‘She’s A Bad Mama Jama’ singer Carl Carlton dead at 73
Funk singer Carl Carlton has died aged 73.
His son, Carlton Hudgens II, announced the news of his father’s passing on Facebook, writing, “RIP Dad, Legend Carl Carlton singer of She’s a Bad Mama Jama. Long hard fight in life and you will be missed.”
Hudgens II then clarified that his father was born on May 21st, 1952, and criticised reports for claiming that he was born in 1953.
On the same social media platform, he shared another tribute to his father on Facebook Stories, writing, “R.I.P Dad, You can finally rest now. Always love you.”
No cause of death has been revealed. However, Carlton did suffer a serious stroke in 2019, according to SoulTracks.
Carlton was born as Carlton Hudgens in Detroit in 1953 and began his career in the 1960s as a child star under the moniker of Little Carl Carlton. While he released material on Lando Records, none of the tracks gained national attention.
In the early 1970s, he moved to Houston and signed to Back Beat Records, which led to success for Carlton in 1971 when ‘I Can Feel It’ became a hit for Carlton on the Billboard Soul Singles chart.
Then, in 1974, he made his way into the mainstream when his cover of Robert Knight’s ‘Everlasting Love’ spent 15 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at sixth position.
His biggest original hit came in 1981 when he released the funk classic, ‘She’s a Bad Mama Jama (She’s Built, She’s Stacked)’, which spent more than 20 weeks in the charts.
However, Carlton’s career slowed down after 1985, although he did release the gospel album God Is Good in 2010, which was his final studio offering.
DJ D-Nice has led the tributes to Carlton, taking to Instagram to honour ‘She’s a Bad Mama Jama (She’s Built, She’s Stacked)’, which he described as “one of those timeless classics I truly enjoy spinning”.
He continued, “Part of the soundtrack of my youth. Thank you for the music! Gone, but forever in rotation.”
Meanwhile, funk band Confunkshun wrote on Facebook, “With heavy hearts, we mourn the passing of the legendary Carl Carlton. His voice, talent, and contributions to soul and R&B music will forever be a part of our lives and the soundtrack of so many memories.”
They emotionally continued, “Our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and fans around the world. Rest in power, Carl. Your legacy lives on.”
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