Clarence Carter’s vocals contained a natural touch of anguish. He often used this trait in the service of songs about desire and passion. But he could also focus that characteristic on stories of extreme sorrow.
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The latter emotion came into play in his iconic 1970 song “Patches”. Although he didn’t write it, he embodied the trauma and hardship within it so powerfully that it became his own.
Carter’s R&B Rise
Clarence Carter, an Alabama native, quickly developed as a standout singer and guitarist despite his blindness. At the beginning of the 60s, Carter started to find professional success with Calvin Scott as the duo Clarence & Calvin.
When a car accident befell Scott and caused him to pause his career, Carter went out on his own. He joined the record company that operated out of the legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. With those session players behind him and a powerful voice at his disposal, it was just a matter of time before Carter started to soar.
His 1968 single “Slip Away” went to the Top 10 in both the pop and R&B charts. In that same year, Carter released “Backdoor Santa”, which was later sampled in the Run DMC classic “Christmas In Hollis”. Carter’s biggest hit came two years later with a song he had to be convinced to record.
FAME and Fortune
“Patches” was first recorded by the soul group Chairmen Of The Board, who enjoyed a big hit of their own in 1970 with “Give Me Just A Little More Time”. Written by Chairmen lead singer General Johnson and record exec Ron Dunbar, the song was utilized as a B-side by the group.
Carter heard the potential of what he might be able to do with the song. But he also worried that the tale of a down-on-his-luck Southern farmer perpetuated a stereotype. Rick Hall, who owned FAME, knew Carter came from poverty. Hall convinced the artist that he could bring authenticity to the song.
“Patches” proved an important song for the studios, as several members of the FAME backing band had recently left to start their own Alabama studio. Carter delivered and then some. His version of “Patches” went all the way to No. 4 in the US. It would prove to be his biggest ever single.
Behind the Lyrics of “Patches”
“Patches” is the narrator of the song, his nickname coming from the tattered clothes he wore while growing up poor in Alabama. He tells of his early life and the noble struggles of his father to provide for the family. On his deathbed, the father turns to his son: “He said, Patches/I’m dependin’ on you, son/To pull the family through.”
Patches accepts this responsibility, but his mother won’t let him quit school to do it. “She said that was Daddy’s strictest rule,” he explains. He works the farm around his educational efforts, but problems keep piling up, including a devastating storm. Not once does he pretend that he’s overcome these issues, even as he grows to be a man.
But still his father’s words prod him to keep fighting. “Patches” could come off as melodramatic in lesser hands. But the pride, hurt, and lived-in integrity of Clarence Carter’s performance render it a quite moving evocation of the pull of familial duty.
Photo by Paul Natkin/WireImage
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