl backed by gospel-steeped keyboards and horns. “Yeah, making love / But have you ever sit down to think about / Everything that’s got life in it likes to make love?”
Over the next three minutes, Mr. Carter ruminates on the sexual predilections of horses, cows, mosquitoes and people, his musings growing more urgent and outlandish with each successive digression. By the time he sings the record’s closing (and only) chorus, an anguished meditation on illicit love, he has delivered a performance that is as surreal as it is cathartic.
“Making Love” (1969) was the B-side of the funky “Snatching It Back,” which was recorded at FAME Studios and released by Atlantic Records. The chuckle that punctuates the record — and is also heard on the randy “Back Door Santa” (1968) — was modeled on that of a disc jockey in Montgomery, Ala., known as Mr. Lee.
“Patches,” sung from the perspective of a farmer’s struggling son, was his biggest hit. Though more pop than his typically blues-based performances, the song, originally recorded by the soul group Chairmen of the Board, reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970. Its spoken-word passages — as well as those on several of his other recordings — led him to be considered a precursor of rap.
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“Long before they had what they call a rap, me and Isaac Hayes and Barry White were doing the same thing,” Mr. Carter said in an interview with The New York Times in 1998. “I listen to a lot of raps, and they wander on and on with no focus. When I talk in a song, I point in one direction and you know where I’m heading. It’s just a question of how I’m gonna get there.”
Numerous hip-hop artists, including Run-DMC and 2 Live Crew, have sampled Mr. Carter’s records. “Strokin’,” a salacious original from 1986, was featured in the 1996 remake of “The Nutty Professor” starring Eddie Murphy and in the 2011 thriller “Killer Joe” with Matthew McConaughey.
An out-of-left-field success, “Strokin’” revived Mr. Carter’s career at a point when his down-home approach no longer found favor with mainstream radio. Despite receiving little airplay because of its sexually explicit lyrics, the record sold more than 1.5 million copies and became a jukebox staple.
Clarence George Carter was born on Jan. 14, 1936, in Montgomery. His parents were sharecroppers.
Despite his blindness, Clarence taught himself to play blues-based guitar as a child. He later attended the Alabama School for the Blind in Talladega, where he learned to transcribe musical arrangements in Braille.
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In 1960, after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in music from Alabama State College (a historically Black school that is now a university), he teamed up with the singer and piano player Calvin Scott, another blind musician, to form the duo Clarence & Calvin. The two men played regularly in clubs in Birmingham and released singles for independent record labels before signing with FAME in 1965, by that point billing themselves as the C&C Boys.
The duo had just recorded its first single with FAME when Mr. Scott was seriously injured in a car accident, forcing him to retire from performing. Mr. Carter remained under contract as both a recording artist and a session guitarist. His first solo single, “Tell Daddy,” was a minor hit in 1967. Etta James’s take on the song, “Tell Mama,” became a Top 40 hit later that year.
In 1968, Mr. Carter met the gospel singer Candi Staton and introduced her to Rick Hall, Rodney Hall’s father, who was then the owner of FAME. Ms. Staton went on to record more than a dozen R&B hits, including a remake of the Tammy Wynette classic “Stand by Your Man.”
Mr. Carter and Ms. Staton were married in 1970 and divorced three years later, after having a son, Clarence Carter Jr., also a performer. His survivors include his son and his wife, Joyce Jenkins, whom he married in 2001.
Success came fairly late for Mr. Carter, who was already in his 30s when “Slip Away,” a groove-rich song about cheating, reached the Top 10 in 1968. He released dozens of albums over the next six decades and performed live, largely for blue-collar Black audiences, into his 80s.
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“I’m determined to do what folks say I can’t, and it has to do with a lot of factors, especially when you’re blind,” he told The Times in 1998.
“I remember hearing a lady say to my mother one day when I was a kid, ‘I guess you’re going to have to take care of him the rest of your life,’” he added. “I never forgot that because I was determined that before the lady left this earth she’d know my mom wouldn’t have to take care of me.”
Charlotte Dulany contributed reporting.
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