Carlton "King" Coleman (January 20, 1932 – September 11, 2010) was an American rhythm and blues singer and musician, known for providing the vocals for the 1959

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

, " (Do The) Mashed Potatoes", recorded with

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

's band. Over the course of his singing career, Coleman released numerous singles that have been re-released on

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

s, as well as the 2003 retrospective, ''It's Dance Time'', released by Norton Records. He performed on stage as recently as 2005 on a tour of the

U.S. East Coast The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard ...

, headlining the WFMU record fair in New York City. Coleman worked as a radio disc jockey, starting out at Tampa's WTMP and Miami's WFEC and eventually WMBM, where he was one of the city's most popular DJs in the late 1950s. In the mid-`60s, he hosted a popular show on WWRL in New York City, as well as some rock and roll shows at theaters in Manhattan. In more recent years, Coleman hosted a six-hour nightly radio show entitled "Nothing But Love", also on WMBM, now a gospel station. Coleman has also performed as an actor, appearing in several movies and on television programs, including '' Claudine'', '' Welcome Back Kotter'', '' Up the Academy'', and '' Bad Boys II.'' Coleman was also the father of the drummer and recording artist, Tony Coleman, who has often performed with B.B. King. He died in Miami, Florida, at the age of 78.

References

External links

King Coleman DiscographyKing Coleman Myspace page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, King 1932 births 2010 deaths American soul musicians African-American musicians African-American male actors American male actors James Brown vocalists Norton Records artists Musicians from Tampa, Florida