Clarence Clemons (born January 11, 1942) is an American musician, best known as the saxophonist in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.
Clemons was born in Norfolk, Virginia. Known as "The Big Man", Clemons has been playing with Springsteen since 1973; his sax parts are an easily recognized feature of the E Street sound, with the most famous being his long, elegiac solo during the song "Jungleland." With the band Clemons plays mostly tenor saxophone, but has also occasionally played soprano and baritone saxophone. He also plays various percussion instruments during songs that do not have a saxophone part.
Clemons stage front with the E Street Band, playing his famous "Jungleland" saxophone solo. Nassau Coliseum, March 10, 2008.
In addition, Clemons has a larger-than-life persona within the band; he serves as a visual foil to Springsteen during concerts (as well as on the Born to Run foldout album cover) and as the crowd favorite is always the last player mentioned during band introductions, usually after a lavish, over-the-top build-up from Springsteen.
In addition to his E Street Band work, Clemons has recorded with many other artists and has had a number of musical projects on his own. The best known of these are his 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". In the mid-1990s, he recorded a Japan-only CD release called Aja and the Big Man "Get it On" (on the now-defunct Dream Train Records) with singer/songwriter Aja Kim (formerly of the tribute band The Iron Maidens). In the 2000s Clemons has been working with a group called The Temple of Soul, and has also recorded with philanthropic teen band Creation. During the 1980s Clemons owned a Red Bank, New Jersey nightclub called Big Man's West.
Clemons was raised in Norfolk County, Virginia. He attended Maryland State College (now the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore) on a football athletic scholarship — he was a lineman with professional football aspirations until an injury derailed his sports career.
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. In 1985, Clemons was a special guest star in Diff'rent Strokes episode 8x10 "So You Want to Be a Rock Star", in which he played the role of Mr.Kingsley, a young saxophonist player helping Arnold Jackson to learn to play his sax. He has also been a guest voice in an episode of The Simpsons. He also played the role of Jack in Swing starring opposite Lisa Stansfield and Hugo Speer, directed by Nick Mead. He appeared alongside Michael McKean and David Bowe as a miner in one episode of musician Weird Al Yankovic's children's television show The Weird Al Show. He appeared in an episode of Damon Wayans' television show, My Wife And Kids as a musician and performed an original composition, co written with bassist, Lynn Woolever, called "One Shadow In The Sun". Clemons twice appeared as a Baltimore youth-program organizer in HBO's crime drama The Wire.
References
^ "The Wire" Moral Midgetry (2004) - Full cast and crew
^ "The Wire" Hamsterdam (2004) - Full cast and crew
External links
Official site
VH1 site
v • d • e
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Bruce Springsteen • Roy Bittan • Clarence Clemons • Nils Lofgren • Patti Scialfa • Garry Tallent • Soozie Tyrell • Steven Van Zandt • Max Weinberg
Danny Federici • Ernest "Boom" Carter • Suki Lahav • Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez • David Sancious
Studio albums
Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. • The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle • Born to Run • Darkness on the Edge of Town • The River • Nebraska • Born in the U.S.A. • Tunnel of Love • Human Touch • Lucky Town • The Ghost of Tom Joad • The Rising • Devils & Dust • We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions • Magic
Live albums
Live/1975-85 • Chimes of Freedom (EP) • In Concert/MTV Plugged • Live in New York City • Hammersmith Odeon London '75 • Live in Dublin • Magic Tour Highlights (EP)
Other albums
Greatest Hits • Blood Brothers (EP) • Tracks • 18 Tracks • The Essential Bruce Springsteen
Video releases
In Concert/MTV Plugged • Blood Brothers • The Complete Video Anthology / 1978-2000 • Live in New York City • Live in Barcelona • VH1 Storytellers • Wings For Wheels • Hammersmith Odeon London '75 • Live in Dublin • Magic Tour Highlights
Tours
Born to Run tours • Darkness Tour • River Tour • Born in the U.S.A. Tour • Tunnel of Love Express • Human Rights Now! • "Other Band" Tour • Ghost of Tom Joad Tour • Reunion Tour • Rising Tour • Vote for Change • Devils & Dust Tour • Seeger Sessions Band Tour • Magic Tour
Related articles
Bruce Springsteen discography • Mike Appel • Jon Landau • E Street Band • The Max Weinberg 7 • The Miami Horns
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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence_Clemons"
Categories: 1942 births | African American musicians | American rock saxophonists | Black rock musicians | The E Street Band members | Living people | People from Norfolk, Virginia
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