Buck Clarke

William Lewis "Buck" Clarke[1][2] (October 2,[3] 1933[4] – October 11, 1988 in Los Angeles[3]) was an American jazz percussionist who played with Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Les McCann, Russ Freeman, Gerald Albright, Jimmy Smith and others. He also played at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1968.[2] Clarke's many musical styles include soul, funk and contemporary jazz, with an Afrocentric perspective.[5]

Buck Clarke
Buck Clarke
Background information
Birth nameWilliam Lewis Clarke[1]
Born(1933-10-02)October 2, 1933
Washington, D.C., Maryland United States
DiedOctober 11, 1988(1988-10-11) (aged 55)
Los Angeles, CA, United States
GenresContemporary Jazz, cool jazz, soul jazz
Occupation(s)Percussionist, Artist, composer
InstrumentsBongos, Congas
Years active1960-1988
LabelsArgo
Offbeat
Full Circle
Associated actsLes McCann
Herbie Hancock
Freddie Hubbard
Russ Freeman
Jimmy Smith

Biography
Clarke drumming in the 80's.

Clarke was born in Washington, DC on October 2, 1933.[2][5] At 15, he started working at a display sign store. The father of one of his bosses was a cousin to Duke Ellington,[5] so Clarke began to listen to jazz records by musicians such as Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Allen Jones and Dizzy Gillespie during lunch breaks and weekends,[6][5] and he became "hooked on Jazz."[7] He eventually had a job offer at D.C. club where he learned how to play the congas.[5] One of his very first gigs was at a show called "Jig Show", which featured dancers and comedians.[5] Clarke would travel throughout the world, going to places such as New Orleans, where he first discovered rumba music.[5] Many others tried to encourage young Clarke to play "real instruments," but his position was the bongo drums.[5]

When he was 16 or 17 years old, he played with Charlie Parker.[5] Clarke express his feelings in ever performing with Wess Anderson's band The Washingtonians which included, Eddie Jones and Charlie Parker, saying it had Clarke "shook up and mind blowing".[5] He played with Art Blakey's and New York Jazz Messengers at 19 or 20 years old.[5] He was also a member of eight piece band to be part of his education on learning how to play in a band.[5]

Clarke is also an accomplished freelance painter.[6] Some of his early artwork could be shown here at his Facebook page.

Clarke suffered from diabetes that cost him his leg in 1986.[8] He died on October 11, 1988 in Los Angeles.[3]

Discography

As leader

As sideman

With Les McCann

With Willis Jackson

With Eugene McDaniels

  • Outlaw (Prestige, 1960)

With Dave Hubbard

  • Dave Hubbard (Mainstream, 1971)

With Cannonball Adderley

With The Isley Brothers

With Nina Simone

  • The Great Show Live in Paris (Disques Festival, 1975)

With Jimmy Smith

With John Mayall

  • A Banquet In Blues (ABC, 1976)

With Herbie Hancock

With Freddie Hubbard

With Ron Escheté

  • Stump Jumper (Bainbridge, 1986)

With Thelonious Monster

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See also

References
  1. https://www.invaluable.com/artist/clarke-william-lewis-lyz139lhs4/
  2. "Buck Clarke". Facebook.com. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  3. Archived 2016-12-24 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Buck Clarke". Facebook.com. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  5. "Night Journey Rewind with Percussionist Buck Clarke". Nightjourneyrewind.com. Archived from the original on December 24, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  6. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2211&dat=19670401&id=Ad8mAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7gIGAAAAIBAJ&pg=718%2C1247561
  7. "Night Journey Rewind with Percussionist Buck Clarke - NJR". Nightjourneyrewind.com. March 31, 2013. Archived from the original on December 24, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  8. "Jazz Reviews: Musicians Pay Tribute To Buck Clarke". Los Angeles Times. April 28, 1986. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
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