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Clarence Carter, Southern Soul Singer Behind 'Patches,' 'Slip Away' and 'Strokin',' Dies at 90

Tributes from FAME Studios highlight his central role in the Muscle Shoals soul sound.

Overview

  • FAME Recording Studios, which announced his death Thursday, confirmed the 90-year-old singer’s passing alongside a spokesperson for his former wife Candi Staton.
  • Staton’s team disclosed a recent Stage 4 prostate cancer diagnosis as well as pneumonia and sepsis, according to reports in Rolling Stone and Deadline.
  • Carter crossed over from the R&B charts with 1968’s “Slip Away” and reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 with 1970’s “Patches,” which won the Grammy for Best R&B Song.
  • The explicit 1986 single “Strokin’” became a cult favorite, selling about 1.5 million copies and later featuring in The Nutty Professor and Killer Joe.
  • Born blind in Montgomery, Alabama, he studied music at Alabama State College, recorded at Muscle ShoalsFAME Studios, wrote arrangements in braille, and kept releasing music through 2020.