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Jack Clement
Jack Henderson Clement (April 5, 1931 – August 8, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, record producer, film producer, and music executive.
He was producer and engineer for Sam Phillips at Sun Records in its early days, discovering Jerry Lee Lewis and recording the "Million Dollar Quartet" session with Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash.
Clement played a key role in launching the career of Charley Pride, writing several of Pride's biggest hit songs and producing 20 albums for the singer. Clement was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Rockabilly Hall of Fame, Memphis Music Hall of Fame, and Music City Walk of Fame.
Clement was born on April 5, 1931, in the Whitehaven neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee. He grew up and went to school in Memphis, learned guitar, and was performing at an early age, playing guitar and dobro. In 1946 at the age of 15, he ran away from home. In 1948, prior to pursuing a career in music, he commenced his service in the United States Marine Corps. While serving in Washington, DC, Clement, fiddler Scotty Stoneman, and mandolinist Buzz Busby formed the Tennessee Troupers, a bluegrass band. In 1953, he made his first record for Sheraton Records in Boston. From 1953 to 1955, he studied at Memphis State University, where he gained the nickname "Cowboy". During his student days, he played steel guitar with a local band, and he co-founded Fernwood Publishing Company with bandmate Slim Wallace in 1954.
Clement's band recorded a demonstration in a home studio that Clement had built in his garage, and he took the record to Sun Records to be mastered. Upon hearing the demo, Sam Philips wanted to meet and talk to Clement, and on June 15, 1956, Phillips hired Clement as a recording engineer and producer for Sun Records.
At Sun Records, Clement began working with acts including Billy Lee Riley, before eventually working with Sun artists Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash. He discovered and recorded Jerry Lee Lewis while Phillips was on a trip to Florida, with one of those recordings, "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On", selected in 2005 for permanent preservation in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress. Clement was also the recording engineer present at Sun Studio during the famous December 4, 1956, "Million Dollar Quartet" session involving Cash, Lewis, Perkins, and Elvis Presley. He made the decision to record the impromptu session.
In 1957, Clement wrote Johnny Cash's crossover hit "Ballad of a Teenage Queen", and "Guess Things Happen That Way", which was number one on the country chart and number 11 on the pop chart for Cash the following year. The next year, Cash scored another hit with the Clement-penned "Guess Things Happen That Way". During this time in Memphis, Clement also wrote "It'll Be Me", recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis in 1957 and covered by Cliff Richard and the Shadows in 1962. In 1958, Clement released the single "Ten Years", it reached No. 24 on Cashbox's Country Singles Chart. It was later covered by Johnny Western (1959), Rex Allen (1962), and Roger Mews.
In 1959, he was hired by Chet Atkins to work as a producer at RCA Victor in Nashville, where he worked for the next year and a half, producing albums for Del Wood and others. In 1960, Jim Reeves had a top-10 country hit with Clement's song "I Know One".
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Jack Clement
Jack Henderson Clement (April 5, 1931 – August 8, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, record producer, film producer, and music executive.
He was producer and engineer for Sam Phillips at Sun Records in its early days, discovering Jerry Lee Lewis and recording the "Million Dollar Quartet" session with Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash.
Clement played a key role in launching the career of Charley Pride, writing several of Pride's biggest hit songs and producing 20 albums for the singer. Clement was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Rockabilly Hall of Fame, Memphis Music Hall of Fame, and Music City Walk of Fame.
Clement was born on April 5, 1931, in the Whitehaven neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee. He grew up and went to school in Memphis, learned guitar, and was performing at an early age, playing guitar and dobro. In 1946 at the age of 15, he ran away from home. In 1948, prior to pursuing a career in music, he commenced his service in the United States Marine Corps. While serving in Washington, DC, Clement, fiddler Scotty Stoneman, and mandolinist Buzz Busby formed the Tennessee Troupers, a bluegrass band. In 1953, he made his first record for Sheraton Records in Boston. From 1953 to 1955, he studied at Memphis State University, where he gained the nickname "Cowboy". During his student days, he played steel guitar with a local band, and he co-founded Fernwood Publishing Company with bandmate Slim Wallace in 1954.
Clement's band recorded a demonstration in a home studio that Clement had built in his garage, and he took the record to Sun Records to be mastered. Upon hearing the demo, Sam Philips wanted to meet and talk to Clement, and on June 15, 1956, Phillips hired Clement as a recording engineer and producer for Sun Records.
At Sun Records, Clement began working with acts including Billy Lee Riley, before eventually working with Sun artists Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash. He discovered and recorded Jerry Lee Lewis while Phillips was on a trip to Florida, with one of those recordings, "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On", selected in 2005 for permanent preservation in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress. Clement was also the recording engineer present at Sun Studio during the famous December 4, 1956, "Million Dollar Quartet" session involving Cash, Lewis, Perkins, and Elvis Presley. He made the decision to record the impromptu session.
In 1957, Clement wrote Johnny Cash's crossover hit "Ballad of a Teenage Queen", and "Guess Things Happen That Way", which was number one on the country chart and number 11 on the pop chart for Cash the following year. The next year, Cash scored another hit with the Clement-penned "Guess Things Happen That Way". During this time in Memphis, Clement also wrote "It'll Be Me", recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis in 1957 and covered by Cliff Richard and the Shadows in 1962. In 1958, Clement released the single "Ten Years", it reached No. 24 on Cashbox's Country Singles Chart. It was later covered by Johnny Western (1959), Rex Allen (1962), and Roger Mews.
In 1959, he was hired by Chet Atkins to work as a producer at RCA Victor in Nashville, where he worked for the next year and a half, producing albums for Del Wood and others. In 1960, Jim Reeves had a top-10 country hit with Clement's song "I Know One".