How Clarence Clemons gave Springsteen street cred

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“His loss is immeasurable,” Bruce Springsteen shared in a statement regarding Clarence Clemons’ passing on Saturday, June 18, due to complications from a stroke suffered on June 12. Affectionately known as “The Big Man” to represent both his imposing stature and his huge sound, Clemons, who began playing professionally with Springsteen in 1972, ensured that the soul roots of rock-n-roll remained intact during the meteoric rise of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in the 1970s and 1980s.

Click here to view a slideshow of the life and times of Clarence Clemons

The nearly 10 minute long “Jungleland” and “Born to Run,” from the classic 1975 Springsteen album Born to Run made both Springsteen and Clemons — whose close relationship is captured on its cover — stars, are among Clemons’ most-noted solos. So is “Badlands” from the 1978 Darkness on the Edge of Town album.

WATCH ‘TODAY SHOW’ COVERAGE OF CLARENCE CLEMONS:
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Clemons met Springsteen on a fabled, windy and rainy night in 1971 at the Student Prince in Asbury Park, NJ. After Clemons sat in on “Spirit in the Dark” with Springsteen, their fate was sealed and Clemons became an integral part of rock history, helping to cultivate the scene in Asbury Park, an area in the Jersey Shore that nurtured Springsteen and the E Street Band. To pay homage to Clemons’ large contribution to Asbury Park’s rock legacy, fans gathered at The Stone Pony, where Clemons regularly jammed with Springsteen.

Known for his soulful sound, Clemons, the grandson of a Southern Baptist preacher, received his first saxophone at the age of 9 as an unwanted Christmas gift from his father. Pushed by his father, the Virginia native began diligently practicing the saxophone. In high school, however, Clemons also became a standout football player.

At what is now the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, Clemons’ play attracted the attention of pro scouts. A car accident before crucial NFL tryouts ended any potential he had for a pro football career and he focused all his attention on music, jamming around the New Jersey area as he worked as a counselor to young boys in the Newark area to pay the bills.

Often compared to his idol King Curtis, the legendary tenor sax player known for his classic solo on “Yakety Yak” as well as leading Aretha Franklin’s early backing band, The Kingpins and producing records with the legendary Jerry Wexler, Clemons was also very productive outside of his collaborations with Springsteen. He recorded several solo albums as well as with Temple of Soul, the group he formed with legendary producer Narada Michael Walden. Other songs bearing his distinctive sound include the 1985 hits “You’re A Friend of Mine, a duet with Jackson Browne, and Aretha Franklin’s classic “Freeway of Love.” Musically active until the end, Clemons, who also performed with The Grateful Dead and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, was introduced to a whole new generation of fans through his key contributions to “Hair” and “The Edge of Glory” on Lady Gaga’s current hit album Born This Way. In fact, Clemons was present for a solo during Lady Gaga’s performance of “The Edge of Glory” during this year’s American Idol finale just a month ago.

During the tumultuous 1970s, Clemons’ friendship with Springsteen was a powerful symbol of much-needed racial cooperation and unity at a time when the issues of forced school integration in the South and busing in racially polarized cities like Boston disrupted the nation. Although Clemons was a rocker at a time when rock-n-roll was very solidly “white boy music,” his identity never seemed compromised. He was never the “token black guy”; instead he was highly respected for his gift and craft, reinforcing that African-Americans were critical contributors to the American cultural landscape.

Personally, Clemons did not limit his abilities to just music. As an actor, he appeared in several films, including Martin Scorsese’s New York, New York and Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. On television, he is memorable for roles on Diff’rent Strokes, Nash Bridges and My Wife and Kids. In recent years, Clemons returned to his youth counselor roots by appearing twice on the HBO critically acclaimed drama The Wire as a youth-program organizer, another move that introduced him to a new and more youthful audience.

Twitter was full of praise for Clemons: Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash tweeted “one of the finest musicians/people in the business” while filmmaker Michael Moore shared “So many yrs of bringing joy 2 so many of us.” In concert, U2 saluted Clemons in concert in Anaheim, California on Saturday night. “I want you to think about a beautiful symphonic sound that came out of one man’s saxophone. I want you to think about Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band of brothers. I want you to think of Clarence Clemons. This man just carried music, and music carried him until this day,” Bono told the crowd.

Perhaps Jeff Coffin, saxophonist for the Bela Fleck & the Flecktones and the Dave Matthews Band, summed up Clemons’ impact the best. “Clarence had a very iconic sound that’s been emulated a lot,’ he said. “When you think of a sax solo in rock ‘n’ roll, he’s the guy you think of. That kind of profound influence, especially in that genre, is relatively unheard of…. One of the greats for sure.”