Carl Carlton

Carl Carlton (born Carlton Hudgens; May 21, 1952 – December 12, 2025) was an American R&B, soul, and funk singer-songwriter, best known for his hits "Everlasting Love" and "She's a Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked)".

Carlton Hudgens was born in Detroit, Michigan, on May 21, 1952. He began his career in the mid-1960s as "Little" Carl Carlton. It 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 signed Carlton to the Back Beat Record label, which Robey had started in 1957. Shortly after signing with the label, Carlton relocated to Houston, Texas, to be closer to his new label.

Carlton's first single with Back Beat Records, "Competition Ain't Nothing", became a huge hit on the UK northern soul scene after its release on the UK's Action Records label.

He was listed as one of the Cash Box Best R&B Artists of 1970 in the December 26 issue of the magazine.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.