Carl Carlton (born Karl Walter Ahlerich Buskohl, 20 April 1955) is a German rock guitarist, composer and producer. His collaboration with

Robert Palmer Robert Allen Palmer (19 January 1949 – 26 September 2003) was an English singer and songwriter. He was known for his powerful and soulful voice, sartorial elegance and stylistic explorations, combining soul, funk, jazz, rock, pop, regga ...

culminated in the

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

-nominated album ''

Drive Drive or The Drive may refer to: Motoring * Driving, the act of controlling a vehicle * Road trip, a journey on roads Roadways Roadways called "drives" may include: * Driveway, a private road for local access to structures, abbreviated "drive" * ...

'', released in 2003. In 2005, Carlton joined

Eric Burdon Eric Victor Burdon (born 11 May 1941) is an English singer and songwriter. He was previously the lead vocalist of the rhythm and blues, R&B and Rock music, rock band The Animals and the funk band War (band), War. He is regarded as one of the Br ...

and

the Animals The Animals, currently billed as Eric Burdon & the Animals (featuring original frontman Eric Burdon) and also as Animals & Friends (featuring original drummer John Steel (drummer), John Steel), are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Ne ...

. The collaboration resulted in the Grammy-nominated album '' Soul of a Man'', released in 2006. Carlton has released five albums with his own band, Carl Carlton and the Songdogs and two solo albums.

Early career

Carlton grew up on a farm in

Northern Germany Northern Germany (, ) is a linguistic, geographic, socio-cultural and historic region in the northern part of Germany which includes the coastal states of Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Lower Saxony and the two city-states Hambur ...

, leaving for the Netherlands at age 17. Starting in

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

, Carlton played in numerous rock bands, including

Herman Brood Hermanus "Herman" Brood (; 5 November 1946 – 11 July 2001) was a Dutch musician, painter, actor and poet. As a musician he achieved artistic and commercial success in the 1970s and 1980s, and was called "the greatest and only Dutch rock 'n' r ...

and his Wild Romance, Long Tall Ernie and the Shakers (with whom he recorded a gold record in 1977), and Vitesse. In 1979, he traveled across the Atlantic to become a guitarist for the band

Mink DeVille Mink DeVille was a Rock music, rock band founded in 1974, known for its association with early punk rock bands at New York City, New York's CBGB nightclub and for being a showcase for the music of Willy DeVille. The band recorded six albums in th ...

. In the 1980s Carlton also played with

Manfred Mann's Earth Band Manfred Mann's Earth Band are an English rock band formed by South African musician Manfred Mann (musician), Manfred Mann. Their hits include covers of Bruce Springsteen's "For You (Bruce Springsteen song), For You", "Blinded by the Light" an ...

. Most notably at the time, Carlton performed as a guitarist, composer and producer for two of Germany's biggest rock stars,

Peter Maffay Peter Alexander Makkay (born 30 August 1949), known as Peter Maffay (), is a Romanian-born German musician, singer, and composer. Being a veteran musician, he is often credited for motivating audiences with his emotional lyrics and powerful mel ...

and

Udo Lindenberg Udo Lindenberg (born 17 May 1946) is a German singer, composer, and painter. Career Lindenberg started his musical career as a drummer. In 1969, he founded his first band Free Orbit, and also appeared as a studio and guest musician (with Micha ...

, with whom he recorded thirteen and six albums, respectively. Of these, eleven singles topped the charts. During this period, Carlton married and had two children, Max and Jessica Buskohl (Max has since followed in his father's footsteps with his own band, Empty Trash

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

and a solo album Sidewalk Conversation - Universal.) At the end of the 1980s, Carlton began writing film and television scores, while, in addition, he played guitar for

Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances featuring expressive body movements. Most of his best-known singles, such as "Feelin' Alright ...

, Keb Mo,

Jimmy Barnes James Dixon Barnes ( Swan; born 28 April 1956) is an Australian rock singer. His career, both as a solo performer and as the lead vocalist with the rock band Cold Chisel, has made him one of the most popular and best-selling Australian music a ...

