On this day (August 8) in 2013, Cowboy Jack Clement died in his Nashville, Tennessee, home after a battle with liver cancer at the age of 82. He found success in several facets of the music industry throughout his long career. Clement wrote hit songs and produced timeless records for country legends. He was a noted song publisher, studio owner, and label head. In the mid-1960s, he helped launch Charley Pride’s career and produced many of his albums.
Clement started making major moves in the music world while studying at Memphis State University. There, he played steel guitar in a local band. He also co-founded Fernwood Publishing Company. In 1956, he and his band recorded a demo in a makeshift studio he put together in his garage. He took the recording to Sun Records for mastering. When label head Sam Phillips heard the disc, he called Clement into his office. That day, he was hired as an engineer and producer.
During his three years at Sun Records, Clement worked with Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Charlie Rich, according to the Country Music Hall of Fame. While there, he also wrote “Ballad of a Teenage Queen” and “Guess Things Happen That Way” for Cash. Both of those songs topped the country chart and crossed over to the Hot 100.
Jack Clement Goes to Nashville
Sam Phillips fired Jack Clement from Sun Records in 1959. Undeterred, Clement relocated to Nashville the next year. There, he began working as a songwriter and producer at RCA under Chet Atkins. That didn’t last long, though.
Clement left Music City for Beaumont, Texas, where he and Bill Hall established Gulf Coast Recording Studios. There, he met George Jones. It was Clement who suggested that Jones cut “She Thinks I Still Care,” which went to No. 1 in 1962. Three years later, he returned to Nashville.
Clement Launched Careers
Jack Clement moved back to Nashville and helped launch Charley Pride’s career. Clement financed a demo session and handed the tape to Chet Atkins, who helped get Pride signed to RCA. Then, Clement produced 13 of Pride’s albums. Those albums yielded many of his 29 chart-topping singles.
In 1971, Clement formed the label Jack Music Inc. The label helped launch the career of Don Williams.
Jack Clement’s Hit Songs
Along with being a producer, Jack Clement wrote several songs that became hits for A-list artists. Below are a few highlights from his catalog.
- “A Girl I Used to Know”–George Jones (No. 3)
- “The One on the Right Is on the Left”–Johnny Cash (No. 2)
- “Miller’s Cave”–Bobby Bare (No. 4)
- “I Know One”–Jim Reeves (No. 6)
- “Does My Ring Hurt Your Finger”–Charley Pride (No. 4)
Featured Image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
The post 13 Years Ago Today, Country Music Lost the Hitmaker Who Launched Charley Pride’s Career and Wrote Songs for Johnny Cash and George Jones appeared first on American Songwriter.
Author: Clayton Edwards
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