Key Takeaways
- Carl Carlton’s music has been sampled by artists like Flo Milli and Foxy Brown, showing his lasting impact on Hip Hop and R&B.
- His legacy spans six decades, from Detroit soul to global funk icon.
- He was best known for “She’s a Bad Mama Jama” and “Everlasting Love,” two tracks that defined his career and influenced generations.
Carl Carlton, the funk and R&B singer whose silky voice helped define a generation of soul music, has died at the age of 73. The news was shared by his son, Carlton Hudgens II, on Sunday (Dec. 14), in a heartfelt Facebook post confirming that the Detroit native, born Carlton Hudgens, had passed away.
“RIP Dad, Legend Carl Carlton, singer of ‘She's a Bad Mama Jama,’” he wrote alongside a photo of the late musician. “Long hard fight in life and you will be missed.” He added, “Dad was 73 years of age, born May 21, 1952… Not 1953, as Wikipedia [is] wrong and now TMZ and the world has the wrong birthday. Please fix this ASAP.”
SoulTracks reported that Carl suffered a stroke six years ago.
Carl Carlton’s lasting influence
The legendary singer grew up in Detroit and began singing professionally in the 1960s under the stage name Little Carl Carlton. His early singles earned regional buzz before stepping into the national spotlight in 1971, when “I Can Feel It” reached the Billboard Soul Singles chart. His biggest crossover moment came three years later with his cover of “Everlasting Love,” which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song continues to find new audiences today.
But it was 1981’s “She’s a Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked)” — a record that instantly stamped itself onto dance floors and cookouts across America — that cemented his place in music history. The Grammy-nominated hit has surpassed 100 million Spotify streams and remains one of the most-sampled R&B songs of its era. It’s been flipped on Foxy Brown’s “Big Bad Mamma” featuring Dru Hill, Flo Milli’s “BGC,” and BigXthaPlug, Ro$ama, and Young Hood’s “Meet the 6ixers.” The hit appeared in movies like Miss Congeniality 2 and Fat Albert and shows such as “Friends.”
The funk group Confunkshun honored him in a tribute, writing, “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. Our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and fans around the world. Rest in power, Carl. Your legacy lives on.”
Carl Carlton’s records didn’t just chart — they traveled. From Northern Soul dance floors in the U.K. to Hip Hop samples that reshaped his melodies, his voice found ways to reinvent itself across decades. His catalog remains a blueprint for groove-driven R&B that still moves crowds today.