Jimmy Clanton | |
|---|---|
 Clanton in 1975 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1938-09-02)September 2, 1938 (age 86) 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 Records label. It reached number four on theBillboardchart and sold a million copies.[2] Clanton performed onDick Clark'sAmerican Bandstand and toured with popular artists likeFats Domino,Jerry Lee Lewis andthe Platters.[3]
Clanton formed his first band called the Rockets in 1956 while attendingBaton Rouge High School.
One of the fewwhite singers 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 #1 in 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 Greenfield andJack 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 Chart was "Another Sleepless Night", a Greenfield/Neil Sedaka composition that spent one week at number 50 in July 1960.[6]
Clanton starred in arock and roll movie produced by DJAlan Freed calledGo, Johnny, Go![2] and later starred inTeenage Millionaire, with music arranged and produced byDr. John and arranger/trumpeter Charlie Miller.[7] During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Clanton was managed byCosimo Matassa, theNew Orleansrecording studio owner and engineer. In May 1960, Ace Records announced inBillboard that Philadelphia had proclaimed the week of May 16 to be "Jimmy Clanton Week."[8]
In 1963, American Bandstand signed Clanton toDick Clark'sCaravan of Stars national 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. Kennedy was assassinated that afternoon while touring Dallas in an open-car caravan.[9][10]
Clanton became adisc jockey at WHEX inColumbia, Pennsylvania, between 1972 and 1976 and performed in anoldies revue 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 Fest inNew Orleans, Clanton performed withRay Charles,Chuck Berry, andFrankie Ford.
Clanton was inducted into theMuseum of the Gulf Coast Hall of Fame, which also has inducted such performers asTex Ritter,Janis Joplin,ZZ Top andB. 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.
Clanton married Roxanne Faye Edtmiller on December 8, 1962, and they have three children.
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]
| 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" | — | — | — | ||
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
