Clint Ballard Jr. | |
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| Also known as | Buddy Clinton |
| Born | Clinton Conger Ballard Jr. (1931-05-24)May 24, 1931 El Paso, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | December 23, 2008(2008-12-23) (aged 77) Denton, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation | Songwriter |
| Years active | 1960s–1970s |
Clinton Conger Ballard Jr. (May 24, 1931 – December 23, 2008) was an Americansongwriter, singer, and pianist. He wrote twoBillboard Hot 100number onehits. The first was "Game of Love" byWayne Fontana andThe Mindbenders in 1965.[1] The second was the 1975 hit, "You're No Good" byLinda Ronstadt (first sung byDee Dee Warwick, covered byThe Swinging Blue Jeans,Betty Everett and later recorded byVan Halen).[2] He wrote two UK number one singles, recorded byJimmy Jones ("Good Timin'", 1960) andThe Hollies ("I'm Alive", 1965).
Ballard also pursued a solo singing career. With minor success he recorded under his own name, as well as under the pseudonymBuddy Clinton.
When Ballard was three years old, he played the piano forKTSM, an El Paso radio station. When he was 11, he attended a musical program for gifted students at theUniversity of North Texas. After serving in the US Army, he moved to New York and became a songwriter and a composer of musicals, includingCome Back Little Sheba. His song, "Hey, Little Baby", was recorded by band leaderMitch Miller and became the theme of the1958 World's Fair inBelgium.[3][4][5]
Earlier in his career in 1957, Ballard 'discovered' theKalin Twins and became theirmanager.[6] Ballard wrote the Kalins' Decca debut single, "Jumpin' Jack". The follow-up, "When" made the US Top Ten and number one on theUK Singles Chart. After leaving the Kalins, in 1958, he wrote "Ev'ry Hour, Ev'ry Day of My Life", a hit forMalcolm Vaughan, andFrankie Avalon's Top Ten hit "Ginger Bread".
Ballard's own recording career was less successful. In addition to recording several singles under his own name without much success, in 1960 he adopted the alias Buddy Clinton to cut a two-sided single featuring the songs "Take Me to Your Ladder (I'll See Your Leader Later)" and "Joanie's Forever", both co-written by then-unknown composerBurt Bacharach with his writing partnerBob Hilliard.
Ballard wrote one of his most successful songs in 1963, "You're No Good", which was first recorded byDee Dee Warwick. A competing version recorded byBetty Everett appeared weeks later and was a bigger hit, reaching the Top Ten of theUSBillboardR&Bchart. A year later, the British groupThe Swinging Blue Jeans also recorded "You're No Good".Linda Ronstadt's version hit number one on theBillboard chart in 1975.
Ballard's songs were often recorded by artists of theBritish Invasion. The Swinging Blue Jeans recorded "It Isn't There". In 1966,the Zombies recorded his "Gotta Get a Hold of Myself". Ballard wrote "I'm Alive" forThe Hollies, which wasnumber one in theUK Singles Chart in 1965. One of Ballard's best-known songs, "The Game of Love", was recorded by Manchester-basedWayne Fontana and the Mindbenders in 1965. The single went hit number one in the US and peaked at number two in the UK. Ballard also wrote the subsequent Mindbenders' chart singles "It's Just a Little Bit Too Late" and "She Needs Love".
Ballard later wrote songs for theRicky Nelson film,Love and Kisses. He also wrote a series of commercial jingles, including a theme forGreyhound Lines.
He died inDenton, Texas, in December 2008, two years after suffering a stroke.[7][8]
He is not to be confused with fellow songwritersRuss Ballard,Glen Ballard orHank Ballard.
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