Sonny Clark

Sonny Clark – born Conrad Clark on July 21, 1931, in Herminie, Pennsylvania – was a jazz pianist best known for his work in the hard bop subgenre. He began learning the piano at the age of four, and studied vibraphone while in school. In 1945, he discovered jazz music after hearing Fats Waller and Art Tatum on the radio and seeing the Duke Ellington Orchestra and Count Basie Orchestra on TV. Deciding to pursue jazz piano, Sonny Clark moved to California in 1951 and performed with artists such as bassist Oscar Pettiford and clarinetist Buddy DeFranco, who mentored him and took him on international tours between 1953 and 1956. Following a stint accompanying singer Dinah Washington he moved to New York where he was in high demand as a sideman on recordings by a wide variety of avant-garde artists including Kenny Burrell, Paul Chambers, John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Art Farmer, Grant Green, Philly Joe Jones, and Wilbur Ware. Sonny Clark made a name for himself as a solo artist with albums such as Dial ‘S’ for Sonny (1957), Sonny’s Crib (1958), Sonny Clark Trio (1958), Cool Struttin’ (1958), and Leapin’ and Lopin’ (1961). A longtime drug addict, Sonny Clark died on January 13, 1963, at the height of his career. Officially ruled a heart attack, rumors have circulated for decades that Sonny Clark died from a heroin overdose.

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