Sanford Clark
Encyclopedia
Sanford Clark is an American
country
-rockabilly
singer and guitarist best known for his 1956 hit "The Fool".
, Oklahoma
but was raised in Phoenix
, Arizona
from the age of 9. He first began performing in the Phoenix area in the early 1950s. He spent time in the Air Force in the South Pacific
; he formed a band there which won a talent show
in Hawaii
. Returning to Phoenix, he and his friend Al Casey met Lee Hazlewood
, then a local DJ
. Clark, with Casey on guitar, recorded one of Hazlewood's songs, "The Fool", on MCI Records in 1956. Dot Records
picked the song up for national distribution after a Philadelphia deejay
tipped them off to it. The song became a hit in the U.S., peaking at No. 14 on the Country Singles chart, No. 5 on the Black Singles chart, and No. 7 on the Billboard Top 100. Following the song's success, Clark opened on tour for Ray Price
and Roy Orbison
.
Clark's 1957 follow-up single, "The Cheat", gave him a second minor hit, peaking at No. 74 Pop. He and Dot Records' owner Randy Wood quarreled over the singer's image, and he eventually signed to Jamie Records
in 1958, continuing to work with Hazlewood. In 1959 Sanford Clark recorded a song, "Son of a Gun
", about the son of a western gunslinger. This song is also reference in Keith Richards' book life published in October 2010. He credits the song as being one of the first song he learned and performed on stage prior to forming the Rolling Stones. Moving to Hollywood, he recorded for several other labels and had several almost-comebacks; his 1964 version of Hazlewood's "Houston" was eclipsed by Dean Martin
's version, and in 1965 he re-recorded "The Fool" with Waylon Jennings
on guitar. Hazlewood, by now an established songwriter, signed Clark to his own label, LHI, on which Clark released Return of the Fool in 1969. A few years later Clark left the music business, working in construction, though he occasionally recorded in later decades on his own label, Desert Sun Records.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
-rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
singer and guitarist best known for his 1956 hit "The Fool".
Biography
Clark was born in TulsaTulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
but was raised in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
from the age of 9. He first began performing in the Phoenix area in the early 1950s. He spent time in the Air Force in the South Pacific
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
; he formed a band there which won a talent show
Talent show
A talent show is an event where participants perform their talent or talents of acting, singing, dancing, acrobatics, drumming, martial arts, playing an instrument, and other activities to showcase a unique form of talent, sometimes for a reward, trophy or prize...
in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. Returning to Phoenix, he and his friend Al Casey met Lee Hazlewood
Lee Hazlewood
Lee Hazlewood , born Barton Lee Hazlewood was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960s.Hazlewood had a distinctive baritone voice that added an ominous...
, then a local DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
. Clark, with Casey on guitar, recorded one of Hazlewood's songs, "The Fool", on MCI Records in 1956. Dot Records
Dot Records
Dot Records was an American record label and company that was active between 1950 and 1977. It was founded by Randy Wood. In Gallatin, Tennessee, Wood had earlier started a mail order record shop, known for its radio ads on WLAC in Nashville and its R&B air personality Bill "Hoss" Allen...
picked the song up for national distribution after a Philadelphia deejay
Deejay
A deejay is a reggae or dancehall musician who sings and toasts to an instrumental riddim .Deejays are not to be confused with disc jockeys from other music genres like hip-hop, where they select and play music. Dancehall/reggae DJs who select riddims to play are called selectors...
tipped them off to it. The song became a hit in the U.S., peaking at No. 14 on the Country Singles chart, No. 5 on the Black Singles chart, and No. 7 on the Billboard Top 100. Following the song's success, Clark opened on tour for Ray Price
Ray Price (musician)
Ray Price is an American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist. His wide-ranging baritone has often been praised as among the best male voices of country music...
and Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
.
Clark's 1957 follow-up single, "The Cheat", gave him a second minor hit, peaking at No. 74 Pop. He and Dot Records' owner Randy Wood quarreled over the singer's image, and he eventually signed to Jamie Records
Jamie Records
Jamie Records was a record label founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1957 by Harold Lipsius.Their first 45rpm single, "It's Great To Fall In Love"/"Truly" by Marian Caruso , was issued in 1957. However, they really hit the big-time in 1958 with the release of Duane Eddy's "Rebel...
in 1958, continuing to work with Hazlewood. In 1959 Sanford Clark recorded a song, "Son of a Gun
Son of a gun
Son of a gun is an exclamation or a noun in American and British English. Apollo 12 Astronaut Pete Conrad said, upon seeing the Surveyor 3 just prior to touching down on the Moon: "Hey, there it is! There it is! Son of a gun, right down the middle of the road!" It can be used encouragingly or to...
", about the son of a western gunslinger. This song is also reference in Keith Richards' book life published in October 2010. He credits the song as being one of the first song he learned and performed on stage prior to forming the Rolling Stones. Moving to Hollywood, he recorded for several other labels and had several almost-comebacks; his 1964 version of Hazlewood's "Houston" was eclipsed by Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
's version, and in 1965 he re-recorded "The Fool" with Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
on guitar. Hazlewood, by now an established songwriter, signed Clark to his own label, LHI, on which Clark released Return of the Fool in 1969. A few years later Clark left the music business, working in construction, though he occasionally recorded in later decades on his own label, Desert Sun Records.