Jimmy Clanton
Jimmy Clanton | |
|---|---|
 Clanton in 1975 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | September 2, 1938 Raceland, Louisiana,U.S. |
| Genres | Rhythm and blues,swamp pop |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1956–present |
| Labels | Ace |
| Website | jimmyclanton |
Jimmy Clanton(born September 2, 1938) is an American singer who became known as the "swamp popR&Bteenage idol".[1]His band recorded a hit song "Just a Dream"which Clanton had written in 1958 for theAce Recordslabel. It reached number four on theBillboardchartand sold a million copies.[2]Clanton performed onDick Clark'sAmerican Bandstandand toured with popular artists likeFats Domino,Jerry Lee Lewisandthe Platters.[3]
Career
[edit]Clanton formed his first band called the Rockets in 1956 while attendingBaton Rouge High School.
One of the fewwhitesingers to come out of the New Orleans R&B/rock & roll sound, he rode the crest of the popular teen-music wave in the 1950s and 1960s. His records charted in the U.S. Top 40 seven times (all released onAce); his Top 10 records were: the song "Just a Dream," (Pop #4,R&B #1in August 1958, credited to 'Jimmy Clanton and His Rockets'), "Go, Jimmy, Go"(peaked at number five in early 1960) and"Venus in Blue Jeans"(peaked at number seven on October 6, 1962,[4]written byHoward GreenfieldandJack Keller).[5]In early 1961, Clanton was drafted and spent the next two years in theU.S. Army,continuing to have chart successes with "Don't Look at Me", "Because I Do", and the aforementioned "Venus in Blue Jeans". His only hit in theUK Singles Chartwas "Another Sleepless Night", a Greenfield/Neil Sedakacomposition that spent one week at number 50 in July 1960.[6]
Clanton starred in arock and rollmovie produced by DJAlan FreedcalledGo, Johnny, Go![2]and later starred inTeenage Millionaire,with music arranged and produced byDr. Johnand arranger/trumpeter Charlie Miller.[7]During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Clanton was managed byCosimo Matassa,theNew Orleansrecording studioowner and engineer. In May 1960, Ace Records announced inBillboardthat Philadelphia had proclaimed the week of May 16 to be "Jimmy Clanton Week."[8]
In 1963, American Bandstand signed Clanton toDick Clark'sCaravan of Starsnational U.S. tour which was scheduled to perform its 15th show on the night of November 22, 1963, at the Memorial Auditorium in Dallas, Texas, until suddenly the Friday-evening event had to be canceled moments after U.S. PresidentJohn F. Kennedywas assassinated that afternoon while touring Dallas in an open-car caravan.[9][10]
Clanton became adisc jockeyat WHEX inColumbia, Pennsylvania,between 1972 and 1976 and performed in anoldiesrevue also in the 1970s,The Masters of Rock 'n' Roll,withTroy Shondell,Ray Peterson,andRonnie Dove.He had a religious conversion in August 1980.[11]In the 1995Jazz FestinNew Orleans,Clanton performed withRay Charles,Chuck Berry,andFrankie Ford.
Honours
[edit]Clanton was inducted into theMuseum of the Gulf CoastHall of Fame, which also has inducted such performers asTex Ritter,Janis Joplin,ZZ TopandB. J. Thomas.[12]
On April 14, 2007, at a "Legends of Louisiana Celebration & Inductions" concert in Mandeville, Louisiana, Jimmy Clanton was inducted into theLouisiana Music Hall of Fame.
Personal life
[edit]Clanton married Roxanne Faye Edtmiller on December 8, 1962, and they have three children.
