Rick Clark

Memphis native Rick Clark is a writer, music supervisor, producer, and musician whose varied contributions and talents have made him a key figure on the Memphis music landscape since the 1970s. Among his extensive resumé are albums produced for Los Super Seven and various soundtrack collections, liner notes for artists like Big Star and Rick Nelson, and Oxford American music CDs. His own publications include 2002's The Expert's Encyclopedia of Recording, which later warranted updated editions. Among his credits as music supervisor are 2012's Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me, TV's Hell on Wheels, and the Memphis gospel drama Greenleaf. Clark began releasing music under his own name in the late 2010s, with a collection of jazz-influenced blues-rock instrumentals, the Humid Tracks EP, appearing in 2020. Rick Clark grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, dubbed both Home of the Blues and Birthplace of Rock & Roll. He collected 45s from the likes of Sun Records, the British Invasion, and New Orleans' Sweet Emma and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band in his youth, and was inspired to pursue a life in music after seeing James Brown & His Famous Flames live in 1966. By high school, Clark worked at Poplar Tunes record shop, which would see customers like Al Green and Isaac Hayes as well as all-star touring musicians. In the '70s, he did both live and session work and was particularly active in the power pop scene. Clark eventually parlayed work as a DJ and mix cassette curator to a successful business that programmed music for venues throughout the South and beyond. His expertise landed him work writing for national music publications and providing liner notes for artists spanning Rick Nelson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jean-Luc Ponty, and Big Star. Beginning in 1997, Clark produced, co-compiled, and secured legal clearances for the first seven volumes of the Oxford American magazine's music CDs. He also penned guides including The Expert's Encyclopedia of Recording (2002) and Mixing, Recording and Producing Techniques of the Pros (2005). While additionally working as a consultant and independent A&R rep, he produced records for Los Super Seven, Death Cab for Cutie, and various film and TV music collections. Work as a producer on Marty Stuart's American Odyssey satellite radio show and as director of videos on Emmylou Harris for Warner are also among his vast music credits. In 2012, Oxford American brought him back to produce future music issues and CDs, including a Tennessee music issue that featured a two-disc set. Following work as a music supervisor on movies such as Up in the Air (2009) and Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me (2012), and series including Hell on Wheels and the Oprah Winfrey Memphis-set show Greenleaf, he was nominated for a Guild of Music Supervisors Award for Best Music Supervision on Sundance/AMC TV's Hap and Leonard in 2019. He also created and produced wide-ranging additional music for films and series including Hap and Leonard, often under the alias Deliverance Sisters. In 2018, Clark began recording and releasing music under his own name. Almost as varied in nature as his work as music supervisor, his output has spanned updated disco (2019's "Fever"), jazzy blues-rock (2020's Humid Tracks EP), and hard blues (2020's "Bones Without a Name").
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