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{{Short description|American soul singer}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2020}}
| name = Dee Clark
{{Infobox musical artist
| image = File:Dee Clark 1960.JPG
| image_size =
| name = Dee Clark
| caption = Clark in 1960
| image = File:Dee Clark 1960.JPG
| background = solo_singer
| caption = Clark in 1960
| birth_name = Delectus Clark
| birth_name = Delecta Clark
| birth_date = {{birth date|1938|11|7|}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1938|11|7|}}
| birth_place = [[Blytheville, Arkansas]], U.S.
| birth_place = [[Blytheville, Arkansas]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1990|12|7|1938|11|7|}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1990|12|7|1938|11|7|}}
| death_place = [[Smyrna, Georgia]], U.S.
| death_place = [[Smyrna, Georgia]], U.S.
| instrument = [[Human voice|Vocals]]
| instrument = Vocals
| origin =
| origin =
| genre = [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]], [[Soul music|Soul]]
| genre = [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]], [[Soul music|Soul]]
| occupation = [[Singer]]
| occupation = Singer
| years_active = 1952–1990
| years_active = 1952–1990
| label = [[Abner Records|Abner]], [[Vee-Jay Records|Vee-Jay]], [[London Records|London]], [[Ewart Abner|Constellation]]
| label = [[Abner Records|Abner]], [[Vee-Jay Records|Vee-Jay]], [[London Records|London]], [[Ewart Abner|Constellation]]
| associated_acts = The Hambone Kids<br />The Goldentones<br />The Kool Gents <br/>[[Phil Upchurch]]
| associated_acts = The Hambone Kids<br />The Goldentones<br />The Kool Gents <br/>[[Phil Upchurch]]
| website =
| website =
}}
}}
'''Dee Clark''' (November 7, 1938 – December 7, 1990)<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/> was an [[United States|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 song "[[Raindrops (Dee Clark song)|Raindrops]]," which became a million-seller in the [[United States]] in 1961.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/>
'''Dee Clark''' (November 7, 1938 – December 7, 1990)<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/> was an American [[soul music|soul]] singer and songwriter best known for a string of [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]] and pop [[chart-topper|hits]] in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including the song "[[Raindrops (Dee Clark song)|Raindrops]]", which became a million-seller in the United States in 1961.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/>


==Career==
==Career==
He was born '''Delectus Clark'''<ref>Shaw, ''Honkers And Shouters'', 1978, p. 324.</ref> or '''Delecta Clark, Jr.'''<ref name="bare">{{cite book| first1= Bob| last1= Eagle| first2= Eric S.| last2= LeBlanc| year= 2013| title= Blues - A Regional Experience| publisher= Praeger Publishers| location= Santa Barbara| pages=164 | isbn= 978-0313344237}}</ref> in [[Blytheville, Arkansas]], and moved to [[Chicago]] in 1941.<ref name=allmusic>[http://www.allmusic.com/artist/dee-clark-p16525/biography Biography by Jason Ankeny at Allmusic.com]</ref> His mother, Essie Mae Clark, 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.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/> 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.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/> Kent had 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".<ref name=allmusic/>
He was born '''Delectus Clark'''<ref>Shaw, ''Honkers And Shouters'', 1978, p. 324.</ref> or '''Delecta Clark, Jr.'''<ref name="bare">{{cite book| first1= Bob| last1= Eagle| first2= Eric S.| last2= LeBlanc| year= 2013| title= Blues – A Regional Experience| publisher= Praeger Publishers| location= Santa Barbara| pages=164 | isbn= 978-0313344237}}</ref> in [[Blytheville, Arkansas]], and moved to Chicago in 1941.<ref name=allmusic>[http://www.allmusic.com/artist/dee-clark-p16525/biography Biography by Jason Ankeny at Allmusic.com]</ref> His mother, Essie Mae Clark, 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.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/> In 1953, he joined an R&B group called the Goldentones, who later became the Kool Gents and were discovered by Chicago radio DJ [[Herb Kent (disc jockey)|Herb Kent]] upon winning a talent competition.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/> Kent had 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".<ref name=allmusic/>


