*You might wanna send up a get-well wish and a prayer for the man forever associated with the soul classics, “She’s A Bad Mama Jama” and “Everlasting Love.”
That man, singer Carl Carlton, 66, is said to be recovering in a Detroit hospital. That’s certainly good news for him, his family and his fans.
The stroke caused Carlton to miss a planned concert in Detroit Sunday night. Beyond that, he is said to be alert and speaking, according to Soul Tracks.
Here’s background info on Carl Carlton via Wikipedia:
Carlton was born in Detroit, Michigan, and began his career in the mid-1960s as “Little Carl” Carlton. This 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, 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 had signed Carlton to the Back Beat Record label, of which Robey had started in 1957. Shortly after signing with the label, Carlton relocated to Houston, Texas, to be closer to his new label. His first single with the label, “Competition Ain’t Nothing” became a huge hit on the UK northern soul scene after its release on the UK Action label. 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 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, and number 11 on the Billboard R&B Charts in 1974.
Robey sold his labels to ABC Records on May 23, 1973, two days after Carlton’s 20th birthday. Beginning in 1976, Carlton became embroiled in a royalty dispute with ABC Records that caused him to stop recording for some time. He then signed with Mercury Records in 1977, but only released one single on that label. 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.
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 in 1982. The track peaked at number 34 in the UK Singles Chart. 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.
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