Carla Thomas - B-A-B-Y | Soul Sunday

Carla Thomas and Memphis Soul have been inextricably linked going back nearly to her birth in 1942. En route to charting as a teenager and young adult with hits like 1960’s “Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes),” “B-A-B-Y” in 1966, and “Tramp,” her exuberant 1967 duet with Otis Redding, Carla logged eight years as a member of the Teen Town Singers, an ensemble she joined in 1952 at age 10, several years younger than her fellow performers. The group was a creation of Memphis radio station WDIA, where her father, Rufus Thomas, was a popular deejay. He also emceed talent shows at the Palace Theatre on Beale Street. To hone their shows, broadcast live every Saturday, Teen Towners unstintingly rehearsed after school Wednesdays and Fridays. Stax released the track “‘Cause I Love You,” a duet of a song she had written at 15 and recorded with her father (and with her brother Marvell on keys) in 1960, the year she graduated Hamilton High and started college. The number, officially by Rufus and Carla, came out on Satellite Records, got the ear of Atlantic producer Jerry Wexler, who signed a deal with Satellite—which soon morphed into Stax Records—to distribute the 45. Among other venues, Thomas performed on American Bandstand. She went on to chart regularly in the pop and R&B categories, and when she and Redding blew up with “Tramp” they capitalized on that record’s success with an LP of duets entitled “King & Queen.” That collaboration ended tragically when a December 1967 plane crash claimed Redding and other Stax artists. Thomas soldiered on with appearances such as on the 1972 Wattstax show in Los Angeles. She continued to record, tour, and perform, also working on arts programs in the Memphis public schools. She makes an appearance in the well-regarded 2003 documentary Only the Strong Survive, and in 2007 a long-lost recording of her at the Bohemian Caverns debuted as a two-disc set. At 82, she is still going strong. – Michael Dolan 🔔 Subscribe to the Rhino Channel! https://Rhino.lnk.to/YouTubeSubID 💌 Let's keep in touch! Join the Rhino mailing list to be the first to hear about our new music and merch https://Rhino.lnk.to/emailLY Stay connected with RHINO on... Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RHINO Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rhino_records TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@rhinorecords X https://twitter.com/Rhino_Records ********** RHINO is the ultimate destination for timeless music and unforgettable moments in pop culture! Since 1978, Rhino has been the world’s leading pop culture label specializing in curation of music from the ‘60s, ‘70s, '80s and '90s. We upload classic music and videos from our vault every week so be sure to subscribe and ring the bell 🔔 ! If there’s something you want to see or hear, let us know in the comments 🗣️ Visit Rhino.com to shop our vast catalog of vinyl, CDs, boxed sets, and merchandise. We regularly announce exciting new releases. Join our mailing list via the link in our bio so you don’t miss a chance to expand your collection!