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.<ref name=allmusic/> 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|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]). His records for Abner and Vee-Jay were orchestrated by Riley Hampton.<ref name="whitburnr&b"/> 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]].<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book
Clark embarked on a solo career in 1957,<ref name="LarkinSM"/> 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 (American band)|the Upsetters]].<ref name=allmusic/> Over the next four years he landed several moderate hits, two of which ("[[Just Keep It Up]]" and "[[Hey Little Girl (Dee Clark song)|Hey Little Girl]]") reached the top 20 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]).<ref name="LarkinSM"/> His records for Abner and Vee-Jay were orchestrated by Riley Hampton.<ref name="whitburnr&b"/> His biggest single, "Raindrops", was a dramatic ballad with a mid-tempo Latin beat that was augmented by heavy rain and thunder sound effects and Clark's swooping [[falsetto]]. It was released in the spring of 1961 and became his biggest hit,<ref name="LarkinSM"/> 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]].<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book
| first= Joseph
| first= Joseph
| last= Murrells
| last= Murrells
Line 30: Line 30:
| title= The Book of Golden Discs
| title= The Book of Golden Discs
| edition= 2nd
| edition= 2nd
| publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd
| publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd
| location= London
| location= London
| page= [https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/133 133]
| page= 133
| isbn= 0-214-20512-6
| isbn= 0-214-20512-6}}</ref> "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 [[Tony Orlando and Dawn|Dawn]], and [[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.
| url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/133
}}</ref> "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 [[Tony Orlando and Dawn|Dawn]], and [[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 [[Ewart Abner|Constellation]] label. Though he continued to record for Constellation through 1966, none of his records charted nationally. He had considerable local success in Chicago with such standout recordings as "[[Come Closer (Dee Clark song)|Come Closer]]" (1964), the double-sided hit of "Warm Summer Breezes" and "Heartbreak" (1964), and "TCB" (1965). He later recorded for the [[Columbia Records|Columbia]], [[Wand Records|Wand]], [[Liberty Records|Liberty]] and Rocky labels, without success.<ref name=allmusic/> Clark had a brief revival in 1975 when his disco 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."<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book
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).<ref name="LarkinSM"/> By the time "Crossfire Time" came out, Clark had moved from Vee-Jay to the [[Ewart Abner|Constellation]] label.<ref name="LarkinSM">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Who's Who of Soul Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1993|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-733-9|page=45/6}}</ref> Though he continued to record for Constellation through 1966, none of his records charted nationally. He had considerable local success in Chicago with such standout recordings as "[[Come Closer (Dee Clark song)|Come Closer]]" (1964), the double-sided hit of "Warm Summer Breezes" and "Heartbreak" (1964), and "TCB" (1965).<ref name="LarkinSM"/> He later recorded for the [[Columbia Records|Columbia]], [[Wand Records|Wand]], [[Liberty Records|Liberty]] and Rocky labels, without success.<ref name=allmusic/> Clark had a brief revival in 1975 when his disco song "[[Ride a Wild Horse]]" became a surprise Top 30 hit in the [[UK Singles Chart]],<ref name="LarkinSM"/> becoming his first chart hit in the UK since "[[Just Keep It Up]]".<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book
| first= David
| first= David
| last= Roberts
| last= Roberts
Line 46: Line 48:
| page= 108}}</ref>
| page= 108}}</ref>


Afterwards, 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.<ref>{{Find a Grave|7050317|name=Dee Delecta Clark}}</ref> His last concert was with the Jimmy Gilstrap Band at the Portman Lounge in [[Anderson, South Carolina]].<ref name=allmusic/>
Afterwards, Clark performed mostly on the oldies circuit. By the late 1980s, he was in dire straits financially, living at The Lone Oaks motel in [[Toccoa, Georgia|Toccoa]], 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 heart attack at the age of 52.<ref name="LarkinSM"/> His last concert was with the Jimmy Gilstrap Band at the Portman Lounge in [[Anderson, South Carolina]].<ref name=allmusic/>


