Darrell Puckett (born August 10, 1956), known professionally as Darrell Clanton, is an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist. In the mid-1980s, he recorded for Audiograph and

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

, charting three

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' country charts. The highest of the three was "

Lonesome 7-7203 "Lonesome 7-7203" is a 1963 single by Hawkshaw Hawkins, written by Justin Tubb. It was the final single release of his career, released in 1963 on the King label. History "Lonesome 7-7203" was Hawkins's first chart entry since "Soldier's Joy" in 1 ...

," which reached No. 24 on the country charts in 1984.

Biography

Puckett was born in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, Indiana and raised in

South Pasadena, Florida South Pasadena is a city in southern Pinellas County, Florida, United States, near St. Pete Beach, Florida, St. Pete Beach. The population was 4,964 at the 2010 census. Geography South Pasadena is located at (27.754393, –82.739871). According ...

. He attended

Boca Ciega High School Boca Ciega High School (BCHS), commonly referred to as Bogie by students, staff, and county residents, is an American four-year public high school in Gulfport, Florida, just south of the St. Petersburg city line, and is part of the Pinellas County ...

and toured the area as a member of several bands. He moved to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

at age 22, where he found work as an assistant to

Pete Drake Roddis Franklin "Pete" Drake (October 8, 1932 – July 29, 1988), was a Nashville-based American record producer and pedal steel guitar player. One of the most sought-after backup musicians of the 1960s, Drake played on such hits as Lynn Anderson' ...

, a

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

. He also began working as a songwriter for material recorded by

B.J. Thomas Billy Joe Thomas (August 7, 1942 – May 29, 2021) was an American singer widely known for his pop, country and Christian hits of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Popular songs by Thomas include "Hooked on a Feeling" (1968), "Raindrops Keep Fallin' ...

, Charlie Louvin and Bobby Vinton. Puckett also recorded a demo for

Justin Tubb Justin Wayne Tubb (August 20, 1935 – January 24, 1998) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Born in San Antonio, Texas, United States, he was the oldest son of country singer Ernest Tubb, known for popular songs like " Walking ...

, who encouraged him to pursue a career as a recording artist. After Puckett signed to

, label executives then suggested that he change his surname to Clanton, after the town of Clanton, Alabama. Clanton released his debut single, a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

Hawkshaw Hawkins Harold Franklin "Hawkshaw" Hawkins (December 22, 1921 – March 5, 1963) was an American country music singer popular from the 1950s into the early 1960s. He was known for his rich, smooth vocals and music drawn from blues, boogie and honky ...

's "Lonesome 7-7203" (written by Justin Tubb) in late 1983. By February 1984, Clanton's version peaked at No. 24 on the ''

'' country singles charts and No. 21 on the Canadian ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' Country Tracks charts. In 1984, Clanton was nominated for Top New Male Vocalist at the

Academy of Country Music Awards The Academy of Country Music Awards, also known as the ACM Awards, were first held in 1966, honoring the industry's accomplishments during the previous year. It was the first country music awards program held by a major organization. The academy ...

. In March 1984, he charted his second single, "I'll Take as Much of You as I Can Get", which peaked at No. 75, followed by "I Forgot that I Don't Live Here Anymore" at No. 56. The latter song was boycotted by

Mothers Against Drunk Driving Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is a non-profit organization in the United States, Canada and Brazil that seeks to stop drunk driving, support those affected by drunk driving, prevent underage drinking, and strive for stricter impaired drivi ...

, and he exited the label. Clanton performed at the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...

three times in 1984, and was booked to open for

Lynn Anderson Lynn Renée Anderson (September 26, 1947 – July 30, 2015) was an American country singer and television personality. Her crossover signature recording, "Rose Garden," was a number one hit in the United States and internationally. She charte ...

and

Hank Williams, Jr. Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of southern rock, blues, and country. He is the son of ...

He found work as a music producer, but returned to Florida with his fiancée in 2003. Clanton's 2005 self-released album is titled ''Someplace Sunny''. Several of his songs were included in a collection of albums titled ''Stars of the Grand Ole Opry'', including the Wilburn Brothers and Jean Shepard. Since the 2000s, he has resumed playing at local bars in the Tampa Bay area (he lives in

Clearwater Clearwater or Clear Water may refer to: Places Canada * Clear Water Academy, a private Catholic school located in Calgary, Alberta * Clearwater (provincial electoral district), a former provincial electoral district in Alberta * Clearwater, Briti ...

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Darrell Clanton
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clanton, Darrell 1956 births American country singer-songwriters Musicians from Indianapolis Warner Records artists Living people Country musicians from Indiana People from South Pasadena, Florida Country musicians from Florida Singer-songwriters from Indiana Singer-songwriters from Florida