Mother's Finest Mother's Finest is an American funk rock band founded in Atlanta, Georgia, by the vocal duo of Joyce "Baby Jean" Kennedy and Glenn "Doc" Murdock in 1970 when the pair met up with guitarist Gary "Moses Mo" Moore and bassist Jerry "Wyzard" Seay. ...

Simple Minds Simple Minds are a Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977, becoming best known internationally for their song "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Billboard Hot 100, Hot 100 ...

and numerous other bands.

Personal projects

In the early 1990s, Carlton and longtime musical partner Bertram Engel, a drummer, formed a band called New Legend, which also included keyboardist Pascal Kravetz and the two Dutch blues rockers Harry de Winter and Peter Bootsman. Two CDs were released before the band broke up two years later due to personality conflicts. In 1994, Carlton took up residence in Dublin, which at the time was one of the few pulsating metropolises for music in Europe. In 1999, Carlton again formed a band of his own, Carl Carlton and the Songdogs, which consisted of a multi-national line-up of musicians. In 2001, Carlton convinced Robert Palmer, with whom he had worked previously as a guitar player, to record a version of "Milk Cow's Calf Blues" with him as part of a tribute album to

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His singing, guitar playing and songwriting on his landmark 1936 and 1937 recordings have influenced later generations of musicians. Although his r ...

. The resulting compilation, ''

Hellhound on My Trail "Hellhound on My Trail" (originally "Hell Hound on My Trail") is a blues song recorded by Mississippi Delta bluesman Robert Johnson in June 1937 and released as a 78 rpm single on Vocalion Records that September. It was inspired by earlier blues s ...

'', was nominated for a Grammy. Its success convinced Palmer and Carlton to co-produce another pure blues album, the Grammy-nominated ''Drive'', in 2003. Drive was also named one of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

s Top Ten Blues albums for that year.

Carl Carlton and the Songdogs

The band's inner circle consists of Carlton, guitarist Moses Mo, bassist Wyzard (of the Atlanta funk group

), and Pascal Kravetz. Temporary Songdogs have included

Sonny Landreth Clide Vernon "Sonny" Landreth (born February 1, 1951) is an American blues musician from southwest Louisiana who is especially known as a slide guitar player. He was born in Canton, Mississippi, and settled in Lafayette, Louisiana. He lives in Br ...

, keyboardist

Ian McLagan Ian Patrick McLagan (; 12 May 1945 – 3 December 2014) was an English keyboardist, best known as a member of the rock bands Small Faces and Faces. He also collaborated with the Rolling Stones and led his own band from the late 1970s. He was i ...

Levon Helm Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm (May 26, 1940 – April 19, 2012) was an American musician who achieved fame as the drummer and one of the three lead vocalists for The Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Hel ...

and

Garth Hudson Eric Garth Hudson (August 2, 1937 – January 21, 2025) was a Canadian multi-instrumentalist best known as the keyboardist and occasional saxophonist for The Band. He was a principal architect of the group's sound and was described as "the mo ...

. The band's first album, ''Revolution Avenue'', was recorded at Dockside Studios in Louisiana. A second LP called ''Love & Respect'' was released three years later. With more of an international membership than before, the band this time in addition to its core members consisted of Robert Palmer, Levon Helm, Sonny Landreth, Jon Smith, the White Trash Horns,

Bobby Keys Robert Henry Keys (December 18, 1943 – December 2, 2014) was an American saxophonist who performed as a member of several horn sections of the 1970s. He appears on albums by the Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Harry Nilsson, Delaney ...

and

Xavier Naidoo Xavier Kurt Naidoo (; born 2 October 1971) is a German soul and R&B singer, songwriter and record producer. He is a founding member of German band Söhne Mannheims, and started two record labels, Beats Around the Bush and Naidoo Records. Naid ...