==Chart singles==
==Discography==
===Albums===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center;
|-
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
!Year
!Album
! rowspan="2"| Single
![[Record label|Record Label]]
! colspan="3"| Chart Positions
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1959
|align=left| ''How About That''
|rowspan="2"| [[Vee-Jay Records|Abner]]
|-
|align=left| ''Dee Clark''
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1960
|align=left| ''You're Lookin' Good''
|rowspan="2"| [[Vee-Jay Records|Vee-Jay]]
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1961
|align=left| ''Hold On....It's Dee Clark''
|-
|}

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center;
|-
!rowspan="2"|Year
!rowspan="2"|Title
!colspan="3"|Peak chart<br />positions
!rowspan="2"|Record Label
!rowspan="2"|[[A-side and B-side|B-side]]
!rowspan="2"|Album
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="40"| [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]<ref>{{cite book|first=Joel|last=Whitburn|year=2003|title=Top Pop Singles 1955-2002|edition= 1st|publisher=Record Research Inc.|location=Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin|isbn= 0-89820-155-1|page=134}}</ref>
!align=centre| [[Billboard Hot 100|US<br />Pop]]<ref>{{cite book|first=Joel|last=Whitburn|year=2003|title=Top Pop Singles 1955–2002|edition=1st|publisher=Record Research Inc.|location=Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin|isbn=0-89820-155-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnstop00whitbur/page/134 134]|url=https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnstop00whitbur/page/134}}</ref>
! width="40"| [[Billboard Hot R&B]]<ref name="whitburnr&b">{{cite book |title= Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-1995|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |authorlink=Joel Whitburn |year=1996 |publisher=Record Research |page=82}}</ref>
<ref name="whitburnr&b">{{cite book |title= Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–1995|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |authorlink=Joel Whitburn |year=1996 |publisher=Record Research |page=82}}</ref>
! width="40"| [[UK Singles Chart|UK]]<ref name="betts">{{cite book| first= Graham| last= Betts| year=2004| title= Complete UK Hit Singles 1952-2004| edition= 1st|publisher= Collins| location= London| isbn= 0-00-717931-6| page=152}}</ref></small>
<ref name="betts">{{cite book| first= Graham| last= Betts| year=2004| title= Complete UK Hit Singles 1952–2004| edition= 1st|publisher= Collins| location= London| isbn= 0-00-717931-6| page=152}}</ref>
!align=centre| [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|US<br />R&B]]
!align=centre| [[UK Singles Chart|UK]]
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1957
|align=left| "Gloria"
| —
| —
| —
|rowspan="3"| [[Vee-Jay Records|Falcon]]
| "Kangaroo Hop"
|rowspan=""| ''You're Lookin' Good''
|-
|align=left| "Seven Nights"
| —
| —
| —
| "24 Boy Friends"
|rowspan=""| ''Dee Clark''
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1958
|align=left| "Oh Little Girl"
| —
| —
| —
| "Wondering"
|rowspan=""| —
|-
|-
|align=left| "[[Nobody but You (Dee Clark song)|Nobody but You]]"
| rowspan="1"| 1958
| align="left"| "Nobody But You"
| 21
| 21
| 3
| 3
| -
| —
|rowspan="5"| [[Vee-Jay Records|Abner]]
| "When I Call On You"
|rowspan="3"| ''Dee Clark''
|-
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1959
|rowspan="3"| 1959
| align="left"| "Just Keep It Up"
|align=left| "[[Just Keep It Up]]"
| 18
| 18
| 9
| 9
| 26
| 26
| "[[Whispering Grass]]"
|-
|-
| align="left"| "Hey Little Girl"
|align=left| "[[Hey Little Girl (Dee Clark song)|Hey Little Girl]]"
| 20
| 20
| 2
| 2
| -
| —
| "If It Wasn’t for Love"
|-
|-
| align="left"| "How About That"
|align=left| "[[How About That (song)|How About That]]"
| 33
| 33
| 10
| 10
| -
| —
| "Blues Get Off My Shoulder"
|rowspan="2"| ''How About That''
|-
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1960
|rowspan="3"| 1960
