![]() ![]() He also performed with Daniel Petraitis, a New Jersey and Nashville legend. Īt age 18, Clemons had one of his earliest studio experiences, recording sessions with Tyrone Ashley's Funky Music Machine, a band from Plainfield, New Jersey, that included Ray Davis, Eddie Hazel and Billy Bass Nelson, all of whom later played with Parliament-Funkadelic. He would eventually be posthumously inducted into the university's Athletics Hall of Fame on February 24, 2012. ![]() However, the day before, he was involved in a serious car accident which effectively ended any plans of a career in the National Football League. Clemons also tried out for the Dallas Cowboys. At 6' 4" and 240 pounds, he played as a lineman on the same team as Art Shell and Emerson Boozer and attracted the attention of the Cleveland Browns, who offered him a trial. Īs a youth, Clemons also showed potential as a football player, and graduated from Crestwood High School (now Crestwood Middle) before attending Maryland State College on both music and football scholarships. Curtis, and his work with the Coasters in particular, would become a major influence on Clemons and led to him switching to tenor saxophone. His uncle also influenced his early musical development when he bought him his first King Curtis album. He later switched to tenor saxophone and played in a high school jazz band. When he was nine, his father gave him an alto saxophone as a Christmas present and paid for music lessons. His grandfather was a Baptist preacher and, as a result, the young Clemons grew up in a very religious environment listening to gospel music. He was the oldest of their three children. was born on January 11, 1942, in Norfolk County, Virginia (later the city of Chesapeake), the son of fish market owner Clarence Clemons, Sr. In 2014, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the E Street Band.Ĭlarence Anicholas Clemons Jr. A documentary about his life directed by Nick Mead, titled Clarence Clemons: Who Do I Think I Am? was released in August 2019. The book is a semi-fictional autobiography told in the third person. Clemons published Big Man: Real Life & Tall Tales (2009) with his friend Don Reo. He also made cameo appearances in several TV series, including Diff'rent Strokes, Nash Bridges, The Simpsons, My Wife and Kids and The Wire. As an actor, Clemons appeared in several films, including New York, New York and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. As a guest musician, he featured on Aretha Franklin's song " Freeway of Love". In 1985, he had a hit single with " You're a Friend of Mine", a duet with Jackson Browne. From 1972 until his death in 2011, he was the saxophonist for Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band.Ĭlemons released several solo albums. (January 11, 1942 – June 18, 2011), also known as The Big Man, was an American saxophonist.
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