Clarence Carter — the Southern soul pioneer behind hits like “Patches” and “Strokin’” — has died. He was 90.
The legendary singer and producer died Thursday, according to Rolling Stone. A spokesperson for Candi Staton, Carter’s ex-wife, told the outlet that the singer was recently diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer and became sick with pneumonia and sepsis before his death.
Representatives for Carter did not immediately return The Independent’s request for comment.
Carter, who was born blind in Montgomery, Alabama, dominated the R&B charts during the lates-sixties and seventies after he first rose to fame as a solo artist with his 1968 cheating ballad “Slip Away.”
As a songwriter, Carter was known for his range from emotional sagas to bawdy bangers.
In the same year as “Slip Away,” Carter released the raunchy Christmas song “Back Door Santa,” which was a popular on holiday radio stations.
Frathouse favorite “Strokin’” — also released that year — went on to become a cult classic for its sexually graphic chorus, and was even featured in Eddie Murphy’s The Nutty Professor decades later.
But while he established his penchant for raunchy lyrics and sense of humor, Carter showed his softer side by releasing “Patches” in 1970 — an emotional ballad about growing up in Alabama poverty. The song won the Grammy that year for Best R&B song.
More of Carter’s hits include “Snatching it Back,” “The Feeling is Right, “Looking for a Fox,” “Doin’ Our Thing,” and the Gold-certified “Too Weak to Fight.”
In 1970, Carter married Staton, who sang backup for him before releasing her own hit “Young Hearts Run Free.”
They had a son together, Clarence Carter Jr., before divorcing in 1973. Carter is survived by Clarence Carter Jr., and his second son Herbert Deon Wilkerson.
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Carter’s last album, Mr. Old School, was released in January 2020 on his own label called Cee Gee Entertainment. His final song, “Danger Point” was released in 2024.
More to follow….