Darrell Clanton
Encyclopedia
Darrell Puckett known professionally as Darrell Clanton, is an American country music
artist. In the mid-1980s, he recorded for Audiograph and Warner Bros. Records
, charting three singles
on the Billboard
country charts. The highest of the three was "Lonesome 7-7203
," which reached No. 24 on the country charts in 1984.
and raised in South Pasadena, Florida
. He attended Boca Ciega High School
and toured the area as a member of several bands.
He moved to Nashville, Tennessee
at age 22, where he found work as an assistant to Pete Drake
, a session musician
. He also began working as a songwriter for material recorded by B.J. Thomas, Charlie Louvin
and Bobby Vinton
. Puckett also recorded a demo
for Justin Tubb
, who encouraged him to pursue a career as a recoring artist. After Puckett signed to Warner Bros. Records
, label executives then suggested that he change his surname to Clanton, after the town of Clanton, Alabama
.
Clanton released his debut single, a cover version
of Hawkshaw Hawkins
's "Lonesome 7-7203" (written by Justin Tubb) in late 1983. By February 1984, Clanton's version peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard
country singles charts and No. 21 on the Canadian RPM
Country Tracks charts.
In 1984, Clanton was nominated for Top New Male Vocalist at the Academy of Country Music
. In March 1984, he charted his second single, "I'll Take as Much of You as I Can Get", which peaked at No. 75, followed by "I Forgot that I Don't Live Here Anymore" at No. 56. The latter song was boycotted by Mothers Against Drunk Driving
, and he exited the label.
Clanton performed at the Grand Ole Opry
three times in 1984, and was booked to open for Lynn Anderson
and Hank Williams, Jr.
. He found work as a music producer, but returned to Florida with his fiancee in 2003.
Clanton's 2005 self-released album is titled Someplace Sunny. Several of his songs were included in a collection of albums titled Stars of the Grand Ole Opry, including the Wilburn Brothers
and Jean Shepard
. Since the 2000s, he has resumed playing at local bars in the Tampa Bay area
area (he lives in Clearwater
).
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...
artist. In the mid-1980s, he recorded for Audiograph and Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, charting three singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
country charts. The highest of the three was "Lonesome 7-7203
Lonesome 7-7203
"Lonesome 7-7203" is a 1963 single by Hawkshaw Hawkins, written by Justin Tubb. It was the final single release of his career, released in 1963 on the King label.-History:...
," which reached No. 24 on the country charts in 1984.
Biography
Puckett was born in Indianapolis, IndianaIndianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
and raised in South Pasadena, Florida
South Pasadena, Florida
South Pasadena is a city located in southern Pinellas County, Florida, near St. Petersburg. The population was 5,778 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 5,745 .-Geography:...
. He attended Boca Ciega High School
Boca Ciega High School
Boca Ciega High School is an American four-year public high school in Gulfport, Florida, south of the St. Petersburg city line, and is part of the Pinellas County Schools district...
and toured the area as a member of several bands.
He moved to Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
at age 22, where he found work as an assistant to Pete Drake
Pete Drake
Pete Drake , born Roddis Franklin Drake, was a major Nashville, Tennessee-based record producer and pedal steel guitar player....
, a session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
. He also began working as a songwriter for material recorded by B.J. Thomas, Charlie Louvin
Charlie Louvin
Charles Elzer Loudermilk , known professionally as Charlie Louvin, was an American country music singer and songwriter. He is best known as one of the Louvin Brothers, and was a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1955.-Biography:Born in Henagar, Alabama, Louvin was one of 7 children...
and Bobby Vinton
Bobby Vinton
Bobby Vinton is an American pop music singer of Polish origin. In pop music circles, he became known as "The Polish Prince".-Early life:...
. Puckett also recorded a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
for Justin Tubb
Justin Tubb
Justin Wayne Tubb was an American country music singer and songwriter. Born in San Antonio, Texas, he was the oldest son of legendary country singer Ernest Tubb.-Biography:...
, who encouraged him to pursue a career as a recoring artist. After Puckett signed to Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, label executives then suggested that he change his surname to Clanton, after the town of Clanton, Alabama
Clanton, Alabama
Clanton is a city in Chilton County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Birmingham–Hoover–Cullman Combined Statistical Area. At the 2000 census the population was 7,800. The city is the county seat of Chilton County.-History:...
.
Clanton released his debut single, a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Hawkshaw Hawkins
Hawkshaw Hawkins
Harold Franklin Hawkins , better known as Hawkshaw Hawkins, was an American country music singer popular from the 1950s into the early 60s known for his rich, smooth vocals and music drawn from blues, boogie and honky tonk...
's "Lonesome 7-7203" (written by Justin Tubb) in late 1983. By February 1984, Clanton's version peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
country singles charts and No. 21 on the Canadian RPM
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
Country Tracks charts.
In 1984, Clanton was nominated for Top New Male Vocalist at the Academy of Country Music
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
. In March 1984, he charted his second single, "I'll Take as Much of You as I Can Get", which peaked at No. 75, followed by "I Forgot that I Don't Live Here Anymore" at No. 56. The latter song was boycotted by Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Mothers Against Drunk Driving is a non-profit organization in the United States that seeks to stop drunk driving, support those affected by drunk driving, prevent underage drinking, and overall push for stricter alcohol policy...
, and he exited the label.
Clanton performed at the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
three times in 1984, and was booked to open for Lynn Anderson
Lynn Anderson
Lynn Rene Anderson is an American country music singer and equestrian known for a string of hits throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, most notably her Grammy Award-winning, worldwide mega-hit, " Rose Garden." Helped by her regular exposure on national television, Anderson was one of the most...
and Hank Williams, Jr.
Hank Williams, Jr.
Randall Hank Williams , better known as Hank Williams, Jr. and Bocephus, is an American country singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of Southern rock, blues, and traditional country...
. He found work as a music producer, but returned to Florida with his fiancee in 2003.
Clanton's 2005 self-released album is titled Someplace Sunny. Several of his songs were included in a collection of albums titled Stars of the Grand Ole Opry, including the Wilburn Brothers
The Wilburn Brothers
The Wilburn Brothers were a popular American country music duo from the 1950s to the 1970s consisting of brothers Doyle Wilburn and Teddy Wilburn .-Biography:...
and Jean Shepard
Jean Shepard
Ollie Imogene Shepard , better known as Jean Shepard, is an American honky tonk singer-songwriter who was a pioneer for women in country music. Shepard released a total of 73 singles to the Hot Country Songs chart, one of which reached the #1 spot...
. Since the 2000s, he has resumed playing at local bars in the Tampa Bay area
Tampa Bay Area
The Tampa Bay Area is the region of west central Florida adjacent to Tampa Bay. Definitions of the region vary. It is often considered equivalent to the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area defined by the United States Census Bureau. The Census Bureau currently...
area (he lives in Clearwater
Clearwater, Florida
Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, US, nearly due west of Tampa and northwest of St. Petersburg. In the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and in the east lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787. It is the county seat of...
).
Studio albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Someplace Sunny |
|
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
||
| 1983 | "Lonesome 7-7203 Lonesome 7-7203 "Lonesome 7-7203" is a 1963 single by Hawkshaw Hawkins, written by Justin Tubb. It was the final single release of his career, released in 1963 on the King label.-History:... " |
24 | 21 |
| 1984 | "I'll Take as Much of You as I Can Get" | 75 | — |
| 1985 | "I Forgot that I Don't Live Here Anymore" | 56 | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||