24 Facts About Gene Clark

Harold Eugene Clark was an American singer-songwriter and founding member of the folk rock band the Byrds.

Gene Clark was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 as a member of the Byrds.

Gene Clark was born in Tipton, Missouri, the third of 13 children in a family of Irish, German, and Native American heritage.

Gene Clark's family moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where as a boy he began learning to play the guitar and harmonica from his father.

Gene Clark was playing Hank Williams tunes as well as songs by early rockers such as Elvis Presley and the Everly Brothers.

Gene Clark was invited to join an established regional folk band, the Surf Riders, based in Kansas City at the Castaways Lounge, owned by Hal Harbaum.

Gene Clark initially played rhythm guitar in the band, but relinquished that position to David Crosby and became the tambourine and harmonica player.

Gene Clark had the 'gift' that none of the rest of us had developed yet.

In 1970, Gene Clark began work on a new single, recording two tracks with the original members of the Byrds.

In 1970 and 1971, Gene Clark contributed vocals and two compositions to albums by the Flying Burrito Brothers.

Frustrated with the music industry, Gene Clark bought a house in Albion, California and married former go-go dancer and Bell Records production assistant Carlie Lynn McCummings in June 1970, with whom he had two sons.

In 1971, Clark released his second solo album, White Light.

The album was produced by the Native American guitarist Jesse Ed Davis, with whom Gene Clark developed a great rapport, partly due to their common ancestry.

Gene Clark briefly joined McGuinn's solo group, with which he premiered "Silver Raven", arguably his most celebrated post-Byrds song.

The label was the home of the most prominent exponents of the singer-songwriter movement of the era and carried the kind of hip cachet that Gene Clark hadn't experienced since his days with the Byrds.

Some six weeks before his death in 1991, Gene Clark told interviewer Bill Wasserzieher that he considered Two Sides to Every Story his best album, rivaled only by No Other.

Gene Clark moved to Hawaii with Jesse Ed Davis to try to overcome his drug dependency, remaining there until the end of 1981.

Gene Clark began developing new fans among LA's roots-conscious Paisley Underground scene.

In 1985, Gene Clark approached McGuinn, Crosby and Hillman regarding a reformation of the Byrds in time for the 20th anniversary of the release of "Mr Tambourine Man".

Gene Clark initially called his band "The 20th Anniversary Tribute to the Byrds" and began performing on the lucrative nostalgia circuit in early 1985.

Gene Clark's health continued to decline as his substance abuse accelerated, and he was diagnosed with throat cancer in early 1991.

Gene Clark died on May 24,1991, at the age of 46 from heart disease as a result of a bleeding ulcer.

Iain Matthews was an early promoter of Gene Clark's songs, covering "Polly" on his 1972 album Journeys from Gospel Oak and "Tried So Hard" on his 1974 album Some Days You Eat the Bear.

The documentary revealed that Gene Clark was suffering from throat cancer at the time of his death.