. ''Love & Respect'' was also recorded at Dockside Studios. Martin Huch, a multi-instrumentalist, was soon hired along with Wayne P. Sheehy for live performances. At the end of the ''Love & Respect'' tour Carlton collapsed from exhaustion due to an unrelenting work schedule. The incident was caught live by television cameras. Several weeks later, in the midst of doing PR for the ''Drive'' album, Robert Palmer died suddenly. The next Songdogs album, ''Cahoots & Roots'', was released in 2005. Also in 2005, Carlton joined

and

The Animals The Animals, currently billed as Eric Burdon & the Animals (featuring original frontman Eric Burdon) and also as Animals & Friends (featuring original drummer John Steel (drummer), John Steel), are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Ne ...

and recorded a blues album called ''Soul of a Man'' with

Ivan Neville Ivan Neville (born August 19, 1959) is an American multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, and songwriter. He is the son of Aaron Neville and nephew to the other members of The Neville Brothers. Career Neville has released four solo albums and ...

James "Hutch" Hutchinson James "Hutch" Hutchinson (born January 24, 1953) is an American session bassist best known for his work with Bonnie Raitt. Though his work takes him nearly everywhere he primarily resides in Studio City, Los Angeles, California, and Haiku-Pauw ...

Ricky Fataar Ricky Fataar (born 5 September 1952) is a South African musician of Malay descent who has performed as both a drummer and a guitarist. He gained fame as an actor in ''The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash'', a spoof on the Beatles, in which he per ...

, and Mike Finnegan. It too was nominated for a Grammy. Carlton, who in the meantime had given up his second home in Mallorca and taken up residence on the island of

Gozo Gozo ( ), known in classical antiquity, antiquity as Gaulos, is an island in the Malta#The Maltese archipelago, Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After the Malta Island, island of Malta ...

near Malta, began making a fourth album called ''Songs for the Lost and Brave'', whose fifteen tracks explored the many bitter blows dealt to Carlton in recent years, including a divorce from his second wife. By this time,

Zack Alford Zachary "Zack" Alford is a professional drummer, known for his work with the B-52's, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie and Tomoyasu Hotei. Alford was brought in by Danny Kortchmar to drum on Billy Joel's '' River of Dreams'' album. He played drums ...

, a drummer who had played for both

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

and

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

, had been added to the band, which was invited by Levon Helm, one of Carlton's closest friends, to record the new album at Helm's studio in Woodstock, New York. One of the album's tracks, a cover of

Stephen Stills Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Crosby, Stills & Nash; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; and Manassas (band ...

' "For What It's Worth", included the voices of Carlton's son, Max Buskohl, and Eric Burdon. Carlton and his son also joined together for a track on

Klaus Voormann Klaus Otto Wilhelm Voormann (born 29 April 1938) is a German graphic artist, artist, musician, and record producer. Voormann was the bassist for Manfred Mann from 1966 to 1969, and performed as a session musician on a host of recordings, includ ...

's album, ''A Sideman's Journey''. In 2020 Carl Carlton and the Songdogs released a "Best Of album", a luxurious box set including an extensive booklet, four vinyl albums, a double CD, one vinyl 45", a hand signed poster and unique memorabilia.

"Toast to Freedom"

In 2011, Carlton and

Larry Campbell Larry W. Campbell (born February 28, 1948) is a Canadian politician who was the 37th mayor of Vancouver, Canada, from 2002 until 2005, and a member of the Senate of Canada from 2005 until his retirement in 2023. Before he was mayor, Campbe ...

wrote "

Toast to Freedom "Toast to Freedom" is a commemorative song for Amnesty International. It was written by Carl Carlton (German musician), Carl Carlton and Larry Campbell (musician), Larry Campbell and recorded with contributions by nearly 50 musicians from all over ...

", a commemorative song to celebrate

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

's 50th Anniversary. Carl Carlton & the Songdogs backed up more than 50 internationally renowned musicians, who contributed to the song in Levon Helm's studio The Barn in Woodstock, among them

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (June 22, 1936 – September 28, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a pioneering figure in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, moving away from the polished Nashville sound and toward a m ...

