- Jimmy Clanton
Jimmy Clanton (born September 2, 1940) was born in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana and as a singer became known as the "swamp pop R&B teenage idol". [cite web
url=http://www.allbutforgottenoldies.net/jimmy-clanton.html
title=Jimmy Clanton Songs
publisher=
accessdate=2006-11-24 ] 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 charts and sold over a million copies. Clanton performed on Dick Clark's American Bandstand and toured with popular artists likeFats Domino ,Jerry Lee Lewis andThe Platters . [cite web
url=http://www.museumofthegulfcoast.org/Content/Personalities/Music_Legends/Jimmy_Clanton
title=Jimmy Clanton
publisher=Museum of the Gulf Coast
accessdate=2006-11-24 ]History
Clanton formed his first band called the Rockets in 1956 while attending
Baton Rouge High School .One of the few white singers to come out of the New Orleans R&B/rock & roll sound, he rode the crest of the popular teen music wave in the 1950s and '60s with such songs as "Just a Dream," which reached number four, "Go Jimmy Go", which peaked at number five, and "
Venus in Blue Jeans ," which rose to number seven. He even continued to release hits after he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1961 and served for two years..Clanton starred in a
rock and roll movie produced byAlan Freed called "Go Johnny Go", and later starred in "Teenage Millionaire". [cite web
url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0163402/
title=Jimmy Clanton
publisher=IMBD
accessdate=2006-11-24 ]Clanton became a disc jockey at WHEX in
Columbia, Pennsylvania between 1972 & 1976 and performed in an oldies revue also in the 1970's, "The Masters of Rock 'n' Roll," withTroy Shondell ,Ray Peterson , and Ronnie Dove. He had a religious conversion in the 1980s. In the 1995Jazz Fest inNew Orleans , Clanton performed withRay Charles ,Chuck Berry , and Frankie "Sea Cruise" Ford.Along with such well-known performers as Tex Ritter, Janis Joplin, ZZTop and B.J. Thomas, Jimmy Clanton was inducted into The Museum of the Gulf Coast Hall of Fame. [cite web
url=http://www.museumofthegulfcoast.org/Content/Personalities/Music_Legends
title=Museum of the Gulf Coast - Music Legends
publisher=www.museumofthegulfcoast.org
accessdate=2008-07-21]In December 2007, Jimmy was voted by fans worldwide as a member of the first class of inductees to the
Hit Parade Hall of Fame , joining an elite group that also included (alphabetically) Paul Anka, The Beatles, Tony Bennett, Pat Boone, Beach Boys, Teresa Brewer, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Chubby Checker, Nat "King" Cole, Perry Como, Bing Crosby, Bobby Darin, Neil Diamond, Fats Domino, Four Seasons, Aretha Franklin, Connie Francis, Brenda Lee, Johnny Mathis, Ricky Nelson, Roy Orbison, Patti Page, Elvis Presley, Diana Ross & the Supremes, Neil Sedaka, and Frank Sinatra. [cite web|url=http://hitparadehalloffame.org/|title=Welcome To The Hit Parade Hall Of Fame|publisher=hitparadehalloffame.org|accessdate=2008-03-09]Notes
External links
* [http://www.uppercutmusic.com/artist_j/jimmy_clanton_lyrics.html List of songs]
* [http://www.singulartists.com/artist_j/jimmy_clanton_lyrics/venus_in_blue_jeans_lyrics.html Venus in Blue Jeans - lyrics]
* [http://www.sigitas.com/artist_j/jimmy_clanton_lyrics.html A Letter Home - lyrics]
* [http://www.mybestyears.com Mybestyears.com]
* [http://www.jimmyclanton.com Official website]
* [http://www.prairiehillpress.com Prairiehillpress.com]
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