Carl Carlton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carl Carlton
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Carlton in 1968
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| 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) is an American singer and songwriter. He is famous for his hit songs "Everlasting Love" and "She's a Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked)". Carl Carlton sings R&B, soul, and funk music.
Contents
Early Life and Start in Music
Carl Carlton was born in Detroit, Michigan. He started his music career in the mid-1960s. Back then, he was known as "Little Carl" Carlton. This name was used to remind people of Stevie Wonder, who was called "Little Stevie Wonder" when he started.
Carl Carlton made his first recordings for Lando Records. He had a few small local hits, like "So What" and "Don't You Need a Boy Like Me". In 1968, a record label owner named Don D. Robey signed Carl to his Back Beat label. Soon after, Carl moved to Houston, Texas, to be closer to his new record company.
Carl Carlton's Music Career
Carl Carlton's first song with Back Beat Records was "Competition Ain't Nothing". This song became very popular in the UK, especially in the "northern soul" music scene. This was a style of soul music popular in dance clubs in Northern England.
In 1971, Carl had a hit song called "I Can Feel It". It appeared on the Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles chart.
Big Hits and Challenges
Carl Carlton found major success in the United States in 1974. He released his version of "Everlasting Love", a song originally by Robert Knight. This song became a huge hit. It reached number 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also went to number 11 on the Billboard R&B chart.
In 1972, the owner of Back Beat Records sold his labels to ABC Records. Later, Carl Carlton had a disagreement with ABC Records about money he was owed. This problem caused him to stop recording music for a while. He then signed with Mercury Records in 1977, but only released one song with them. For several years, Carl couldn't find a new record deal. Then, Leon Haywood helped him get a deal with 20th Century Records.
"She's a Bad Mama Jama" Success
In 1981, Carl Carlton released "She's a Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked)". This song was written by Leon Haywood. It became a massive hit, reaching number 2 on the soul music chart. The song also earned Carl a nomination for a Grammy Award in 1982. This was for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male. The song also reached number 34 in the UK Singles Chart.
Carl Carlton's album, also called Carl Carlton, became a gold album in 1981. This means it sold a lot of copies. "She's a Bad Mama Jama" is still very popular today. It often appears on music collections and movie soundtracks. It is also often used in rap music, where parts of the song are used in new songs.
Carl Carlton released more albums in the 1980s. However, he only had a few smaller R&B hits after his big success. After his 1985 album Private Property, he didn't release another album until 1994. That album, Main Event, also did not become a big hit.
Later Career and Gospel Music
In 2002, Carl Carlton appeared on a PBS TV show called American Soundtrack. He performed "Everlasting Love" on the show. His performance was later included on a live album released in 2004.
On August 1, 2010, Carl Carlton released his first gospel song. It was called "God Is Good". In 2011, he was nominated for a Detroit Music Award. This nomination was in the "Outstanding Gospel/Christian Vocalist" category.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US |
US R&B |
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| 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. | |||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Certifications | Albums | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US |
US R&B |
AUS |
NZ |
UK |
CAN Top |
CAN AC |
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| 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 | — | — |
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| 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 ... 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. | |||||||||||
Television Appearances
Carl Carlton has appeared on several television shows. These shows often featured popular musicians.
| 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 |
