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Biography
Infobox musical artist | name = Dee Clark| image =| image_size =| caption =| background = solo_singer| birth_name = Delectus Clark| alias =| birth_date = birth date|df=yes|1938|11|7| Blytheville, Arkansas , US| death_date = death date and age|df=yes|1990|12|7|1938|11|7| Smyrna, Georgia , US| instrument = Human voice|Vocals | origin =| genre = R& B , Pop music|pop | occupation = Singing|Singer | years_active = 1952–1990| label = Abner Records|Abner , Vee-Jay Records|Vee-Jay , Constellation Records|Constellation | associated_acts = The Hambone Kids The Goldentones The Kool Gents| website = Dee Clark (November 7, 1938 – December 7, 1990) was an African-American soul music|soul singing|singer best known for a string of Rhythm and blues|R& B and pop music|pop chart-topper|hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including the ballad "Raindrops," which became a million-seller in the United States in 1961.
Career
He was born Delectus Clark in Blytheville, Arkansas , and moved to Chicago in 1941. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/dee-clark-p16525/biography Biography by Jason Ankeny at Allmusic.com His mother was a gospel music|gospel singer and encouraged her son to pursue his love of music. Clark made his first sound recording and reproduction|recording in 1952 as a member of the Hambone Kids, who enjoyed some success with a recording of "Hambone" on the OKeh Records|OKeh label. In 1953, he joined an R& B group called the Goldentones, who later became the Kool Gents and were discovered by Chicago radio Disc jockey|DJ Herb Kent upon winning a talent competition. Kent got the Kool Gents signed to Vee-Jay Records|Vee-Jay record label|label's subsidiary Falcon/Abner. The group recorded for Falcon/Abner in 1956, and also recorded a novelty record as "The Delegates".
Clark embarked on a solo career in 1957, initially following the styles of Clyde McPhatter and Little Richard . When Little Richard temporarily abandoned his music career to study the Bible, Clark fulfilled Richard's remaining live dates and also recorded with his backing band, the Upsetters. Over the next four years he landed several moderate hits, two of which ("Just Keep It Up" and "Hey Little Girl") reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 ). His records for Abner and Vee-Jay were orchestrated by Riley Hampton. His biggest single, "Raindrops," a power ballad augmented by heavy rain and thunder sound effects and Clark's swooping falsetto , was released in the spring of 1961 and became his biggest hit, soaring to number two on the pop record chart|chart and number three on the R& B charts. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a music recording sales certification|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= 133 | isbn= 0-214-20512-6 "Raindrops" was also an international success, reaching number one in New Zealand and reaching the top ten in South Africa and Belgium , and selling well in Japan . "Raindrops" remains a staple on oldies and adult standards radio station playlist s to this day, and has also been covered by several other artists in the years since, including David Cassidy , Tony Orlando and Dawn (group)|Dawn , and most notably Narvel Felts , who took the song to number 30 on the Hot Country Songs|country chart in 1974. Clark himself recorded an updated version of "Raindrops" in 1973.
However, Clark's biggest hit was also his last. The follow-up to "Raindrops," "Don't Walk Away From Me," was a flop, and he made the pop charts in America only twice more, with "I'm Going Back to School" (1962) and "Crossfire Time" (1963). By the time "Crossfire Time" came out, Clark had moved from Vee-Jay to the Constellation label. Though he continued to record for Constellation through 1966, none of his records charted. He later recorded for the Columbia Records|Columbia , Wand Records|Wand , Liberty Records|Liberty and Rocky labels, without success. Clark had a brief revival in 1975 when his song "Ride a Wild Horse" became a surprise Top 30 hit in the UK Singles Chart , becoming his first chart hit in the United Kingdom|UK since "Just Keep It Up."cite book | first= David | last= Roberts | year= 2006 | title= British Hit Singles & Albums | edition= 19th | publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London | isbn= 1-904994-10-5 | page= 108
Afterward, Clark performed mostly on the oldies circuit. By the late 1980s, he was in dire straits financially, living in a welfare hotel in Toccoa, Georgia|Toccoa , Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia . Despite suffering a stroke in 1987 that left him partially paralyzed and with a mild speech impediment, he continued to perform until his death on December 7, 1990, in Smyrna, Georgia , from a myocardial infarction|heart attack at the age of 52. His last concert was with the Jimmy Gilstrap Band at the Portman Lounge in Anderson, South Carolina .
Chart singles
Year
Single
Chart Positions
US Pop cite book
US R& B cite book
UK cite book
1958
"Nobody But You"
21
3
-
1959
"Just Keep It Up"
18
9
26
"Hey Little Girl"
20
2
-
"How About That"
33
10
-
1960
"At My Front Door"
56
-
-
"You're Looking Good"
43
-
-
1961
"Your Friends"
34
30
-
"Raindrops"
2
3
-
1962
"I'm Going Back To School"
52
18
-
1963
"Crossfire Time"
92
n/ a Billboard R& B chart not published at that time
-
1975
"Ride a Wild Horse"
-
-
16
References
Reflist
External links
http://www.tsimon.com/dclark.htm Dee Clark bio
Persondata | NAME = Clark, Dee | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH = November 7, 1938 | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = December 7, 1990 | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Dee Category:1938 births Category:1990 deaths Category:African American singers Category:American male singers Category:American pop musicians Category:American soul musicians Category:American soul singers Category:People from Mississippi County, Arkansas Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:Vee-Jay Records artists Category:Deaths from myocardial infarction
fr:Dee Clark
Copyright Citations
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