Dee Clark

• Genre: '60s Oldies
• Hometown: Chicago

About

Dee Clark's rich, resounding voice is famous for singing light R&B romantic ballads. His family relocated to Chicago from Arkansas, but Clark always maintained his Southern roots -- look no further than that country holler in his voice. Starting his career with vocal harmony groups such as the Hambone Kids, the Kool Gents and, later, the Delegates, he graduated with honors from the Sam Cooke school of vocal training and went solo. His tightly scored songs featured a steady rhythm section, straight-laced background vocals, organ, and strings (on his ballads). Scoring a string of hits in the 1950s, his most famous tune was his 1961 recording of "Raindrops" ("It can't be tears / For a man ain't supposed to cry"). In the '60s, his output was mostly limited to stylized versions of popular songs.

- Robert Leaver