Warren Haynes Warren Haynes (born April 6, 1960) is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known for his work as longtime guitarist with the Allman Brothers Band and as founding member of the jam band Gov't Mule. Early in his career he was ...

Donald Fagen Donald Jay Fagen (born January 10, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and musician who is the co-founder, lead singer, co-songwriter, and keyboardist of the rock band Steely Dan, formed in the early 1970s with musical partner Walter Becker ...

, Keb Mo,

Rosanne Cash Rosanne Cash (born May 24, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter and author. She is the eldest daughter of country musician Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian Cash. Although Cash is often classified as a country artist, her music draws f ...

Carly Simon Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Billboard Hot 100, top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation (song), Anticipatio ...

Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (29 December 1946 – 30 January 2025) was an English singer and actress who achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her UK top 10 single " As Tears Go By". She became one of the leading female art ...

Jane Birkin Jane Mallory Birkin ( ; 14 December 1946 – 16 July 2023) was a British and French actress, singer, and designer. She had a prolific career as an actress, mostly in French cinema. A native of London, Birkin began her career as an actress, ...

and many others. "Toast to Freedom" was produced by

Bob Clearmountain Bob Clearmountain (born Chiaramonte, January 15, 1953) is an American mixing engineer and record producer, best known for his work with major acts, including Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Roxy Music, Pretenders, and Bryan A ...

and released by Amnesty International on 3 May 2012.

Associated acts

A selection of projects and bands for which Carlton has played guitar: *

Alannah Myles Alannah Myles (née Byles; born December 25, 1958) is a Canadian singer-songwriter who has won both a Grammy and a Juno Award for the song " Black Velvet". The song was a top-ten hit in Canada and a number one hit on the US ''Billboard'' Hot ...

Amanda Marshall Amanda Meta Marshall (born August 29, 1972) is a Canadian Juno award winning pop-rock singer and songwriter. She has released four studio albums; the first was certified diamond in Canada, with the second and third certified 3× platinum and p ...

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after National Football League, NFL and Canadian Football Lea ...

Carl Carlton Carl Carlton (born May 21, 1953) is an American R&B, soul, and funk singer-songwriter, best known for his hits " Everlasting Love" and " She's a Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked)". Background Carlton was born in Detroit, Michigan, an ...

& the Songdogs *

Damien Dempsey Damien Dempsey (born 9 June 1975) is an Irish singer and songwriter who mixes traditional Irish folk contemporary lyrics that deliver social and political commentaries on Irish society. Damien sings in his native, working-class accent in the Eng ...

Ellen Foley Ellen Foley (born June 5, 1951) is an American singer and actress who has appeared on Broadway and television, where she co-starred in the hit NBC sitcom '' Night Court'' during its second season. In music, she has released five solo albums, bu ...

Eric Burdon & the Animals The Animals, currently billed as Eric Burdon & the Animals (featuring original frontman Eric Burdon) and also as Animals & Friends (featuring original drummer John Steel (drummer), John Steel), are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Ne ...

Fun Lovin' Criminals Fun Lovin' Criminals are an American rap rock band from New York City. They are best known for their hit "Scooby Snacks (song), Scooby Snacks", which features samples from films by Quentin Tarantino, and the song "Love Unlimited", which referenc ...

* Herman Brood & His Wild Romance *Hollander *

Keb' Mo' Kevin Roosevelt Moore (born October 3, 1951), known as Keb' Mo', is an American blues musician. He is a singer, guitarist and songwriter, living in Nashville, Tennessee. He has been described as "a living link to the seminal Delta blues that tra ...

Long Tall Ernie and the Shakers Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music mensu ...

*New Legend *Raiders of the Last Corvette *

Nina Hagen Catharina "Nina" Hagen (; born 11 March 1955) is a German singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her theatrical vocals and rise to prominence during the punk and Neue Deutsche Welle movements in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She is ...

