Tony Clarke (singer)

Tony Clarke
Background information
Birth name Ralph Thomas Williams
Also known as Tony Lois, Thelma Williams
Born (1940-04-13)April 13, 1940
New York City, New York, USA
Died August 28, 1971(1971-08-28) (aged 31)
Detroit, Michigan, USA
Genres Soul
Occupation(s) Musician, singer, songwriter
Instruments Vocals
Years active ?–1971
Labels Chess

Tony Clarke (April 13, 1940 – August 28, 1971) was an American soul singer-songwriter.

Early life and career

Clarke, born Ralph Thomas Williams in New York City, was raised in Detroit. He wrote the songs "Pushover" and "Two Sides to Every Story", hits for Etta James. Clarke scored a chart hit of his own with "The Entertainer" which hit #10 R&B and #31 Pop in the US in 1965.[1]

Death

In the early hours of August 28, 1971, Clarke is alleged to have broken into his estranged wife, Joyce Elaine's, home armed with a tire jack. She shot and killed him in self-defense.[2][3] After his death, his career saw a resurgence in the 1970s on the United Kingdom's Northern soul scene particularly with his recording of "Landslide".[1][3]

References

  1. 1 2 Tony Clarke at Allmusic.com
  2. "Tony Clarke - They call him a wrong man". www.groovesvilleusa.com. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Tony Clarke". www.soulbot.com. Retrieved 24 January 2012.

External links

Tony Clarke at Find a Grave

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