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Mel Carter

{{Use American English|date=June 2023}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2023}}

{{short description|American soul singer}}

{{BLP sources|date=October 2017}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Mel Carter

| image = Mel Carter.png

| caption = Carter in 1966

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1939|4|22}}

|birth_place = Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.

| death_date =

| origin =

| genre = Soul, pop

| occupation = Singer, actor

| years_active = 1960–present

| label =

}}

Mel Carter (born April 22, 1939) is an American soul and pop singer and actor. He is best known for his 1965 million-selling recording "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me".

Biography

Carter was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.{{Cite web |title=Mel Carter Biography, Songs, & Albums |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mel-carter-mn0000342834/biography |access-date=2023-06-20 |website=AllMusic |language=en}} At age 16, he studied singing with vocalist Little Jimmy Scott. Carter recorded for Sam Cooke's SAR (Derby Records) in the early 1960s and had his first hit in 1963 at the age of 24 with "When a Boy Falls in Love", which was co-written by Cooke.

By the time he reached his commercial peak with Imperial Records in the middle of the decade, he was specializing in pop ballads. His biggest success was the Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me", which reached Number 8 in 1965. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.{{cite book

| first= Joseph

| last= Murrells

| year= 1978

| title= The Book of Golden Discs

| edition= 2nd

| publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd

| location= London

| page= [https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/188 188]

| isbn= 0-214-20512-6

| url-access= registration

| url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/188

}} He had a couple of other Top 40 entries over the next year, "Band of Gold" and "All of a Sudden My Heart Sings", as well as a few other easy listening sellers.

Carter appeared on the DVD of the PBS special, Doo Wop 51, recorded in 2001 performing his hit; he also appeared on another PBS special, Magic Moments: The Best of 50s Pop, performing a tribute to Billy Williams ("I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter") and Tommy Edwards ("It's All in the Game").

Carter later acted on television programs such as Quincy, M.E.; Sanford and Son; Marcus Welby, M.D.; The Eddie Capra Mysteries as Albert Crane; CHiPs; and Magnum, P.I.; and in films such as Friday Foster (1975); Chesty Anderson, USN (1976); American Raspberry (1977); and Angel (1984).

Singles

class="wikitable"
rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2"| Title

! colspan="5"| Chart positions

! rowspan="2"| Album

width="45"|US

! width="45"|US
AC

! width="45"|CA
CHUM RPM

! width="45"|CA
AC

! width="45"|AU

1960

|"I'm Coming Home"
b/w "Sugar"

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| rowspan="3"|Non-album tracks

1961

|"I Need You So"
b/w "When I Grow Too Old To Dream"

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

1962

|"Who Do You Love" (with Clydie King)
b/w "The Wrong Side Of Town"

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

rowspan="2"|1963

|"Wonderful Love"
b/w "Time Of Young Love"

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

|rowspan="3"|When A Boy Falls In Love

"When A Boy Falls In Love"A
b/w "So Wonderful"

| align="center"| 44

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| 14

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

rowspan="2"|1964

|"Why I Call Her Mine"
b/w "Time Of Young Love"

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

"Deed I Do"
b/w "What's On Your Mind" (from Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me)

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| Non-album track

rowspan="4"| 1965

| "The Richest Man Alive"
b/w "I'll Never Be Free"

| align="center"| 104

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| rowspan="3"|Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me

"I Just Can't Imagine"
b/w "High Noon"

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

"Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me"
b/w "A Sweet Little Girl"

| align="center"| 8

| align="center"| 1

| align="center"| 2

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| 21

"(All Of A Sudden) My Heart Sings"
b/w "When I Hold The Hand Of The One I Love"

| align="center"| 38

| align="center"| 3

| align="center"| 22

| align="center"| 6

| align="center"| 48

|rowspan="3"|(All Of A Sudden) My Heart Sings

rowspan="4"| 1966

| "Love Is All We Need"
b/w "I Wish I Didn't Love You So"

| align="center"| 50

| align="center"| 21

| align="center"| 34

| align="center"| 2

| align="center"| —

"Band Of Gold"
b/w "Detour" (from Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me)

| align="center"| 32

| align="center"| 1

| align="center"| 38

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

"You, You, You"
b/w "If You Lose Her" (Non-album track)

| align="center"| 49

| align="center"| 11

| align="center"| 38

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| rowspan="2"|Easy Listening

"Take Good Care Of Her"
b/w "Tar and Cement"

| align="center"| 78

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

rowspan="4"| 1967

| "As Time Goes By"
b/w "Look To The Rainbow"

| align="center"| 111

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| rowspan="2"|Non-album tracks

"Edelweiss"
b/w "For Once In My Life"

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

"Enter Laughing"
b/w "Star Dust" (Non-album track)

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

|Enter Laughing (Soundtrack)

"Be My Love"
b/w "I Look Into Your Eyes"

| align="center"| 132

| align="center"| 23

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

|rowspan="2"|Be My Love

rowspan="2"|1968

|"Excuse Me"
b/w "The Other Woman"

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

"I Pretend"
b/w "Didn't We"

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| 38

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| Non-album tracks

rowspan="2"|1969

|"San Francisco Is A Lonely Town"
b/w "Everything Stops For A Little While"

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| This Is My Life

"Another Saturday Night"
b/w "Coming From You"

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| Non-album tracks

1970

|"Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye"
b/w "This Is Your Life"

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| This Is My Life

1973

|"Do Me Wrong, But Do Me
b/w "She Is Me"

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| rowspan="5"|Non-album tracks

1974

| "I Only Have Eyes For You"
b/w "Treasure of Love"

| align="center"| 104

| align="center"| 39

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

1976

| "My Coloring Book"
b/w "Put A Little Love Away"

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| 47

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

rowspan="2"|1981

| "You Changed My Life Again"
b/w "I Don't Want To Get Over You"

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| 12

| align="center"| —

"I Don't Want To Get Over You"
b/w "Who's Right, Who's Wrong"

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

  • A"When a Boy Falls In Love" also peaked at #30 on R&B charts.

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{Wikiquote}}

  • [http://www.mel-carter.com/ Mel Carter's website]
  • {{AllMusic}}
  • {{IMDb name|0141809|Mel Carter}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Mel}}

Category:1939 births

Category:Living people

Category:20th-century African-American male singers

Category:20th-century American male singers

Category:20th-century American singers

Category:American soul musicians

Category:American pop musicians

Category:Arwin Records artists

Category:Bell Records artists

Category:Imperial Records artists

Category:Singers from Cincinnati

{{Ohio-bio-stub}}