Paul Young Paul Antony Young (born 17 January 1956) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & the Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, he became a teen idol with his solo success in the 1980s. H ...

* Peter Maffay Band *

Stephan Remmler Stephan Remmler (born 25 October 1946) is a German singer, composer and producer. He became famous as the lead singer of the German band Trio, alongside Gert Krawinkel, who played the guitar, and Peter Behrens, who played the drums. After the ...

& die Steher *Tony Sarno's All-Americans *

Time Bandits ''Time Bandits'' is a 1981 British fantasy adventure film co-written, produced, and directed by Terry Gilliam. It stars David Rappaport, Sean Connery, John Cleese, Shelley Duvall, Ralph Richardson, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Michael ...

* Udo Lindenbergs Panik-Orchester * Vitesse * Wolfgang Niedeckens Leopardefell-Band *Yah Yahs

Production work

Carlton has been a producer for many artists and projects. These include: * Madness * Max Buskohl/Empty Trash *

*''Tabaluga & Lilli'' (musical) *''Tabaluga & the Magic Jadestone'' (musical) *

The Dead 60s The Dead 60s were an English ska punk band from Liverpool. The band's sound is a mixture of punk rock, ska, dub and reggae. They have taken influences from artists such as King Tubby, Jackie Mittoo, Gang of Four and A Certain Ratio. Hist ...

Yothu Yindi Yothu Yindi (Yolŋu Matha, Yolngu for "child and mother", pronounced , natively ) are an Australian musical group with Australian Aboriginal, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal members, formed in 1986 as a merger of two bands formed in 1985 – a wh ...

Discography

Carl Carlton & the Songdogs

Albums

*2001: ''Revolution Avenue'' (also as an LP with two bonus tracks) *2003: ''Love & Respect'' (also as a

digipak Optical disc packaging is the packaging that accompanies CDs, DVDs, and other formats of optical discs. Most packaging is rigid or semi-rigid and designed to protect the media from scratches and other types of exposure damage. Jewel case A ...

with one bonus track) *2004: ''CaHoots & Roots: Live from Planet Zod'' (live double CD) *2008: ''Songs for the Lost and Brave'' *2014: ''Lights Out In Wonderland''(Solo Album) *2017: ''Woodstock & Wonderland'' (live Album) *2020: ''Lifelong Guarantee'' (Best Of... Box Set)

Singles

*2001: "Coming Home" *2003: "Days of Magic" *2004: "Instant Karma" *2008: "For What It's Worth" (with Max Buskohl and

) *2012: "Toast To Freedom" Song for Amnesty International 50th anniversary feat. Levon Helm, Keb Mo, Taj Mahal, Ewan McGregor e.i. *2012: "King of the USA" *2014: "Moonlight in New York" *2019: "When the monkeys run the zoo"

Film scores and musical compositions

*''Damals in der DDR'' (documentary film series) *''

Lethal Obsession ''Lethal Obsession'' (, also known as ''The Joker'') is a 1987 German crime-thriller film written and directed by Peter Patzak and starring Peter Maffay, Tahnee Welch, Michael York, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Elliott Gould Elliott Gould (; né Gold ...

'' (director:

Peter Patzak Peter Patzak (2 January 1945 – 11 March 2021) was an Austrian film director and screenwriter. He directed 60 films from 1973 to 2021. His film ''Kassbach – Ein Porträt'' was entered into the 29th Berlin International Film Festival and his f ...

) *'' Midnight Cop'' (director: Peter Patzak) *''Napoleon'' (documentary TV series) *' (film) *''Swansong: Story of Occi Byrne'' (film) *''Tabaluga & Lilli'' (musical) *''Tabaluga & the Magic Jadestone'' (musical)

References

External links

Official website
(in German)
ToastToFreedom.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carlton, Carl 1955 births Living people German male composers German composers German rock guitarists German male guitarists