| align="left"| "At My Front Door"
|align=left| "[[At My Front Door]]"
| 56
| 56
| -
| —
| -
| —
| "Cling A Ling"
|-
|-
| align="left"| "You're Looking Good"
|align=left| "You're Looking Good"
| 43
| 43
| -
| —
| -
| —
|rowspan="10"| [[Vee-Jay Records|Vee Jay]]
| "Gloria"
|rowspan=""| ''You're Lookin' Good''
|-
|-
|align=left| "Your Friends"
| rowspan="2"| 1961
| align="left"| "Your Friends"
| 34
| 34
| 30
| 30
| -
| —
| "Because I Love You"
|rowspan="2"| ''Hold On....It's Dee Clark''
|-
|-
| align="left"| "[[Raindrops (Dee Clark song)|Raindrops]]"
|rowspan="2"| 1961
|align=left| "[[Raindrops (Dee Clark song)|Raindrops]]"
| 2
| 2
| 3
| 3
| -
| —
| "I Want to Love You"
|-
|-
|align=left| "Don’t Walk Away From Me"
| rowspan="1"| 1962
| 104
| align="left"| "I'm Going Back To School"
| —
| —
| "You’re Telling Our Secrets"
|rowspan=""| —
|-
|rowspan="3"| 1962
|align=left| "You Are Like the Wind"
| —
| —
| —
| "Drums in My Heart"
|rowspan=""| —
|-
|align=left| "Dance on Little Girl"
| —
| —
| —
| "[[Fever (Little Willie John song)|Fever]]"
|rowspan=""| —
|-
|align=left| "[[I'm Going Back to School]]"
| 52
| 52
| 18
| 18
| -
| —
| "Nobody but You"
|rowspan=""| —
|-
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1963
|rowspan="4"| 1963
| align="left"| "Crossfire Time"
|align=left| "Shook up Over You"
| 125
| —
| —
| "I'm a Soldier Boy"
|rowspan=""| —
|-
|align=left| "How Is He Treating You"
| —
| —
| —
| "The Jones Brothers"
|rowspan=""| —
|-
|align=left| "Walking My Dog"
| —
| —
| —
| "Nobody But Me"
|rowspan=""| —
|-
|align=left| "Crossfire Time"
| 92
| 92
| —
| n/a<ref>''Billboard'' R&B chart not published at that time</ref>
| -
| —
|rowspan="8"| [[Constellation Records (Chicago)|Constellation]]
| "I'm Going Home"
|rowspan=""| —
|-
|rowspan="3"| 1964
|align=left| "That’s My Girl"
| —
| —
| —
| "[[It's Raining (Irma Thomas song)|It's Raining]]"
|rowspan=""| —
|-
|align=left| "[[Come Closer (Dee Clark song)|Come Closer]]"
| —
| —
| —
| "That's My Girl"
|rowspan=""| —
|-
|align=left| "Heartbreak"
| 119
| —
| —
| "Warm Summer Breezes"
|rowspan=""| —
|-
|rowspan="4"| 1965
|align=left| "In My Apartment"
| —
| —
| —
| "I Ain’t Gonna Be Your Fool"
|rowspan=""| —
|-
|align=left| "T.C.B."
|132
|—
|—
|align=left|"It's Impossible"
|rowspan=""| —
|-
|align=left| "I Can't Run Away"
| —
| —
| —
| "She's My Baby"
|rowspan=""| —
|-
|align=left|"Hot Potato"
| —
| —
| —
|align=left|"I Don't Need (Nobody Like You)"
|rowspan=""| —
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1966
|align=left| "I'm Goin' Home"
| —
| —
| —
| "Ole Fashun Love"
|rowspan=""| —
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1967
|align=left| "Lost Girl"
| —
| —
| —
|rowspan="1"| [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
| "In These Very Tender Moments"
|rowspan=""| —
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1968
|align=left| "Nobody but You - PT. 1"
| —
| —
| —
|rowspan="1"| [[Wand Records|Wand]]
| "Nobody but You - PT. 2"
|rowspan=""| —
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1970
|align=left| "Where Did All the Good Times Go"
| —
| —
| —
|rowspan="1"| [[Liberty Records|Liberty]]
| "24 Hours of Loneliness"
|rowspan=""| —
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1971
|align=left| "[[Old-Time Religion|Old Time Religion]]"
| —
| —
| —
|rowspan="1"| [[United Artists Records|United Artists]]
| "You Can Make Me Feel Good"
|rowspan=""| —
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1973
|align=left| "[[Raindrops (Dee Clark song)|Raindrops "73"]]"
| —
| —
| —
|rowspan="1"| [[Warner Records|Rocky]]
| "Happy Man"
|rowspan=""| —
|-
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1975
|rowspan="1"| 1975
| align="left"| "Ride a Wild Horse"
|align=left| "[[Ride a Wild Horse]]"
| -
| —
| -
| —
| 16
| 16
|rowspan="1"| [[Chelsea Records|Chelsea]]
| "Ride a Wild Horse" (Instrumental)
|rowspan=""| —
|-
|-
|}
|}
Line 129: Line 350:
* [http://www.tsimon.com/dclark.htm Dee Clark bio]
* [http://www.tsimon.com/dclark.htm Dee Clark bio]


