Clay Hart
Encyclopedia
Clay Hart is an American
country music
singer and guitarist who was a member of The Lawrence Welk Show
television program from 1969 to 1975.
, Rhode Island
; he attended Amherst College
in Amherst
, Massachusetts
as a theater arts major. Although his passion was in music, he worked as a salesman in a record shop in New York City
after graduation and later as a foreign credit analyst on Wall Street
but those jobs were brief, for he proceeded to pursue a music career, often performing in small clubs.
While performing in West Virginia
, Hart was discovered by Lawrence Welk
who was there for a luncheon
on behalf of the Cancer Crusade. Impressed with his talent, the maestro signed him as a member of the Champagne Music Makers, where he made is first network television appearance in July 1969.
As the show's featured country singer, Hart was on the show until 1975. During that time, he was nominated for a Grammy in 1969 with his first hit record "Spring", but lost to Johnny Cash
, and has released a solo album, Clay Hart: Most Requested Country Favorites from the Ranwood Records
label.
He married Welk vocalist Sally Flynn
on December 6, 1974, and the two later became a husband-and-wife country singing act that has opened for stars such as Mel Tillis
, Red Skelton
, and Juliet Prowse. Recently, he and Flynn have appeared in wraparound segments for reruns of the Welk Show on PBS and have toured the U.S.
with their fellow Welk stars in the Forever Blowing Bubbles concert series.
Hart has two children, Elizabeth and Hank, from a previous marriage. Since the show, he has appeared on The Nashville Network
, and has operated a tote bag
business with Flynn. They currently make their home in Miami
, Florida
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer and guitarist who was a member of The Lawrence Welk Show
The Lawrence Welk Show
The Lawrence Welk Show is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years , then nationally for another 27 years via the ABC network and first-run syndication .In the years since first-run syndication...
television program from 1969 to 1975.
Biography
Born Henry Clay Hart, III, and reared in ProvidenceProvidence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
; he attended Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
in Amherst
Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,819, making it the largest community in Hampshire County . The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
as a theater arts major. Although his passion was in music, he worked as a salesman in a record shop in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
after graduation and later as a foreign credit analyst on Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
but those jobs were brief, for he proceeded to pursue a music career, often performing in small clubs.
While performing in West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, Hart was discovered by Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982...
who was there for a luncheon
Luncheon
Luncheon, commonly abbreviated to lunch, is a mid-day meal, and is smaller than dinner.In English-speaking countries during the eighteenth century, lunch was originally called "dinner"— a word still used regularly to mean a noontime meal in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and some parts of England,...
on behalf of the Cancer Crusade. Impressed with his talent, the maestro signed him as a member of the Champagne Music Makers, where he made is first network television appearance in July 1969.
As the show's featured country singer, Hart was on the show until 1975. During that time, he was nominated for a Grammy in 1969 with his first hit record "Spring", but lost to Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, and has released a solo album, Clay Hart: Most Requested Country Favorites from the Ranwood Records
Ranwood Records
Ranwood Records was started in 1968 by Randy Wood together with Lawrence Welk. Ranwood acquired Welk's Coral Records and Dot Records catalog for reissue on Ranwood. Most of Welk's recorded musical output from that point on was released on the Ranwood label. Welk acquired Wood's interest in the...
label.
He married Welk vocalist Sally Flynn
Sally Flynn
Sally Flynn is an American singer and musician who was a featured performer on The Lawrence Welk Show television program....
on December 6, 1974, and the two later became a husband-and-wife country singing act that has opened for stars such as Mel Tillis
Mel Tillis
Lonnie Melvin Tillis , known professionally as Mel Tillis, is an American country music singer. Although he recorded songs since the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred in the 1970s, with a long list of Top 10 hits....
, Red Skelton
Red Skelton
Richard Bernard "Red" Skelton was an American comedian who is best known as a top radio and television star from 1937 to 1971. Skelton's show business career began in his teens as a circus clown and went on to vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, TV, night clubs and casinos, all while pursuing...
, and Juliet Prowse. Recently, he and Flynn have appeared in wraparound segments for reruns of the Welk Show on PBS and have toured the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with their fellow Welk stars in the Forever Blowing Bubbles concert series.
Hart has two children, Elizabeth and Hank, from a previous marriage. Since the show, he has appeared on The Nashville Network
The Nashville Network
The Nashville Network, usually referred to as TNN, was an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming included music videos, taped concerts, movies, syndicated programs, and numerous talk shows...
, and has operated a tote bag
Tote bag
A tote bag is large and open bag, with a handle centered atop each side. In the classic cloth version, arched straps form both handles. Straps' ends run down both sides, ending under the second fabric layer there, which shields the lower surfaces...
business with Flynn. They currently make their home in Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
Albums
| Year | Album | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Spring | 38 | Metromedia |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
CAN Country | |||
| 1969 | "Spring" | 30 | — | Spring |
| "Another Day, Another Mile, Another Highway" | 25 | 2 | singles only | |
| 1970 | "Face of a Dear Friend" | 73 | — | |
| "If I'd Only Come and Gone" | 62 | 13 |