Clarence Carter

The music of soul singer Clarence Carter exemplified the gritty, earthy sound of Muscle Shoals R&B, fusing the devastating poignancy of the blues with a wicked, lascivious wit to create deeply soulful music rooted in the American South, past and present. Carter scored early hits in the 1960s as a powerhouse soul man, while he explored more blues-oriented sounds in the '80s, while also earning a following for playful, suggestive numbers like his 1986 jukebox hit "Strokin'." 1992's Snatching It Back collected his early hits for Atlantic Records, 1985's Messin' with My Mind began his long and successful tenure with Ichiban Records, and 1986's Dr. CC was one of the most popular of his latter-day LPs.