Buzz Clifford
Encyclopedia
Buzz Clifford is an American
pop
singer and songwriter
.
as a child and won several talent competitions as a teenager. He signed to Bow Records at age 15, releasing a few singles
but finding no success. After signing with Columbia Records
, he released the single "Hello Mr. Moonlight", which did not chart
. The follow-up, "Baby Sittin' Boogie"/"Driftwood" (though "Driftwood" was technically the B-side the record tends to be regarded as a double-A-side), became a crossover
hit
in the U.S.
in 1961, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100
, #27 R&B, and #28 Country. The record
went on to sell over one million copies, and as a result of its success, Columbia tried to groom Clifford as a heartthrob
pop singer. He appeared on TV with Perry Como
and Merv Griffin
and on American Bandstand
, and toured the United Kingdom
with Freddy Cannon
and Dion
. Clifford's fame was short-lived, however; further singles went nowhere (a remake of Kay Kyser's "Three Little Fishies" hit #102) and Clifford soon found himself without a recording contract
.
After serving in the National Guard, Clifford moved to Los Angeles
, California
, and found work as a songwriter
, writing tunes sung by Keith Barbour
, Petula Clark
, Clyde McPhatter
, Lou Rawls
, Leon Russell
, Freddie King
, and Kris Kristofferson
. Later in the 1960s, he was involved with a band called Carp (including actor Gary Busey
and songwriter Daniel Moore
), who released one album
on Epic Records
in 1969. After a stint as one third of the group Hamilton Streetcar (with John Boylan of "Appletree Theatre
" fame, and original group member Ralph Plummer—the group was originally named on behalf of former member John Burge, aka Ian Hamilton) which in 1969 recorded a self-titled album for Dot Records (Dot DLP25939), he also did recording sessions in Tulsa
, Oklahoma
, with former Beach Boy David Marks, but these were never issued.
Marks, Clifford, and Moore reunited in the 1990s and released an album called Work Tapes; Marks and Clifford continued to tour together along with Clifford's two sons until 1997. After recording in Denmark
, another LP, Norse Horse, was issued.
In 1999, Beck
sampled
an early Clifford tune, "I See, I Am", in the single "Milk and Honey" for his Midnite Vultures
album.
In 2003, the 28-track CD More Than Just Babysittin': Complete Recordings 1958-1967 was released. The songs are digitally remastered, and some striking differences are apparent, including a fade-out ending on "Driftwood".
In 2009, the rap duo Method Man & Redman
released the track "Four Minutes to Lock Down" (feat. Raekwon
& Ghostface Killah
), which contained a sample of the song "Echo Park," written by Clifford, as recorded by Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge
.
In 2011, Clifford reformed the band he had started with his two sons, along with Guido Bryant on guitar, Jon Greathouse on keyboards, and Zach Mathews on harmonica, and recorded and released a new CD, Bright Lights Shine, now available at CD Baby
, iTunes
and amazon.com
.
The baby's voice on "Baby Sittin' Boogie" was that of the son of the songwriter, Johnny Parker, not Curtis Armstrong as formerly credited.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
.
Career
Clifford played guitarGuitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
as a child and won several talent competitions as a teenager. He signed to Bow Records at age 15, releasing a few singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
but finding no success. After signing with Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, he released the single "Hello Mr. Moonlight", which did not chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. The follow-up, "Baby Sittin' Boogie"/"Driftwood" (though "Driftwood" was technically the B-side the record tends to be regarded as a double-A-side), became a crossover
Crossover (music)
Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical tastes, or genres...
hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1961, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, #27 R&B, and #28 Country. The record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
went on to sell over one million copies, and as a result of its success, Columbia tried to groom Clifford as a heartthrob
Sex symbol
A sex symbol is a celebrity of either gender, typically an actor, musician, supermodel, teen idol, or sports star, noted for their sex appeal. The term was first used in the mid 1950s in relation to the popularity of certain Hollywood stars, especially Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte...
pop singer. He appeared on TV with Perry Como
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...
and Merv Griffin
Merv Griffin
Mervyn Edward "Merv" Griffin, Jr. was an American television host, musician, actor, and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer who went on to appear in movies and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 Griffin hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show on Group W Broadcasting...
and on American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
, and toured the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
with Freddy Cannon
Freddy Cannon
Frederick Anthony Picariello Jr. , known as Freddy Cannon, is an American rock and roll singer, whose biggest international hits included "Tallahassee Lassie", "Way Down Yonder In New Orleans", and "Palisades Park".-Biography:...
and Dion
Dion DiMucci
Dion Francis DiMucci , better known as Dion, is an American singer-songwriter whose work has incorporated elements of doo-wop, pop oldies music, rock and R&B styles....
. Clifford's fame was short-lived, however; further singles went nowhere (a remake of Kay Kyser's "Three Little Fishies" hit #102) and Clifford soon found himself without a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
.
