Clarence Carter, whose unmistakable voice carried songs across soul, R&B and blues for decades, has died at age 90.
According to Page Six, FAME Studios president Rodney Hall confirmed the news to Rolling Stone after speaking with the family of singer Candi Staton, Carter’s former wife.
Reports indicated that Carter had recently been diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer and had also been dealing with pneumonia and sepsis in the period leading up to his death.
A Career That Spanned Multiple Eras of Soul Music
His story began in Montgomery, Alabama, where he was born on January 14, 1936, and was blind from birth. Carter pursued music through both education and performance long before national audiences knew his name. He studied at the Alabama School for the Blind and later earned a music degree from Alabama State University. His professional path began in partnership with Calvin Scott, but a turning point came after Scott suffered serious injuries in an automobile accident, leading Carter toward a solo career.
His rise accelerated after joining the Muscle Shoals music scene and later Atlantic Records, where a run of successful releases established him as one of soul music’s recognizable voices. Songs such as “Slip Away,” “Too Weak to Fight,” and “Snatching It Back” helped him gain momentum on both R&B and pop charts. Carter’s 1970 version of “Patches” became one of the defining records of his career and later earned a Grammy for Best R&B Song.
Even as musical trends shifted during the following decade, Carter remained active. The rise of disco slowed the commercial success many soul performers had enjoyed, but his career took another unexpected turn in the 1980s. “Strokin’,” a playful and provocative track that developed an audience through jukebox play rather than traditional radio exposure, eventually became one of his most recognizable recordings.
His music continued finding audiences long after its original release dates. “Back Door Santa” later gained renewed attention through sampling and holiday playlists, while “Strokin'” appeared in film and popular culture years after its debut. Carter also continued recording and touring throughout later decades, maintaining a presence that stretched far beyond the era that first made him a star.
Across more than half a century in music, Carter moved through changing sounds and audiences while remaining connected to the Southern soul roots that shaped his career. His catalog leaves behind a body of work that reached listeners through chart hits, live performances and songs that continued to circulate across generations.
