The artist was born Carlton Hudgens in Detroit, Michigan, on May 21, 1952. He began his music career at an early age, around 10 or 11, and went by the sobriquet “Little Carl” Carlton, a marketing tactic designed to capitalize on the vocal similarities between him and Stevie Wonder, who recorded under the name “Little Stevie Wonder” at the time. He later changed his stage name to Carl Carlton. In 1964, he released his first singles, “I Love True Love” and “I Think of How I Love Her” on Lando Records. He recorded some Detroit-area hits, including “So What” and “Don’t You Need a Boy Like Me,” on the label in 1965.
Carlton signed to pioneering black music mogul Don Robey’s Back Beat Records in 1968 and soon relocated to Houston, Texas, the label’s home. He released the single, “Competition Ain’t Nothin’,” on the label that same year. It was a minor hit on Billboard’s R&B singles chart, peaking at #36. But it was a massive hit in the UK Northern soul scene following its release on the UK’s soul label Action Records.
The year that Carlton graduated from high school, music trade publication Cash Box magazine named him one of the Best R&B Artists of 1970 in its December 26 issue. In 1971, he landed another minor hit on Billboard’s R&B singles chart with “I Can Feel It,” peaking at #47. Robey sold his Duke, Peacock, and Back Beat catalogs to ABC Records in 1972, transferring Carlton’s contract to the label. Following that transaction, a compilation album of Carlton’s singles, You Can’t Stop a Man in Love, was released through ABC that year.
Carlton became embroiled in a bitter royalty dispute with ABC Records in 1976, which prevented him from recording for 18 months until his contract had expired. He signed with Mercury Records in 1977 and released the sumptuous soul ballad “You, You” on the label that same year. L.J. Reynolds of the Dramatics produced and co-wrote the song. Its B-side was the wicked funk groove “Something’s Wrong,” also written and produced by Reynolds. However, the single failed to crack the charts. Following that release, Carlton’s tenure with Mercury proved fruitless, leaving him in career limbo for several years.
Things began to look up for Carlton in the early ‘80s when Los Angeles singer, songwriter, and producer Leon Haywood helped him secure a singles deal with 20th Century Records. Haywood began writing songs that he felt would be a good fit for Carlton’s voice and would also align with the popular music styles and trends of that period. The first release was a cover of Haywood’s own track “The Feeling’s Rated X-tra,” released in 1980. It had a modest showing on Billboard’s R&B singles chart, peaking at #57.
However, he landed a bona fide smash with its follow-up, the Haywood-penned and produced “She’s a Bad Mama Jama (She’s Built, She’s Stacked),” released in August 1981. It peaked at #2 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart and #22 on the Billboard Hot 100. And it rose to #34 on the UK charts and peaked at #27 on the charts in New Zealand. The song was certified Gold by the RIAA with over a million copies sold. The track spent 21 weeks on the American charts and earned Carlton a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male at the 24th Annual Grammy Awards. It has been sampled on 49 songs and featured on numerous film soundtracks and compilation albums. And it has more than 100 streams on Spotify. The song was included on Carlton’s 1981 self-titled album. The collection was certified Gold with more than 500,000 units sold. It was his first and only gold-certified album.
Carlton continued to enjoy a successful recording career in the subsequent years, landing more minor hits on the R&B charts up to the mid-1980s. After 1985, he went into an extended hiatus from the music scene. He returned in 1994 with the release of the album Main Event, a collaboration with singer Janet Jefferson. Unfortunately, the album failed to gain any traction on the charts and quickly disappeared.
In 2003, Carlton appeared on the “Rhythm, Soul and Love” edition of the PBS series American Soundtrack. Some of the other music greats who appeared on the special included Aretha Franklin, Lou Rawls, Dennis Edwards, Mary Wilson, Gloria Gaynor, Billy Paul, Edwin Starr, Freda Payne, and the Spinners. Carlton’s performance of “Everlasting Love” was included on the accompanying live album, released in 2004.
Carlton began venturing into gospel music in the 2010s. He released the gospel song “God is Good” on August 1, 2010. He followed that with the gospel-themed tracks “Saturday” and “One More Minute,” both released independently. In 2011, he was nominated for a Detroit Music Award in the “Outstanding Gospel/Christian Vocalist” category at the Fillmore Detroit theater.
While Carlton was no longer a force on the charts, he could still effortlessly command a stage. He was an exciting showman, captivating audiences with his great talent and powerful stage presence. The artist continued to tour throughout the 2000s and into the 2010s. He toured alongside other esteemed R&B veterans at festivals, music revues, and nostalgia circuits. Carlton toured regularly until he suffered a debilitating stroke in 2019 that affected his speech and mobility, sidelining him from performing live.
In 2009, Hip-O Select, a specialty reissue label under Universal Music Group, released the comprehensive compilation Everlasting: The Best of Carl Carlton. It features 22 tracks that span the entirety of the artist’s illustrious music career.
Carlton is continually praised for his considerable gifts as a singer and performer. He was inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 2017. His music continues to touch music lovers of all ages, races, and nationalities, bringing joy to millions.
“She’s a Bad Mama Jama (She’s Built, She’s Stacked)”
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