Dee Clark

Although Delectus Clark was born in Arkansas, in November of 1938, he was raised in Chicago. Delectus had always enjoyed an inherent love of music, which was fostered by his mother who was a singer of gospel.

As Dee Clark he performed with a succession of groups from 1952 before embarking upon a career as a solo artist, in 1957. In late 1958, Dee recorded “Nobody But You” which, early in that following year, ascended to No.21 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and No.3 on its rhythm and blues chart.

Dee’s three subsequent entries also performed more creditably on the rhythm and blues chart when “Just Keep It Up” reached No.9 and “Hey Little Girl”, No.2, also in 1959, and “How About That”, No.10, in 1960.

However, the best was yet to come! This took the form of the uptempo ballad, “Raindrops”, which became an international hit in 1961.

Dee’s entries to the charts had petered out by 1963, nevertheless, quite out of the blue, he appeared on the British pop chart, in 1975, via the single, “Ride A Wild Horse”, which peaked at No.16.

When Dee was fifty years of age I saw a report on television, which showed him to be virtually penniless and living in a dilapidated motel. Just as sad, was the fact that his health appeared to mirror his pecuniary situation. Two years afterwards, he died from a heart attack, in December of 1990, in Georgia.

The Top 40 Fantasies: No. 18

  1. Because Of You (1951) Tony Bennett
  2. Love Is A Beautiful Song (1971) Dave Mills
  3. Green Tambourine (1967) The Lemon Pipers
  4. Sweet Nothin’s (1959) Brenda Lee
  5. The Gypsy (1946) The Ink Spots
  6. At The Woodchopper’s Ball (1939) Woody Herman and his Orchestra
  7. The Gypsy (1946) Dinah Shore
  8. Made In Japan (1972) Buck Owens and The Buckaroos
  9. A Broadway Melody (1929) Ben Selvin and his Orchestra
  10. Look Around (1971) Vince Hill
  11. Sha La La La Lee (1966) The Small Faces
  12. This Wheel’s On Fire (1968) Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger and The Trinity
  13. Bonaparte’s Retreat (1950) Kay Starr
  14. The Secrets That You Keep (1975) Mud
  15. The World I Used To Know (1964) Jimmie Rodgers
  16. Dreamin’ (1960) Johnny Burnette
  17. Let The Rest Of The World Go By (1920) Elizabeth Spencer
  18. Forty Days And Forty Nights (1956) Muddy Waters
  19. Beyond Tomorrow (Love Theme From ‘Serpico’) (1974) Perry Como
  20. You Don’t Know Like I Know (1966) Sam and Dave
  21. Things Have Changed (1945) Big Maceo
  22. Born A Woman (1966) Sandy Posey
  23. The Roving Kind (1950) Guy Mitchell
  24. That Silver-Haired Daddy Of Mine (1931) Gene Autry
  25. Ready Willing And Able (1955) Doris Day
  26. I’ve Had It (1959) The Bell Notes
  27. Fujiyama Mama (1957) Wanda Jackson
  28. You Only Live Once In A While (1974) Mickey Newbury
  29. Oakie Boogie (1952) Ella Mae Morse
  30. The Oogum Boogum Song Brenton Wood
  31. This Door Swings Both Ways (1966) Herman’s Hermits
  32. Right Said Fred (1962) Bernard Cribbins
  33. Pitfall (1955) The Louvin Brothers
  34. Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man (1973) Loretta Lynn/Conway Twitty
  35. Delaware (1960) Perry Como
  36. Sex Bomb (1999) Tom Jones
  37. Goo Goo Barabajagal (Love Is Hot) (1969) Donovan, with The Jeff Beck Group
  38. Another One Bites The Dust (1980) Queen
  39. Rock Lobster (1980) The B-52’s
  40. Shake It Off (2014) Taylor Swift