Biography

The American blues singer and producer Clarence Carter was born in 1936 in Montgomery, Alabama. Clarence was born blind, but with a tremendous talent for music, and so after grading from the Alabama School for the Blind in Talladega, he went on to earn his Bachelor of Science in music from Alabama State College in the early 1960’s. Carter began his career in music alongside Calvin Scott, and as a duo the two men recorded a number of hits in the 1960’s.  

Unfortunately, Scott suffered an injury from a car accident, and so Clarence launched a solo career, bringing audiences a series of hits for the remainder of the decade, including: “Tell Daddy,” “Thread the Needle,” “Slip Away,” “Too Weak to Fight,” “Snatching it Back,” “I Can’t Leave Your Love Alone,” “The Court Room,” “In the Midnight Special,” and “Patches,” which became his biggest hit, selling over a million copies and earning Clarence Carter a 1971 Grammy for Best R&B Song.

A number of Clarence Carter’s songs have been featured in films, including the single “Strokin,” which was given a boost after it’s appearance in The Nutty Professor. In recent years, Carter has continued to record and perform, touring the southern states regularly.