CARLA THOMAS

HERE'S OTIS AND CARLA!!! 

I posted some time back about Rufus Thomas well this next post is about his daughter Carla a real soul sister!

At the age of 17, she recorded a duet with her father Rufus Thomas, "Because I Love You," which became a Southern hit and gave the Satellite record label (later Stax Records) its first real success. In 1961 she rose to national prominence with "Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)," which reached #5 on the R&B chart and #10 on the Pop chart, became the first Memphis soulrecord to have an impact nationwide and insuring the success of the Stax Records label.

In the next ten years, she had twenty two singles on the national charts, including "I’ll Bring It on Home to You" (an answer to Sam Cooke’s "Bring It on Home to Me"), "Let Me Be Good To You" (not to be confused with a Lou Rawls track of the same name), and Isaac Hayes’ "B-A-B-Y." She is well-known for her duets with Otis Redding, from the album King & Queen, including the recordings of the Lowell Fulson composition "Tramp" and the Steve Cropper/Eddie Floydsong, "Knock on Wood".

In 1993 Carla Thomas received a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. Carla Thomas co-starred in the 2003 D.A. Pennebaker directed documentary "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of both the Cannes and Sundance Film Festivals.