Carl Carlton, funk singer behind 'She's a Bad Mama Jama,' dies at 72

Carl Carlton, the funk and R&B vocalist known for upbeat, era-embodying singles similar “Everlasting Love” and “She’s a Bad Mama Jama (She’s Built, She’s Stacked)” has died. He was 72.

Carlton’s son, Carlton Hudgens II, posted to societal media confirming the decease connected Sunday. “RIP Dad, Legend Carl Carlton vocalist of She’s a Bad Mama Jama. Long hard combat successful beingness and you volition beryllium missed.” The station did not mention a origin of death.

Born Carlton Hudgens successful Detroit successful 1953, helium debuted arsenic “Little Carl” Carlton, but changed his signifier sanction and moved to Houston aft helium was signed to the section statement Back Beat Records. He had a insignificant soul-scene deed successful 1971 with “I Can Feel It,” and broke done nationally successful 1974 erstwhile his regal screen of Robert Knight’s “Everlasting Love” deed No. 6 connected Billboard’s Hot 100 and spent 15 weeks connected that chart.

Carlton is possibly champion known for his 1981 single, “She’s a Bad Mama Jama (She’s Built, She’s Stacked),” a grooving and awestruck ode to the pistillate signifier that deed No. 22 connected the Hot 100 and helped his self-titled medium that twelvemonth scope golden status.

The opus has enjoyed a agelong beingness successful fashionable civilization — it’s been sampled by rappers similar Foxy Brown, BigXThaPlug and Flo Milli, and often appeared connected soundtracks for TV shows and films similar “Friends.”

He continued releasing records into the ‘80s, and appeared respective times connected “American Bandstand” and “Soul Train,“ though his output slowed successful the ‘90s. In 2003, helium performed for Barry Glazer’s TV special, “American Soundtrack: Rhythm, Love, and Soul,” which featured Aretha Franklin and different marquee R&B and psyche acts. His past medium was 2010’s gospel LP “God Is Good.”