Carlton Neron Thomas (born June 15, 1972) is an American R&B singer.

Biography

Thomas was born in Aurora, Illinois and attended East Aurora High School. He sang around Chicago and became a member of The Fourmula. He branched out, however, and traveled to New York City, where he sang at clubs during open-mic nights. One such performance caught the eye of Sean "Puffy" Combs, who signed Thomas to

Bad Boy Entertainment Bad Boy Records (or Bad Boy Entertainment) is an American record label founded in 1993 by rapper Sean "Puffy" Combs. It operates as an imprint of Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. It has been home to many artists, including ...

in 1997.

Career

With the single " I Wish" released in late 1999, topping the R&B charts for six consecutive weeks, creating strong interest. '' Emotional'', his debut album was released on April 18, 2000. On the strength of this single, and the album's other singles, "Summer Rain" at No. 18, which also appeared on the soundtrack to the 2000 film version of ''

Shaft Shaft may refer to: Rotating machine elements * Shaft (mechanical engineering), a rotating machine element used to transmit power * Line shaft, a power transmission system * Drive shaft, a shaft for transferring torque * Axle, a shaft around whi ...

'', and the title track "Emotional" at No. 8 on the R&B charts, the album was certified platinum with over 1 million in sales. Later rapper Jay-Z's " I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)" interpolated Thomas' "I Wish" on his 2000 album '' The Dynasty: Roc La Familia''. He sung in the track "Everyday" on The Understanding. His second album, ''

Let's Talk About It ''Let's Talk About It'' is the second album by American R&B singer Carl Thomas. It was released by Bad Boy Records and Universal Records on March 23, 2004 in America. Originally scheduled for a November 18, 2003 release, the album was delayed ...

'', was released on March 23, 2004. Although two singles – "She Is" and "

" – were released, they charted poorly. Lack of promotion caused by the death of Thomas's brother Duranthony Evans, who was killed in a drive-by on Halloween night on Aurora's east side was a contributing factor. This devastated Thomas, causing him to take a sabbatical from his music and the promotion of the album. The album was highly anticipated due to the length of time that had passed since ''Emotional'' but was not well received by fans. In 2005, Thomas was featured on R&B singer Amerie's second album '' Touch'', on the ninth track, entitled "Can We Go". On the 2006 2Pac album ''

Pac's Life ''Pac's Life'' is the tenth and final studio album by American rapper 2Pac. It is also his seventh posthumous album, released on November 21, 2006, in the United States, on Amaru Entertainment. Its 2006 release date was intended to commemorate ...

'', he was featured beside Hussein Fatal and

Papoose Papoose (from the Algonquian ''papoose'', meaning "child") is an American English word whose present meaning is "a Native American child" (regardless of tribe) or, even more generally, any child, usually used as a term of endearment, often in t ...

on the track "Dumpin'". On December 7, 2006, Thomas earned a Grammy Award nomination, along with Chaka Khan, Yolanda Adams, and the late

Gerald Levert Gerald Edward Levert (July 13, 1966 – November 10, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and producer. Levert was best known for singing with his brother, Sean Levert, and friend Marc Gordon of the vocal group LeVert. Levert was also a ...

, for "Everyday (Family Reunion)", a song from the soundtrack of Tyler Perry's '' Madea's Family Reunion''. The song received a nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo Or Group With Vocals. His third album, '' So Much Better'', was released May 30, 2007, and reached number 25 on the US ''Billboard'' 200. His last contract was with

Verve Music Group Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * '' The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee ...

. Thomas' last album entitled ''Conquer'' was released on December 6, 2011. The first single was "Don't Kiss Me", which featured Snoop Dogg and was written and produced by Rico Love.

Personal life

In 2004, Thomas' brother was killed in a drive-by shooting shortly before ''Let's Talk About It'' came out. His brother was a corrections officer at the Illinois Youth Center in St. Charles before his death. The singer cancelled his tour to deal with his brother's death and his record label established the Duranthony Evans Foundation in his memory. In 2019, Thomas underwent a surgical procedure to remove a noncancerous tumor in his salivary glands.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

References

External links

carlthomaslive.com

Facebook

Carl Thomas bio

VIBE {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Carl 1972 births Living people American contemporary R&B singers Bad Boy Records artists 21st-century African-American male singers