Welcome to some achingly beautiful but "not-so-easy" listening. This is the 1970 phenomenon called PATCHES, as sung by Clarence Carter. It became #1 on the U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #2 on the R&B Chart, #2 in the UK Singles Chart, #16 in Canada, and #10 in Australia.
In other words, PATCHES swept the globe and left listeners in tears! In 1971, PATCHES went on to win a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Song for its writers, Ronald Dunbar and General Johnson.
THE BEGINNING
Although Clarence Carter is known for the song PATCHES, he was not the first to sing it. It was originally sung by a group called Chairmen of the Board in July 1970. Clarence Carter heard the song and was encouraged by producer Rick Hall at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals to sing it. Clarence hesitated at first, but he finally gave in and sang the song. He said he had "his own idea of how the song should be sung." His version was so convincing that people actually thought he was singing about himself and his family.
WHAT WAS THE SONG ABOUT?
PATCHES was a song about a poor Black boy born on "a farm back up in the woods" of Alabama. This was a two-parent household; the mother cooked and cared for the many children, and the father worked the field. Unfortunately, the family was dirt-poor, and they did not catch many breaks. In fact, some of the lyrics said of the father: "Oh, life had kicked him down to the ground; when he tried to get up, life would kick him back down. One day papa called me to his dying bed, put his hand on my shoulders and in tears he said, 'Patches, I'm depending on you son, to pull the family through. My child, it's all left up to you.'"
After Papa died, Patches had to work the fields and feed the chickens every single morning before going off to school. Although he sometimes dreamed of running away, he stayed to help his mother care for his siblings. Years later, after all the children were grown and gone on to their own lives, Patches' mother died and "the angels took her to a brand new home." Only then was Patches finally free to pursue his own dreams.
I'm not crying... YOU are!
WHO WAS CLARENCE CARTER?
Clarence Carter was born blind on January 14, 1936 in Montgomery, Alabama -- but not on a farm, like the boy in his song. He had "one of the most distinctive voices in Southern soul and rhythm and blues." He did not let his lack of sight limit him and soon learned to play guitar by listening to blues musicians such as John Lee Hooker, Lightnin’ Hopkins, and Jimmy Reed. He studied piano at the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind, and attended Alabama State College (now Alabama State University). He earned a bachelor’s degree in music in 1960 and learned to write musical arrangements in Braille.
Carter began recording with fellow musician Calvin Scott during the 1960s, blowing audiences away with his powerful baritone voice, his skill on the guitar, his humor, and his "unmistakable laugh." Recording at the legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Clarence produced major hits including “Slip Away,” “Too Weak to Fight,” “Back Door Santa,” and “Patches.” “Slip Away,” “Too Weak to Fight,” and “Patches” each earned gold records. His recording “Tell Daddy” also inspired Etta James’s celebrated hit “Tell Mama.”
Clarence enjoyed another burst of popularity in the 1980s with “Strokin’,” which became an enduring favorite with adult R&B audiences. Over his career, he released 37 albums and was inducted into both the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and, in 2003, the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. He performed well into his later years, and died on May 13, 2026, at age 90.
THE FAMOUS LYRICS!
This song was originally posted at this address: https://youtu. be/ dbS8BQwBkuI?si=DlAz4PYGAp_V1tB6
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