Sanford Clark
Sanford Clark found fleeting fame with his rendition of the Lee Hazlewood song "The Fool." With a vocal style that blended elements of Johnny Cash with Ricky Nelson, Clark released the song in 1956, and it eventually peaked in the Top Ten of the pop charts and in the Top 15 of the country charts -- his first and only hit.
Clark was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. A guitar player from childhood, he was influenced by both early rock & roll music and by country music. He got his start in the early '50s playing in Phoenix clubs. While stationed in the South Pacific during his stint in the Air Force, he formed a band and won a talent contest in Hawaii. Eventually, the Air Force stationed him back in Phoenix, where he met his old friend Al Casey, who introduced Clark to Hazlewood, who was still working as a local DJ and hadn't yet made his mark as a songwriter.
Soon afterward, Clark recorded "The Fool" at Floyd Ramsey's Phoenix studio with Casey on guitar. The song was released on MCI and went nowhere until a Philadelphia DJ heard it and took the song to Dot Records' Randy Wood, who liked it and had Hazlewood license the song to his label. Afterward, Clark and Casey began a promotional tour opening for such stars as Ray Price and Roy Orbison. In 1957, Clark returned to the studio to record another Hazlewood song, "The Cheat." It became a minor hit. At this time, Clark was having trouble with Wood, who wanted him to become a virtual clone of Dot's most popular artist Pat Boone. The label sent Clark to Hollywood to continue recording, but many of the songs were not released until much later. Those that were did little or nothing on the charts.
In 1958, Clark signed to Jamie Records. Casey and Hazlewood joined him and began working with Duane Eddy. They also worked with Clark, who recorded "Still as the Night," featuring Eddy on guitar. Nothing happened on the charts and he began recording on other independent labels. He eventually landed in Hollywood, where he hooked up with songwriter/aspiring performer Roger Miller, who was playing the Palomino Club. Miller wanted him to record a few of his songs, but Clark wasn't interested. Sanford almost had a hit in 1964 when he recorded Hazlewood's "Houston" for Warner -- but Dean Martin also recorded it on Reprise and his version became the hit.
The following year, Clark returned to Ramsey's studio and created a new version of "The Fool" featuring Waylon Jennings on guitar. By this time Hazlewood had become a prominent producer and signed Clark to his LHI label. He made an album there, Return of the Fool, but it went nowhere, and by the early '70s Clark had finally had enough and joined the construction industry, where he found success at last. He continued recording occasionally on his Desert Sun label. Sanford Clark died in Joplin, Missouri on July 4, 2021; he was 85 years old.
© Sandra Brennan /TiVo
Diskografie
19 Album, -en • Geordnet nach Bestseller
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Presenting Sandford Clark
Rockabilly - Erschienen bei Universal Digital Enterprises am 03.12.1956
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Once Upon a Time
Country - Erschienen bei Fervor Records am 23.09.2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Golden Selection (Remastered)
Rock - Erschienen bei Master Tape Records am 25.09.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rockabilly Classics
Rockabilly - Erschienen bei Rockabilly Records am 01.09.2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Go On Home
Jazz - Erschienen bei Black & Partner Licenses LLC am 22.02.2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Son of a Gun
Country - Erschienen bei Jasmine Records am 09.10.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sanford Clark - The Essential
Rockabilly - Erschienen bei Vintage Jukebox am 05.07.2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best of the Best
Rock - Erschienen bei Tsk Music am 15.10.2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Cheat / Usta Be My Baby (Mono Version)
Rock - Erschienen bei BNF Collection am 01.01.1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Nine Pound Hammer
Rock - Erschienen bei Diamond Days am 30.10.2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Fool (Billboard Hot 100 - No. 07)
Vokalmusik (weltlich und geistlich) - Erschienen bei Music Manager am 19.12.2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Presenting Sanford Clark
Rock - Erschienen bei Firefly Entertainment am 01.01.1958
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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A Cheat (Billboard Hot 100 - No 74)
Rockabilly - Erschienen bei Music Manager am 03.12.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Presenting Stanford Clark
Rock - Erschienen bei Firefly Entertainment am 01.01.1958
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Modern Romance
Rock - Erschienen bei Crazy Warthog Media am 01.01.2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Presenting Stanford Clark
Pop - Erschienen bei Earworm am 01.01.1958
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo