Tony Clarke (April 13, 1940 – August 28, 1971) was an American

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

singer and songwriter.

Early life and career

Clarke, thought to have been born Ralph Thomas Williams in New York City, was raised in Detroit. He performed as a singer and made his first recordings for the small Stepp label in the late 1950s. He wrote the songs "Pushover" and "Two Sides to Every Story", hits for

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, sh ...

, with Billy Davis. "The Short Life and Career of Tony Clarke", ''Mental Itch''
Retrieved 10 November 2020 Clarke had his first chart entry in 1964 with "(The Story of) Woman, Love and a Man", which reached No. 88 on the

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

. He had more success with his own song, "The Entertainer", which hit No. 10 R&B and No. 31 Pop in the U.S. in 1965. In 1966, he moved from Detroit to Hollywood, and secured a small part in the film ''

They Call Me Mister Tibbs! ''They Call Me Mister Tibbs!'' is a 1970 American DeLuxe Color crime drama film directed by Gordon Douglas. The second installment in a trilogy, the release was preceded by '' In the Heat of the Night'' (1967) and followed by '' The Organizati ...

''.

Tony Clarke Anthony or Tony Clarke may refer to: * Tony Clarke (British politician) (born 1963), English Labour Party politician, MP for Northampton South from 1997 to 2005 * Anthony Clarke (judoka) (born 1961), Australian athlete *Tony Clarke (activist) (born ...

at Allmusic.com He was fatally shot by his estranged wife when he broke into her house in Detroit. After his death, his popularity saw a resurgence in the 1970s on the United Kingdom's Northern soul scene particularly with his recordings of “The Entertainer” and "Landslide".

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Tony 1940 births 1971 deaths 20th-century African-American male singers American soul singers Chess Records artists Deaths by firearm in Michigan Mariticides Murdered African-American people American murder victims Northern soul musicians Singers from New York (state) Singers from Michigan Songwriters from New York (state) Songwriters from Michigan 1971 murders in the United States