Born in Montgomery, Alabama on January 14, 1936 and attended school at the Alabama school for the blind in Talladega Alabama.

He attended Alabama State College in Montgomery, where in 1960; graduated in August with a B.S. degree in music. His professional music career began with friend Calvin Scott, signing to the Fairlane label to release "I Wanna Dance But I Don't Know How" the following year. After the 1962 release of "I Don't Know (School Girl)," Clarence & Calvin left Fairlane for Duke, renaming themselves the C & C Boys for their label debut, "Hey Marvin." In all, the duo cut four Duke singles, none of them generating more than a shrug at radio — finally, in 1965 they traveled to Rick Hall's Fame Studio in Muscle Shoals, AL to record "Step by Step" and its flip side, "Rooster Knees and Rice." Atlantic Records took notice and released "Step by Step" on its Atco subsidiary but it flopped. In 1966 Clarence, Calvin and group were in an auto accident that left Scott injured. Carter continued as a solo act, signing to the Fame label for 1967's "Tell Daddy," which inspired Etta James' response record, "Tell Mama." Several more solid singles followed until Carter released one of his masterpieces, "Slip Away". The record hit #6 on the Pop Charts. "Too Weak to Fight" also hit #13. Several more great soul singles followed like "Snatching It Back", "At The Dark End of the Street," "The Feeling Is Right," "Doing Our Thing" and "Patches." "Patches", first recorded by Chairmen Of The Board, was a UK number 2 and a US number 4 in 1970.

With the advent of Disco in the mid-1970s Carter's career suffered before he found a new audience with bawdy songs like "Strokin'" for Ichiban Records in the 1980s.

Discography

• 1968 This Is Clarence Carter

• 1969 Testifyin'

• 1969 The Dynamic Clarence Carter

• 1970 Patches

• 1971 That's What Your Love Means to Me

• 1973 Sixty Minutes

• 1974 Real

• 1975 Loneliness & Temptation

• 1976 Heart Full of Song

• 1977 I Got Caught Making Love

• 1977 Let's Burn

• 1981 Mr. Clarence Carter in Person

• 1987 Hooked on Love

• 1989 Touch of Blues

• 1990 Between a Rock and a Hard Place

• 1992 Have You Met Clarence Carter...Yet?

• 1994 Live with the Dr.

• 1994 Dr. C.C.

• 1995 Together Again

• 1995 I Couldn't Refuse

• 1996 Carter's Corner

• 1997 Too Weak to Fight

• 1999 Bring It to Me

• 2001 Live in Johannesburg

• 2003 All Ya'll Feeling Alright

• 2005 One More Hit

• 2007 Messin' with My Mind