Clarence Clemons was born on January 11th 1942 in Norfolk, Virginia. Also known as ‘The Big Man’, Clarence is best known as the larger than life Saxophone player in Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street Band but has also had a very successful career in his own right having released six solo albums as well as working with a number of well respected artists including Aretha Franklin, Paul Young and Roy Orbison. He has also started and performed with two bands, The Red Bank Rockers and Temple of Soul as well as performing with the Jerry Garcia Band, The Grateful Dead and Ringo Starr's All-Star Band leaving audiences clinging to every note that he plays through his trusted sax 'Jerome'.
Growing up as part of a Southern Baptist family in Virginia, young Clarence first realized the power of music in church, where the threat of damnation in his grandfather’s sermons was countered by the sweet release offered by the choir. Clarence’s love for music grew further when his uncle bought him his first King Curtis album, who immediately became his hero and led Clarence to the saxophone.
It was in 1971, when Clarence was a hungry, aspiring musician playing with Norman Seldin & the Joyful Noise, that he was told about a young superstar in the making called Bruce Springsteen. From the first note they played together Clarence and Bruce knew that this was a dream partnership and in 1973 Clarence officially joined the E-Street Band for the release of the debut album Greetings from Ashbury Park. Clarence continued to perform and record with Bruce and the E-Street Band for the next 12 years releasing the albums The Wild, The Innocent and the E-Street Shuffle (1973), Born to Run (1975) which included arguably Clarence’s finest moment, the solo during Jungleland, Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978), The River (1980) and Born in the USA (1985). After Born in the USA the E-Street Band disbanded to concentrate on solo projects but reunited in 1999 for a reunion tour and in 2002 released The Rising. This was Bruce and the E-Street Band’s first studio album in 17 years and was accompanied by an 18 month world tour. The band then took another 5 year break before the recently released album Magic (2007).
Throughout these breaks between the E-Street Band, Clarence was always very busy on solo projects including solo albums such as Peacemaker, Rescue and Hero as well as more recent albums with his own band Temple of Soul (Live in Ashbury Park Volumes 1 & 2). The most well known of Clarence's solo work are the 1985 vocal duet with Jackson Browne on the hit single 'You're a Friend of Mine' and his saxophone work on Aretha Franklin's 1985 hit single 'Freeway of Love'.
Clemons has appeared in movies and on television making his debut in Martin Scorsese's 1977 musical, New York, New York in which he played a trumpet player. He can be seen as one of the Three Most Important People In The World in the 1989 film Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. He has also been a guest voice in an episode of The Simpsons. He also played the role of Jack in Swing (1999) starring opposite Lisa Stansfield and Hugo Speer, directed by Nick Mead. |
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