Stanley Clarke was born on June 30,1951 and is an American bassist, composer and founding member of Return to Forever, one of the first jazz fusion bands.
25 Facts About Stanley Clarke
2.
Stanley Clarke is the first jazz-fusion bassist to headline tours, sell out shows worldwide and have recordings reach gold status.
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Stanley Clarke was selected to become a 2022 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship.
4.
Stanley Clarke's mother sang opera around the house, belonged to a church choir, and encouraged him to study music.
5.
Stanley Clarke took lessons on double bass at the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia, beginning with five years of classical music.
6.
Stanley Clarke picked up bass guitar in his teens so that he could perform at parties and imitate the rock and pop bands that girls liked.
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Stanley Clarke attended the Philadelphia Musical Academy and after graduating moved to New York City in 1971.
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Stanley Clarke worked with Joe Henderson and Pharoah Sanders, then in 1972 with Tony Williams Lifetime Experience, Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon, and Art Blakey, followed by Gil Evans, Mel Lewis, and Horace Silver.
9.
Stanley Clarke intended to become the first black musician in the Philadelphia Orchestra until he met jazz pianist Chick Corea.
10.
Stanley Clarke's playing and improvising was prominent on both albums; the band played a couple of gigs with Getz in Europe.
11.
Stanley Clarke was playing a new kind of music, using new techniques, and giving the bass guitar a prominence it lacked.
12.
Stanley Clarke drew attention to the bass guitar as a solo instrument that could be melodic and dominant in addition to being part of the rhythm section.
13.
For helping to bring the bass guitar to the front of the band, Stanley Clarke cites Jaco Pastorius, Paul McCartney, Jack Bruce, and Larry Graham.
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Stanley Clarke toured in a band with Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter in 1991.
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Stanley Clarke founded the band in 1985, with Ruslan Sirota, Shariq Tucker, Cameron Graves, Beka Gochiashvili, Salar Nader, and Evan Garr.
16.
The album The Stanley Clarke Band won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards.
17.
In 2014 Stanley Clarke was invited on stage with Primus during their "Primus and the Chocolate Factory" tour featuring other guest appearances from Stewart Copeland and Danny Carey of Tool to perform the Primus classic "Here Come the Bastards" with Stanley Clarke and Les Claypool having a shred bass duel midway.
18.
In 2020 Stanley Clarke was invited as a teacher at a Bass Bootcamp hosted by bassist Gerald Veasley.
19.
In 2008, Stanley Clarke formed SMV with bassists Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten and recorded the album Thunder.
20.
In 2019, The Stanley Clarke Band has transformed again as Clarke, Cameron Graves, and Beka Gochiashvili were joined by Shariq Tucker on drums, Salar Nader on tabla, and Evan Garr on violin.
21.
Stanley Clarke composed music for the movies Boyz n the Hood, Passenger 57, and What's Love Got to Do with It, the television programs Lincoln Heights, Waynehead, Static Shock, A Man Called Hawk and Soul Food, and the video for "Remember the Time" by Michael Jackson.
22.
In 2010, Stanley Clarke founded Roxboro Entertainment Group in Topanga, California.
23.
Stanley Clarke named it after the high school that he attended in the 1960s.
24.
Stanley Clarke has been playing Alembic short scale basses since 1973.
25.
Stanley Clarke received the Latin Grammy for Best Instrumental Album in 2011 at the 12th Annual Latin Grammy Awards for the album "Forever", along with Chick Corea and Lenny White.