Carl Carlton | |
|---|---|
 Carlton in 1968 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | May 21, 1953 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop, R&B, soul, funk |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 1965–present |
Carl Carlton (born May 21, 1953)[1] is an American R&B, soul, and funk singer-songwriter, best known for his hits "Everlasting Love" and "She's a Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked)".[2]
Carlton was birthed in Detroit, Michigan, and began his career in the mid-1960s as "Little Carl" Carlton.[2] It was a marketing ploy to capitalize on some vocal similarities to Stevie Wonder, who recorded under the name "Little Stevie Wonder" in the early 1960s. His first recordings were for Lando Records,[2] for which he recorded some minor local hits, including "So What" and "Don't You Need a Boy Like Me".
In 1968, Don D. Robey signed Carlton to the Back Beat Record label, which Robey had started in 1957. Shortly after signing with the label, Carlton relocated to Houston, Texas, to be closer to his new label.[2]
His first single with Back Beat Records, "Competition Ain't Nothing" became a huge hit on the UK northern soul scene after its release on the UK Action label.[citation needed]
Carlton was listed as one of the Cash Box Best R&B Artists of 1970 in the December 26 issue of the magazine.[3]
In January 1971, Carlton had a hit on the Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles chart with "I Can Feel It". It spent three weeks in the chart, peaking at no. 47.[4][5][6]
Carlton finally saw major success in the United States with a cover version of Robert Knight's "Everlasting Love". This song went to number 6 in 1974 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number 11 on the Billboard R&B chart.[7]
Robey sold his labels to ABC Records in 1972.[2] Beginning in 1976, Carlton became embroiled in a royalty dispute with ABC Records that caused him to stop recording for some time.[2] He then signed with Mercury Records in 1977, but only released one single on that label.[2] Carlton was unable to land a new recording contract for several years until Leon Haywood helped him get a singles deal with 20th Century Records.[2]
A Haywood-penned single, "She's a Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked)", became a major hit, peaking at number 2 on the soul chart and earning Carlton a Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male[8] in 1982. The track peaked at number 34 in the UK Singles Chart.[9] Carlton's subsequent album, Carl Carlton, went gold in 1981. "She's a Bad Mama Jama" has since become a staple of compilation albums and soundtracks and is often sampled in rap music.[10]
Carlton released several more albums in the 1980s but had only a few minor R&B hits. After 1985's Private Property, he did not release another album until 1994's Main Event, which also failed to chart.
In late 2002, Carlton appeared with many R&B stars on the "Rhythm, Love, and Soul" edition of the PBS series American Soundtrack. His performance of "Everlasting Love" was included on the accompanying live album that was released in 2004.[11]
On August 1, 2010, Carlton released his first gospel single entitled "God Is Good". On April 16, 2011, Carlton was nominated for a Detroit Music Award in the "Outstanding Gospel/Christian Vocalist" category.[12]
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [13] |
US R&B [7] | ||||
| 1973 | Can't Stop a Man in Love | 165 | 51 | Back Beat | |
| 1974 | Everlasting Love | 132 | 22 | ABC | |
| 1975 | I Wanna Be with You | — | 49 | ||
| 1981 | Carl Carlton | 34 | 3 | 20th Century Fox | |
| 1982 | The Bad C.C. | 133 | 21 | RCA Victor | |
| 1985 | Private Property | — | 36 | Casablanca | |
| 1994 | Main Event | — | — | Evejim | |
| 2010 | God Is Good | — | — | CTU | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Certifications | Albums | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [14] |
US R&B [15] |
AUS [16] |
NZ [17] |
UK [18] |
CAN Top [19] |
CAN AC [19] | |||||
| 1968 | "Competition Ain't Nothin'" Little Carl Carlton |
75 | — | — | — | — | 55 | — | Can't Stop A Man in Love | ||
| "46 Drums – 1 Guitar" Little Carl Carlton |
105 | — | — | — | — | 85 | — | N/A | |||
| 1969 | "Look at Mary Wonder (How I Got Over)" Little Carl Carlton |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Don't Walk Away" | — | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1970 | "Drop by My Place" Little Carl Carlton |
78 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | Can't Stop A Man in Love | ||
| 1971 | "I Can Feel It" / "You've Got So Much (To Learn About Love)" |
— | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | N/A | ||
| 1972 | "I Won't Let That Chump Break Your Heart" | — | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | Can't Stop a Man in Love | ||
| 1973 | "You Can't Stop a Man in Love" | — | 81 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1974 | "Everlasting Love" | 6 | 11 | — | — | — | 19 | 11 | Everlasting Love | ||
| 1975 | "Smokin' Room" | 91 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Morning, Noon and Nightime" | — | 71 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1976 | "Ain't Gonna Tell Nobody (About You)" | — | 67 | — | — | — | — | — | I Wanna Be with You | ||
| 1980 | "This Feeling's Rated X-Tra" | — | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | Carl Carlton | ||
| 1981 | "She's a Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked)" | 22 | 2 | — | 27 | 34 | — | — | |||
| 1982 | "I Think It's Gonna Be Alright" | — | 65 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Baby I Need Your Loving" | 103 | 17 | 12 | — | — | 27 | — | The Bad C.C. | |||
| 1983 | "Swing That Sexy Thang" | — | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1985 | "Private Property" | — | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | Private Property | ||
| 1986 | "Slipped, Tripped (Fooled Around and Fell in Love)" | — | 88 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||||||||
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | The Merv Griffin Show | |
| 1974—1982 | American Bandstand | Two episodes |
| 1974—1983 | Soul Train | Two episodes |
| 2003 | American Soundtrack: Rhythm, Love and Soul | Television documentary special |
