The soul world has lost its raunchy, sentimental king.
Clarence Carter, the blind Alabama troubadour who gave the world the tear-jerking ballad ‘Patches’ and the unapologetically lustful anthem ‘Strokin’,’ has died at 90.
His spokesman confirmed the soul singer passed peacefully from natural causes on Wednesday.’
Born blind in Montgomery, Carter was a self-taught guitar prodigy who turned hardship into heart-wrenching music.
‘Patches,’ his 1970 masterpiece, told the story of a poor farm boy’s resilience.
But Carter’s true genius lived in the gutter, songs like ‘Back Door Santa’ and the hilarious, talking-blues ode ‘Strokin’’ were too hot for radio yet became eternal jukebox treasures.
He once asked listeners, “Have you ever made love just before breakfast?” with a straight face.
Beyond the hits, he shaped legends, backing a young Duane Allman and inspiring Etta James.
Until the very end, Carter vowed to keep going until “Old Man Death comes to run me down.”