{{Dee Clark}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


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[[Category:1938 births]]
[[Category:1938 births]]
[[Category:1990 deaths]]
[[Category:1990 deaths]]
[[Category:African-American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American male singers]]
[[Category:American male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:American pop musicians]]
[[Category:American pop musicians]]
[[Category:American soul singers]]
[[Category:American soul singers]]
[[Category:People from Blytheville, Arkansas]]
[[Category:People from Blytheville, Arkansas]]
[[Category:People from Toccoa, Georgia]]
[[Category:Singers from Chicago]]
[[Category:Singers from Chicago]]
[[Category:Allied International Records artists]]
[[Category:Vee-Jay Records artists]]
[[Category:Vee-Jay Records artists]]
[[Category:Wand Records artists]]
[[Category:Singers from Arkansas]]
[[Category:Singers from Arkansas]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]

Latest revision as of 09:14, 24 September 2024

Dee Clark
Clark in 1960
Clark in 1960
Background information
Birth nameDelecta Clark
Born(1938-11-07)November 7, 1938
Blytheville, Arkansas, U.S.
DiedDecember 7, 1990(1990-12-07) (aged 52)
Smyrna, Georgia, U.S.
GenresR&B, Soul
OccupationSinger
InstrumentVocals
Years active1952–1990
LabelsAbner, Vee-Jay, London, Constellation

Dee Clark (November 7, 1938 – December 7, 1990)[1] was an American soul singer and songwriter best known for a string of R&B and pop hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including the song "Raindrops", which became a million-seller in the United States in 1961.[2]

Career

[edit]

He was born Delectus Clark[3] or Delecta Clark, Jr.[4] in Blytheville, Arkansas, and moved to Chicago in 1941.[5] His mother, Essie Mae Clark, was a gospel singer and encouraged her son to pursue his love of music. Clark made his first recording in 1952 as a member of the Hambone Kids, who enjoyed some success with a recording of "Hambone" on the OKeh label.[2] In 1953, he joined an R&B group called the Goldentones, who later became the Kool Gents and were discovered by Chicago radio DJ Herb Kent upon winning a talent competition.[2] Kent had the Kool Gents signed to Vee-Jay label's subsidiary Falcon/Abner. The group recorded for Falcon/Abner in 1956, and also recorded a novelty record as "The Delegates".[5]

Clark embarked on a solo career in 1957,[6] 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.[5] 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).[6] His records for Abner and Vee-Jay were orchestrated by Riley Hampton.[7] His biggest single, "Raindrops", was a dramatic ballad with a mid-tempo Latin beat that was augmented by heavy rain and thunder sound effects and Clark's swooping falsetto. It was released in the spring of 1961 and became his biggest hit,[6] soaring to number two on the pop chart and number three on the R&B charts. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.[2] "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 playlists to this day, and has also been covered by several other artists in the years since, including David Cassidy, Tony Orlando and Dawn, and Narvel Felts, who took the song to number 30 on the 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).[6] By the time "Crossfire Time" came out, Clark had moved from Vee-Jay to the Constellation label.[6] Though he continued to record for Constellation through 1966, none of his records charted nationally. He had considerable local success in Chicago with such standout recordings as "Come Closer" (1964), the double-sided hit of "Warm Summer Breezes" and "Heartbreak" (1964), and "TCB" (1965).[6] He later recorded for the Columbia, Wand, Liberty and Rocky labels, without success.[5] Clark had a brief revival in 1975 when his disco song "Ride a Wild Horse" became a surprise Top 30 hit in the UK Singles Chart,[6] becoming his first chart hit in the UK since "Just Keep It Up".[1]

