- Clay Hart
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Clay Hart Birth name Henry Clay Hart III Born July 1, 1942 Origin Providence, Rhode Island Genres Country Occupations Singer Years active 1969–1970 Labels Metromedia Associated acts Sally Flynn Clay Hart (born July 1, 1942) is an American country music singer and guitarist who was a member of The Lawrence Welk Show television program from 1969 to 1975.
Contents
Biography
Born Henry Clay Hart, III, and reared in Providence, Rhode Island; he attended Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts as a theater arts major. Although his passion was in music, he worked as a salesman in a record shop in New York City after graduation and later as a foreign credit analyst on Wall Street but those jobs were brief, for he proceeded to pursue a music career, often performing in small clubs.
While performing in West Virginia, Hart was discovered by Lawrence Welk who was there for a luncheon on behalf of the Cancer Crusade. Impressed with his talent, the maestro signed him as a member of the Champagne Music Makers, where he made is first network television appearance in July 1969.
As the show's featured country singer, Hart was on the show until 1975. During that time, he was nominated for a Grammy in 1969 with his first hit record "Spring",[1] but lost to Johnny Cash, and has released a solo album, Clay Hart: Most Requested Country Favorites from the Ranwood Records label.
He married Welk vocalist Sally Flynn on December 6, 1974, and the two later became a husband-and-wife country singing act that has opened for stars such as Mel Tillis, Red Skelton, and Juliet Prowse. Recently, he and Flynn have appeared in wraparound segments for reruns of the Welk Show on PBS and have toured the U.S. with their fellow Welk stars in the Forever Blowing Bubbles concert series.
Hart has two children, Elizabeth and Hank, from a previous marriage. Since the show, he has appeared on The Nashville Network, and has operated a tote bag business with Flynn. They currently make their home in Miami, Florida.
Discography
Albums
Year Album US Country Label 1969 Spring 38 Metromedia Singles
Year Single Chart Positions Album US Country CAN Country 1969 "Spring" 30 — Spring "Another Day, Another Mile, Another Highway" 25 2 singles only 1970 "Face of a Dear Friend" 73 — "If I'd Only Come and Gone" 62 13 References
- ^ "New look new product new team". Billboard. 29 August 1970. p. 8. http://books.google.com/books?id=likEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA8&dq=%22Clay+Hart%22+%22lawrence+welk%22&hl=en&ei=hXBqTfOrGoW5tgeShKHmAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CEwQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=%22Clay%20Hart%22%20%22lawrence%20welk%22&f=false. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
Categories:- Living people
- 1942 births
- American country singers
- People from Providence, Rhode Island
- People from New York City
- People from Los Angeles, California
- People from Miami, Florida
- American country singer stubs
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