Awards
[edit]Clanton's records "Just a Dream," "A Letter to an Angel," "Ship on a Stormy Sea," and "Venus in Blue Jeans" each sold over one million copies, and were awardedgold discs.[2]
Singles
[edit]| Year | Title (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated |
Chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | U.S. R&B | Canada[13] | |||
| 1957 | "I Trusted You" b/w "That's You Baby" (Non-album track) |
— | — | — | My Best to You |
| 1958 | "Just a Dream" b/w "You Aim to Please" (Non-album track) |
4 | 1 | 5 | Just a Dream |
| "A Letter to an Angel" / | 25 | — | 46 | ||
| "A Part of Me" | 38 | 28 | — | ||
| 1959 | "My Love Is Strong" b/w "Ship on a Stormy Sea" |
— | — | ||
| "My Own True Love" b/w "Little Boy in Love" |
33 | — | 24 | My Best to You | |
| "Go, Jimmy, Go" b/w "I Trusted You" |
5 | 19 | 1 | ||
| 1960 | "Another Sleepless Night"A b/w "I'm Gonna Try" |
22 | — | 22 | Jimmy's Blue |
| "The Slave" b/w "Rambling Girl" |
— | — | — | Non-album tracks | |
| "Come Back" / | 63 | — | — | My Best to You | |
| "Wait" | 91 | — | — | ||
| 1961 | "What Am I Gonna Do" b/w "If I" |
50 | — | 36 | |
| "What Am I Living For" b/w "Wedding Bells" |
— | — | — | Non-album tracks | |
| "Down the Aisle" b/w "No Longer Blue" (Both sides: Jimmy Clanton and Mary Ann Mobley) |
— | — | — | ||
| "I Just Wanna Make Love" b/w "Don't Look at Me" (fromJimmy's Blue) |
— | — | — | Venus in Blue Jeans | |
| "Lucky in Love with You" b/w "Not Like a Brother" |
— | — | — | ||
| "Twist on Little Girl" b/w "Wayward Love" |
— | — | — | ||
| 1962 | "Just a Moment" b/w "Because I Do" |
— | — | — | |
| "Venus in Blue Jeans" b/w "Highway Bound" (fromJimmy's Blue) |
7 | — | 5 | ||
| "Darkest Street in Town" b/w "Dreams of a Fool" |
77 | — | — | ||
| 1963 | "Another Day, Another Heartache" b/w "Endless Nights" |
— | — | — | Non-album tracks |
| "Cindy" b/w "I Care Enough (To Give the Very Best)" |
— | — | — | ||
| "Red Don't Go with Blue" b/w "All the Words in the World" |
115 | — | — | ||
| 1964 | "I'll Step Aside" b/w "I Won't Cry Anymore" |
— | — | — | |
| "A Million Drums" b/w "If I'm a Fool for Loving You" |
— | — | — | The Best of Jimmy Clanton | |
| "Follow the Sun" b/w "Lock the Windows, Lock the Doors" (Non-album track) |
— | — | — | ||
| 1965 | "Hurting Each Other" b/w "Don't Keep Your Friends Away" |
— | — | — | Non-album tracks |
| "Everything I Touch Turns To Tears" b/w "That Special Way" |
— | — | — | ||
| 1967 | "C'mon Jim" b/w "The Absence of Lisa" |
— | — | — | |
| "I'll Be Loving You" b/w "Calico Junction" |
— | — | — | ||
| 1969 | "Curly"B b/w "I'll Never Forget Your Love" |
97 | — | — | |
| "Tell Me" b/w "I'll Never Forget Your Love" |
— | — | — | ||
- AAlso peaked at #50 in UK Singles Chart
- BAlso peaked at #88 in Canadian RPM Top Tracks[14]
References
[edit]- ^"Jimmy Clanton Songs".RetrievedNovember 24,2006.
- ^abcMurrells, Joseph (1978).The Book of Golden Discs(2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. pp.98–144.ISBN0-214-20512-6.
- ^"Jimmy Clanton".Museum of the Gulf Coast. Archived fromthe originalon December 7, 2006.RetrievedNovember 24,2006.
- ^"Jimmy Clanton's Story".Archived fromthe originalon May 15, 2010.
- ^Joel Whitburn.The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits.ISBN0-8230-7690-3
- ^Roberts, David (2006).British Hit Singles & Albums(19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 107.ISBN1-904994-10-5.
- ^"Jimmy Clanton".IMDb.RetrievedNovember 24,2006.
- ^Billboard, May 23, 1960, p.30
- ^Fuentes, Jerry (June 4, 2012)."A Rock n' Roll Historian: Caravan of Stars Fall 1963 Tour".Rnrhistorian.blogspot.
- ^"American Bandstand 1963 -All Time Hits Day- A Little Bit Of Soap, The Jarmels".YouTube.Archivedfrom the original on December 13, 2021.RetrievedOctober 15,2019.
- ^Bryan Hay (February 1, 1988)."Vintage Rocker Now Preaches The Gospel".The Morning Call.RetrievedJune 7,2020.
- ^"Museum of the Gulf Coast - Music Legends".Museumofthegulfcoast.org.Archived fromthe originalon December 15, 2005.RetrievedJuly 21,2008.
- ^"CHUM results".
- ^"RPM Top 100 Singles - September 20, 1969"(PDF).
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Jimmy Clanton - More Than the Applause - MyBestYears INTERVIEW SPOTLIGHT
- Jimmy ClantonatIMDb
- Jimmy Clantondiscography atDiscogs
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
- Musicians from Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- 1938 births
- Songwriters from Louisiana
- American rhythm and blues musicians
- American male singers
- Living people
- Swamp pop music
- Ace Records (United States) artists
- Baton Rouge Magnet High School alumni
- Singers from Louisiana
- People from Raceland, Louisiana
- American male songwriters