Afterwards, Clark performed mostly on the oldies circuit. By the late 1980s, he was in dire straits financially, living at The Lone Oaks motel in Toccoa, 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 heart attack at the age of 52.[6] His last concert was with the Jimmy Gilstrap Band at the Portman Lounge in Anderson, South Carolina.[5]

Discography

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Albums

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Year Album Record Label
1959 How About That Abner
Dee Clark
1960 You're Lookin' Good Vee-Jay
1961 Hold On....It's Dee Clark

Singles

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Year Title Peak chart
positions 		Record Label B-side Album
US
Pop[8]

[7] [9]

US
R&B 		UK
1957 "Gloria" — — — Falcon "Kangaroo Hop" You're Lookin' Good
"Seven Nights" — — — "24 Boy Friends" Dee Clark
1958 "Oh Little Girl" — — — "Wondering" —
"Nobody but You" 21 3 — Abner "When I Call On You" Dee Clark
1959 "Just Keep It Up" 18 9 26 "Whispering Grass"
"Hey Little Girl" 20 2 — "If It Wasn’t for Love"
"How About That" 33 10 — "Blues Get Off My Shoulder" How About That
1960 "At My Front Door" 56 — — "Cling A Ling"
"You're Looking Good" 43 — — Vee Jay "Gloria" You're Lookin' Good
"Your Friends" 34 30 — "Because I Love You" Hold On....It's Dee Clark
1961 "Raindrops" 2 3 — "I Want to Love You"
"Don’t Walk Away From Me" 104 — — "You’re Telling Our Secrets" —
1962 "You Are Like the Wind" — — — "Drums in My Heart" —
"Dance on Little Girl" — — — "Fever" —
"I'm Going Back to School" 52 18 — "Nobody but You" —
1963 "Shook up Over You" 125 — — "I'm a Soldier Boy" —
"How Is He Treating You" — — — "The Jones Brothers" —
"Walking My Dog" — — — "Nobody But Me" —
"Crossfire Time" 92 — — Constellation "I'm Going Home" —
1964 "That’s My Girl" — — — "It's Raining" —
"Come Closer" — — — "That's My Girl" —
"Heartbreak" 119 — — "Warm Summer Breezes" —
1965 "In My Apartment" — — — "I Ain’t Gonna Be Your Fool" —
"T.C.B." 132 — — "It's Impossible" —
"I Can't Run Away" — — — "She's My Baby" —
"Hot Potato" — — — "I Don't Need (Nobody Like You)" —
1966 "I'm Goin' Home" — — — "Ole Fashun Love" —
1967 "Lost Girl" — — — Columbia "In These Very Tender Moments" —
1968 "Nobody but You - PT. 1" — — — Wand "Nobody but You - PT. 2" —
1970 "Where Did All the Good Times Go" — — — Liberty "24 Hours of Loneliness" —
1971 "Old Time Religion" — — — United Artists "You Can Make Me Feel Good" —
1973 "Raindrops "73"" — — — Rocky "Happy Man" —
1975 "Ride a Wild Horse" — — 16 Chelsea "Ride a Wild Horse" (Instrumental) —

References

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  1. ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 108. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. ^ a b c d Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 133. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  3. ^ Shaw, Honkers And Shouters, 1978, p. 324.
  4. ^ Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues – A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 164. ISBN 978-0313344237.
  5. ^ a b c d e Biography by Jason Ankeny at Allmusic.com
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Colin Larkin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Soul Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 45/6. ISBN 0-85112-733-9.
  7. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–1995. Record Research. p. 82.
  8. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2003). Top Pop Singles 1955–2002 (1st ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 134. ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
  9. ^ Betts, Graham (2004). Complete UK Hit Singles 1952–2004 (1st ed.). London: Collins. p. 152. ISBN 0-00-717931-6.
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