E Street Band’s Clarence Clemons dies aged 69
Written by admin on June 18, 2011 – 10:14 pm -| Clarence Clemons sadly died tonight (June 18) from complications arising from the stroke that he suffered six days ago. He was 69.
Known by fans as The Big Man, Clemons will be best remembered as the saxophonist with Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. |
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In a statement, Bruce Springsteen said:
| “Clarence lived a wonderful life. He carried within him a love of people that made them love him. He created a wondrous and extended family. He loved the saxophone, loved our fans and gave everything he had every night he stepped on stage. His loss is immeasurable and we are honored and thankful to have known him and had the oppurtunity to stand beside him for nearly forty years. He was my great friend, my partner and with Clarence at my side, my band and I were able to tell a story far deeper than those simply contained in our music. His life, his memory, and his love will live on in that story and in our band.” |
Clarence Anicholas Clemons was born on January 11, 1942, in Norfolk, Va. and began playing alto saxophone at age nine. Inspired by rock ‘n’ roll saxophonists such as King Curtis, Clemons later switched to a tenor saxophone. His main interests as a teenager were music and sport, and he earned a scholarship for football and music at Maryland State College. A knee injury scuppered his sporting ambitions, but he continued to play music, performing with the Vibraphones for around four years in the early-mid ’60s and undertaking occasional recording work, including an album with Norman Seldin & The Joyful Noyze in 1969.
The first meeting with Springsteen took place in 1971 when Clemons joined The Bruce Springsteen Band on stage during a gig at a venue called The Student Prince. The story is often told by Springsteen, including the rather dramatic idea that it was a stormy night and the door of the venue blew off its hinges when Clemons walked in. Whatever the specifics, the pair felt an immediate musical kinship, as explained by Clemons in a 1998 interview with Mojo:
| “Bruce and I looked at each other and didn’t say anything, we just knew. We knew we were the missing links in each other’s lives. He was what I’d been searching for. In one way he was just a scrawny little kid. But he was a visionary. He wanted to follow his dream. So from then on I was part of history.” |
In the summer of 1972, Springsteen asked Clemons to play saxophone on recording sessions that would lead to the album “Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ.” Among the standout tracks are “Blinded By The Night” and “Spirit In The Night.” In October, Clemons made his live debut with Springsteen’s newly formed E Street Band.
Few could have predicted that those 1972 recording sessions would lead to a 39-year working relationship with Springsteen and some of the most memorable sax solos in rock history on songs such as “Born To Run” and “Badlands.” He was also a great presence on stage over the years, with the camaraderie between him and Bruce obvious to all.
Clemons will always be most associated with the E Street Band, but he also worked with many artists throughout his long career, including Aretha Franklin (Freeway Of Love”), Jackson Browne (“You’re a Friend of Mine”) and, most recently, Lady Gaga (“Edge of Glory” and “Hair”).
Clemons also took on the occasional acting role, featuring in Martin Scorsese’s “New York, New York,” “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” “Fatal Instinct,” “Blues Brothers 2000” and “Swing.”
In the foreword to Clemons’ 2009 autobiography, “Big Man: Real Life and Tall Tales,” he said:
| “My heart will always be filled with gratitude to Bruce for one simple reason: without Scooter, there is no Big Man.” |
Most would also agree that, without the Big Man, Bruce’s musical journey would have been less rich and a lot less fun.
Clemons is survived by his wife, Victoria, and sons Clarence Jr., Charles, Christopher and Jarod.
Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band – “Born To Run”
Tags: Bruce Springsteen, Clarence Clemons, Clarence Clemons death, Clarence Clemons stroke, The E Street Band
Posted in American Rock, Obituaries |
