Clarence Carter
Carter performing in 1995
Background information
Born	Clarence George Carter (1936-01-14)January 14, 1936 (age 90) Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.
Genres	R&B soul
Occupations	Singer Songwriter Musician Record producer
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Years active	1962–present
Labels	Fairlane Records Duke Records Atlantic Records Fame Records Ichiban Records

Clarence George Carter (born January 14, 1936) is 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).

Born blind inMontgomery, Alabama, on January 14, 1936,^[1] Carter attended theAlabama School for the Blind inTalladega, Alabama, andAlabama State University in Montgomery, graduating in August 1960 with aBachelor of Science degree in music.^[2]

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 Clarence & Calvin, the following year. After the 1962 release of "I Don't Know (School Girl)," the pair joinedDuke Records, renaming themselves the C & C Boys and releasing four singles for the label, though none were commercially successful. In 1965, the duo recorded "Step by Step" atRick Hall'sFAME Studios inMuscle Shoals; it was released on theAtlantic Records' subsidiaryAtco label, but it also failed to chart.^[3][4]

The duo performed regularly in clubs inBirmingham, 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 theBillboardR&B chart and inspiredEtta James'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",^[3] and "Too Weak to Fight" (number 3 R&B, number 13 pop). Both of the preceding Atlantic singles were certified Gold by theRecording Industry Association of America.^[5] 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.^[3][6][7] His backing singers includedCandi Staton; they married in 1970 and produced a son, Clarence Carter Jr., before divorcing in 1973.

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 US pop and R&B charts. TheB-side of "Snatching It Back" was a remake of a remake ofJames Carr's "The Dark End of the Street", entitled "Making Love (At the Dark End of the Street)". Carter's biggest hit came in 1970 with his version of "Patches", first recorded byChairmen of the Board, which was aUK number 2 hit^[8] and a US number 4. The record sold over one million copies, and received agold disc awarded by theR.I.A.A. in September 1970, just two months after its release,^[9] and won theGrammy 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 toABC Records, releasing three albums includingLoneliness and Temptation.^[3][10] According to writer Brian Ward, Carter "virtually made a career from tales of unbridled love and illicit sex..."^[11]

With the advent ofdisco in the mid-1970s, Carter's career suffered.^[10] After the birth of another son, Herbert Deon Wilkerson in 1981, he signed forIchiban Records in 1985 and found a new audience with songs such as "Strokin'" and "Dr. C.C." in the 1980s and 1990s. "Strokin'" was reputedly deemed tooribald 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 given further acclaim when it was used in theEddie Murphy remake ofThe Nutty Professor. It was most recently used inWilliam Friedkin's filmKiller Joe. Carter's soul sound also found an audience within the then-nascenthip-hop community.^{[citation needed]} Most notably, the horn break from "Back Door Santa" is sampled in theRun-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 asDenise LaSalle,Bobby Rush,Marvin Sease andSir Charles Jones. He has continued recording, releasing six albums for the Ichiban label and, since 1996, establishing his own Cee Gee Entertainment label.^[14] He has also continued to tour regularly in theSouthern states and internationally.^[10]

^[16]

• Clarence Carter atIMDb
• Clarence Carter atAllMusic
• Clarence Carter discography atDiscogs

• 1936 births
• Living people
• Musicians from Montgomery, Alabama
• African-American male singer-songwriters
• American male singer-songwriters
• American soul singers
• Alabama State University alumni
• Atlantic Records artists
• 21st-century African-American male singers
• 21st-century American male singers
• 20th-century African-American male singers
• 20th-century American male singers
• 20th-century American singers
• Singer-songwriters from Alabama
• Blind soul musicians
• American blind singers
• American blind guitarists

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