After serving in the National Guard, Clifford moved to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and found work as a songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, writing tunes sung by Keith Barbour
Keith Barbour
Keith Barbour is an American singer-songwriter. He was a member of the Jabberwocks, Brown University's oldest male a cappella group, while in college. He was a member of The New Christy Minstrels before signing to Epic Records as a solo artist in 1969...
, Petula Clark
Petula Clark
Petula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
, Clyde McPhatter
Clyde McPhatter
Clyde McPhatter was an American R&B singer, perhaps the most widely imitated R&B singer of the 1950s and 1960s, making him a key figure in the shaping of doo-wop and R&B. He is best known for his solo hit "A Lover's Question"...
, Lou Rawls
Lou Rawls
Louis Allen "Lou" Rawls was an American soul, jazz, and blues singer. He was known for his smooth vocal style: Frank Sinatra once said that Rawls had "the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the singing game"...
, Leon Russell
Leon Russell
Claude Russell Bridges , known professionally as Leon Russell, is an American musician and songwriter, who has recorded as a session musician, sideman, and maintained a solo career in music....
, Freddie King
Freddie King
Freddie King , thought to have been born as Frederick Christian, originally recording as Freddy King, and nicknamed "the Texas Cannonball", was an influential African-American blues guitarist and singer. He is often mentioned as one of "the Three Kings" of electric blues guitar, along with Albert...
, and Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
. Later in the 1960s, he was involved with a band called Carp (including actor Gary Busey
Gary Busey
William Gary Busey , best known as Gary Busey, is an American film and stage actor and artist. He has appeared in a large variety of films, as well as making regular appearances on Gunsmoke, Walker, Texas Ranger, Law & Order, and Entourage...
and songwriter Daniel Moore
Daniel Moore (Musician)
Daniel Moore is an American musician, singer and songwriter.He co-wrote the song "My Maria" with B. W. Stevenson. Recorded by the latter, the song was a pop hit in 1973. Moore also wrote the song "Shambala", a song which was a hit for both B. W. Stevenson and Three Dog Night that same year...
), who released one album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
on Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
in 1969. After a stint as one third of the group Hamilton Streetcar (with John Boylan of "Appletree Theatre
Appletree Theatre
The Appletree Theatre was a studio group of American musicians who released the album Playback in 1967.The project was set up by brothers Terry and John Boylan, with leading jazz session musicians including Larry Coryell and Eric Gale...
" fame, and original group member Ralph Plummer—the group was originally named on behalf of former member John Burge, aka Ian Hamilton) which in 1969 recorded a self-titled album for Dot Records (Dot DLP25939), he also did recording sessions in Tulsa
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, with former Beach Boy David Marks, but these were never issued.
Marks, Clifford, and Moore reunited in the 1990s and released an album called Work Tapes; Marks and Clifford continued to tour together along with Clifford's two sons until 1997. After recording in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, another LP, Norse Horse, was issued.
In 1999, Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
an early Clifford tune, "I See, I Am", in the single "Milk and Honey" for his Midnite Vultures
Midnite Vultures
Midnite Vultures is the seventh studio album by American alternative rock artist Beck, released in November 1999 by Geffen Records...
album.
In 2003, the 28-track CD More Than Just Babysittin': Complete Recordings 1958-1967 was released. The songs are digitally remastered, and some striking differences are apparent, including a fade-out ending on "Driftwood".
In 2009, the rap duo Method Man & Redman
Method Man & Redman
Method Man & Redman, also referred to as Red & Meth, Meth & Red, Doc & Meth or Mr. Mef and Funk Doc, are an American hip hop duo, consisting of rap superstars Method Man and Redman ....
released the track "Four Minutes to Lock Down" (feat. Raekwon
Raekwon
Corey Woods , better known by the stage name Raekwon, is an American rapper and a member of the Wu-Tang Clan. He released his solo debut, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... in 1995, and has since recorded four solo albums, as well as work with Wu-Tang and an extensive amount of guest contributions with...
& Ghostface Killah
Ghostface Killah
Dennis Coles , better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and prominent member of the Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of Enter the Wu-Tang , the members went on to pursue solo careers to varying levels of success...
), which contained a sample of the song "Echo Park," written by Clifford, as recorded by Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge
Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge
Johnny Maestro and The Brooklyn Bridge is an American musical group, best known for their million selling rendition of Jimmy Webb's "The Worst That Could Happen" .-History:...
.
In 2011, Clifford reformed the band he had started with his two sons, along with Guido Bryant on guitar, Jon Greathouse on keyboards, and Zach Mathews on harmonica, and recorded and released a new CD, Bright Lights Shine, now available at CD Baby
CD Baby
CD Baby is an online music store specializing in the sale of CDs and digital music downloads from independent musicians to consumers. The company is also a digital aggregator of independent music recordings, distributing content to several online digital music retailers.CD Baby has achieved recent...
, iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
and amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
.
The baby's voice on "Baby Sittin' Boogie" was that of the son of the songwriter, Johnny Parker, not Curtis Armstrong as formerly credited.