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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZCLEMENT, Jack(b Jack Henderson Clement, 5 April '31, Whitehaven TN, a suburb of Memphis) Country singer, songwriter, producer, publisher; aka 'Cowboy Jack'. Served in US Marines, settled in Washington DC, played banjo with Roy Clark, then the Stonemans; formed bluegrass duo '53 with Buzz Busby; worked on radio WWVA. Took up steel guitar in a Hawaiian band; returned to Memphis '54, worked as an Arthur Murray dance instructor. He recorded rockabilly singer Billy Riley and leased a tape for Fernwood to Sun records, which signed both Riley and Clement (as singer, producer and songwriter). He produced Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison; wrote hits 'Ballad Of A Teenage Queen', 'Guess Things Happen That Way' for Cash. He formed Summer Records '59 ('Summer hits, summer not, hope you like the ones we got'), lasted less than a year. Moved to Nashville '60, worked at RCA producing Jim Reeves ('I Know One'), Ed Bruce etc. To Beaumont, Texas '63; teamed with Bill Hall and ex-Sun employee Allen Reynolds working with old-time artists Moon Mullican, Cliff Bruner, younger people Dickey Lee, songwriting team Foster and Rice, George Jones, etc. Back to Nashville '64 to work with Cash; produced 'Ring Of Fire'; wrote comedy numbers on Everybody Loves A Nut LP. Formed Jack Music, produced Charlie Pride hits, also Stonemans, Tompall and the Glaser Bros, Mac Wiseman, Louis Armstrong, Doc Watson, Waylon Jennings; wrote dozens of hits. He built Jack Clement Studio '70, formed JMI label '71 with Allen Reynolds (Crystal Gayle's producer), songwriter Bob McDill, Don Williams working for him (later became top singer): had design studio, construction company, etc; produced 13 gold albums including Pride's; lost money producing a horror film Dear Dead Delilah with Agnes Moorehead: JMI folded '74. Carried on singing, writing, producing Cash, Jennings, Townes Van Zandt, etc. Has recorded for Sun, RCA, Hallway, Monument; Elektra LP All I Want To Do In Life '78. 'I've got a bunch of people who say I'm a genius. That don't make me a genius, but you've got to be pretty smart to get all them people to say that on cue' (quoted by Lola Scobey, Peter Guralnick). Worked on U2's Rattle And Hum album tracks recorded at Sun Studios and continued as a freelance producer. His second album, his first in 25 years, was Guess Things Happen That Way on Dualtone 2004. |