Anyone who’s ever been to a Springsteen concert knows Clarence Clemons wasn’t just a sideman. The Big Man, as he was dubbed, in deference to his 6 feet four 250 pound frame and his large and affable stage presence, died Saturday of complications from a stroke he had suffered last week. he was 69.
Clemons’ muscular, soulful tenor sax solos were the heart and soul of the E Street Band’s distinctive, energetic sound. In a statement, Bruce Springsteen called Clemons, “My great friend, my partner.” The Boss’ praise extolled the pleasures of their forty year collaboration. ” With Clarence at my side, my band and I were able to tell a story deeper than those simply contained in our music. His life, his memory and his love will live on in that story and in our band.”
Clemons’ “Jungleland” solo is so glorious, it’s transcendent.
Clemons’ artistry is featured in an array of classics including “Born to Run ” “Rosalitta” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out,” which pays homage to Clemons with the line “when they made the change uptown and the Big Man joined the band.”
When Springsteen put the E Street Band on hiatus, Clemons served up his serious saxophone chops on records from Aretha Franklin, Twisted Sister and most recently Lady Gaga. He also had his own single, the 1985 pop hit “You’re A Friend of Mine,” a duet with, ironically, Jackson Browne, not Springsteen.
The fabled story of just how The Big man and the Boss met, is legend among fans, who’ve heard it countless times at Springsteen shows. In most renditions, a lightening storm rolled through Asbury Park one night in 1971 while Springsteen was playing at a local bar. As Clemons entered the bar, the story goes, the wind blew the door of its hinges and Springsteen was startled by the Big Man’s towering image. Clemons invited himself up to jam on stage and the two just clicked. “I felt like I was supposed to be there, ” Clemons recalled in an interview. “It was a magical moment. he looked at me and I looked at him and we fell in love.”
That love pulsates through the music and underscores every performance. It’s hard to imagine a Springsteen show without Clarence Clemons. Whoever plays his solos will surely be channeling the Big Man, the audience conjuring his vibe as his spirit carries the crowd through.
R.I.P. Big Man.
Please follow Amy Beth Arkawy on Twitter.
No comments:
Post a Comment