Dee Clark

Dee Clark (November 7, 1938 – December 7, 1990) or Delecta Clark Jr. in Blytheville, Arkansas, and moved to Chicago in 1941. His mother, Essie Mae Clark, was a gospel singer and encouraged her son to pursue his love of music. Clark made his first recording in 1952 as a member of the Hambone Kids, who enjoyed some success with a recording of "Hambone" on the OKeh label. "Raindrops" was also an international success, reaching number one in New Zealand and reaching the top ten in South Africa and Belgium, and selling well in Japan. "Raindrops" remains a staple on oldies and adult standards radio station playlists to this day, and has also been covered by several other artists in the years since, including David Cassidy, Tony Orlando and Dawn, and Narvel Felts, who took the song to number 30 on the country chart in 1974. Clark himself recorded an updated version of "Raindrops" in 1973.

However, Clark's biggest hit was also his last. The follow-up to "Raindrops", "Don't Walk Away from Me", was a flop, and he made the pop chart in America only twice more, with "I'm Going Back to School" (1962) and "Crossfire Time" (1963). Though he continued to record for Constellation through 1966, none of his records charted nationally. He had considerable local success in Chicago with such standout recordings as "Come Closer" (1964), the double-sided hit of "Warm Summer Breezes" and "Heartbreak" (1964), and "TCB" (1965).

Afterwards, Clark performed mostly on the oldies circuit. By the late 1980s, he was in dire straits financially, living at The Lone Oaks motel in Toccoa, Georgia. Despite suffering a stroke in 1987 that left him partially paralyzed and with a mild speech impediment, he continued to perform until his death on December 7, 1990, in Smyrna, Georgia, from a heart attack at the age of 52.

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"Kangaroo Hop"

— — — "24 Boy Friends"

— — — "Wondering"

21 3 —

"When I Call On You"

18 9 26 "Whispering Grass"

20 2 — "If It Wasn’t for Love"

33 10 — "Blues Get Off My Shoulder"

56 — — "Cling A Ling"

43 — —

"Gloria"

34 30 — "Because I Love You"

2 3 — "I Want to Love You"

104 — — "You’re Telling Our Secrets"

— — — "Drums in My Heart"

— — — "Fever"

52 18 — "Nobody but You"

125 — — "I'm a Soldier Boy"

— — — "The Jones Brothers"

— — — "Nobody But Me"

92 — —

"I'm Going Home"

— — — "It's Raining"

— — — "That's My Girl"

119 — — "Warm Summer Breezes"

— — — "I Ain’t Gonna Be Your Fool"

132 — —

— — — "She's My Baby"

— — —

— — — "Ole Fashun Love"

— — —

"In These Very Tender Moments"

— — —

"Nobody but You - PT. 2"

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"24 Hours of Loneliness"

— — —

"You Can Make Me Feel Good"

— — —

"Happy Man"

— — 16

"Ride a Wild Horse" (Instrumental)