Carla Thomas (born December 21, 1942 in Memphis, Tennessee) is often referred to as the Queen of
Memphis Soul. At the age of 17, she recorded a duet with her father Rufus Thomas, "
Because I Love You", which became a Southern hit and gave the Satellite label (later Stax Records) its first real success. In 1961 she rose to national prominence with "
Gee Whiz (Look in His Eyes)", which reached the Top Ten in both the
R&B and
Pop categories, becoming the first
Memphis soul record to have an impact nationwide and ensuring the success of the Stax Records label. I…
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