Jimmy Clanton

Jimmy Clanton (born September 2, 1938) is an American singer who became known as the "swamp pop R&B teenage idol". His band recorded a hit song "Just a Dream" which Clanton had written in 1958 for the Ace Records label. It reached number four on the Billboard chart and sold a million copies.

Career Clanton formed his first band called the Rockets in 1956 while attending Baton Rouge High School. written by Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller). In early 1961, Clanton was drafted and spent the next two years in the U.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 the UK Singles Chart was "Another Sleepless Night", a Greenfield/Neil Sedaka composition that spent one week at number 50 in July 1960.

Clanton starred in a rock and roll movie produced by DJ Alan Freed called Go, Johnny, Go! During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Clanton was managed by Cosimo Matassa, the New Orleans recording studio owner and engineer. In May 1960, Ace Records announced in Billboard that Philadelphia had proclaimed the week of May 16 to be "Jimmy Clanton Week."

In 1963, American Bandstand signed Clanton to Dick Clark's Caravan 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. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated that afternoon while touring Dallas in an open-car caravan.

Clanton became a disc jockey at WHEX in Columbia, Pennsylvania, between 1972 and 1976 and performed in an oldies revue also in the 1970s, The Masters of Rock 'n' Roll, with Troy Shondell, Ray Peterson, and Ronnie Dove. He had a religious conversion in August 1980. Clanton appeared at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 1995 and performed with Frankie Ford.

In 2022, Clanton published a book co-authored with Sandy Weeks titled Just A Dream From Singer to Servant of God! The Story of Jimmy Clanton. It tells his story of life as a star and also about the unexpected journey of faith that began in 1980.

Honors and awards Clanton was inducted into the Museum of the Gulf Coast Hall of Fame, which also has inducted such performers as Tex Ritter, Janis Joplin, ZZ Top and B. J. Thomas.

On April 14, 2007, at a "Legends of Louisiana Celebration & Inductions" concert in Mandeville, Louisiana, Jimmy Clanton was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.

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 awarded gold discs.

Personal life Clanton married Roxanne Faye Edtmiller on December 8, 1962, and they have three children.

Discography Albums 1959: Just A Dream (Ace) 1960: Jimmy's Happy (Ace) 1960: Jimmy's Blue (Ace) 1960: Jimmy's Happy/Jimmy's Blue (Ace) 1961: Teenage Millionaire (Ace) 1961: My Best To You (Ace) 1962: Venus In Blue Jeans (Ace) 1964: The Best Of Jimmy Clanton (Philips) 2007: Born Again (Snailworx) 2014: Everybody Needs Love (no label)

Singles Year Title (A-side, B-side)Both sides from same album except where indicated Label Chart positions AlbumU.S.U.S. R&BCanada 1957"I Trusted You"b/w "That's You Baby" (Non-album track) Ace 537 — — —My Best to You 1958"Just a Dream"b/w "You Aim to Please" (Non-album track) Ace 546 4 1 5 Just a Dream"A Letter to an Angel" / Ace 551 25 — 46"A Part of Me" Ace 551 38 28 — 1959"My Love Is Strong"b/w "Ship on a Stormy Sea" Ace 560 — —"My Own True Love"b/w "Little Boy in Love" Ace 567 33 — 24 My Best to You"Go, Jimmy, Go"b/w "I Trusted You" Ace 575 5 19 1 1960"Another Sleepless Night"Ab/w "I'm Gonna Try" Ace 585 22 — 22 Jimmy's Blue"The Slave"b/w "Rambling Girl" Ace S1860 — — — Non-album tracks"Come Back" / Ace 600 63 — — My Best to You"Wait" Ace 600 91 — — 1961"What Am I Gonna Do"b/w "If I" Ace 607 50 — 36"What Am I Living For"b/w "Wedding Bells" Vin 1028 — — —Non-album tracks"Down the Aisle"b/w "No Longer Blue"(Both sides: Jimmy Clanton and Mary Ann Mobley) Ace 616 — — —"I Just Wanna Make Love"b/w "Don't Look at Me" (from Jimmy's Blue) Ace 622 — — — Venus in Blue Jeans"Lucky in Love with You"b/w "Not Like a Brother" Ace 634 — — —"Twist on Little Girl"b/w "Wayward Love" Ace 641 — — —1962"Just a Moment"b/w "Because I Do" Ace 655 — — —"Venus in Blue Jeans"b/w "Highway Bound" (from Jimmy's Blue) Ace 8001 7 — 5"Darkest Street in Town"b/w "Dreams of a Fool" Ace 8005 77 — — 1963 "Another Day, Another Heartache"b/w "This Endless Night" Ace 8006 — — —Non-album tracks"Cindy"b/w "I Care Enough (To Give the Very Best)" Ace 8007 — — — "Red Don't Go with Blue"b/w "All the Words in the World" Philips 40161 115 — —1964"I'll Step Aside"b/w "I Won't Cry Anymore" Philips 40181 — — —"A Million Drums"b/w "If I'm a Fool for Loving You" Philips 40208 — — —The Best of Jimmy Clanton"Follow the Sun"b/w "Lock the Windows, Lock the Doors" (Non-album track) Philips 40219 — — —1965"Hurting Each Other"b/w "Don't Keep Your Friends Away" Mala 500 — — —Non-album tracks"Everything I Touch Turns To Tears"b/w "That Special Way" Mala 516 — — —1967"C'mon Jim"b/w "The Absence of Lisa" Imperial 66242 — — —"I'll Be Loving You"b/w "Calico Junction" Imperial 66274 — — — 1969"Curly"Bb/w "I'll Never Forget Your Love" Laurie LR-3508 97 — —"Tell Me"b/w "I'll Never Forget Your Love" Laurie LR-3534 — — — 1971"The Coolest Hot Pants"b/w "The Coolest Hot Pants" (Piccolino Pops) Spiral GS-3406 — — — — 1976"Old Rock'n Roller (Will It Happen Again)"b/w "Old Rock'n Roller (Will It Happen Again)" Starcrest GRT-078 — — — 1978"You Kissed A Fool Good-bye"b/w "I Wanna Go Home" Star Fire S-104 — — —