Graham Clarke
Encyclopedia
Graham Clarke is an American musician
, songwriter
, arranger
, and entertainer
. Active since 1995 and performing frequently in the New York metropolitan area
, Clarke is regarded as one of New York's
most popular and long-lasting children's entertainers
and recording artists having played well over 5,000
musical performance
s on the east coast
for both children
and adults. His style has been described as funny and "off-center". Staunchly independent, he has yet to sign to any label
and continues to self-publish
his music.
on July 11, 1970. Clarke's parents, Lorain Maria Clarke (née Meola), a homemaker
, and Thomas Michael "Moose" Clarke, a stockbroker were married in 1960 and had three children before Graham: Thomas in 1961, Dennis in 1962, and Martin in 1965. He spent the first 7 years of his life in a split-level home in Dumont, New Jersey
. He was frequently in the room when his older brother Tommy would have guitar lessons
with New Jersey musician Bob Berger. Bob noted one time when a screaming Graham had scarlet fever
"That boy's screaming on key! That's a C note.
" Such exposure to music had an obvious influence on him and there is an oft-told family story that claims the first song Graham ever learned to sing was "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard
," a popular song
Tommy was learning on the guitar at the time. When he was 7 years old
, his family moved one town over to Oradell
, where he attended St. Joseph Grammar School
, and later Bergen Catholic High School
. Neither school had a music program
so Graham taught himself
how to play the guitar
using his brother's old fake book
s.
in the fall of 1988, Clarke accepted an invitation into the school's undergraduate
Honors Program
. In addition to performing solo at bars, clubs and street performances at subway stations
(without a license), he also acted at the Robsham Theater and wrote original sketch comedy
for the campus coffeehouse
. He also traveled with conductor
Alexander Peloquin and the Boston College Chorale singing as a bass
, baritone
, and tenor
. In 1991 Graham met his future wife, Peggy Clarke (née Amlung), who was a graduate student
in the BC theology
department.
After graduation in 1992, Clarke moved to New Rochelle
in the affluent Westchester
suburbs of New York City
. In September he took a job working as an English teacher at Evander Childs High School in the Bronx
. In 1994, he left teaching and entered the philosophy
PhD
program at Fordham University
, a move that would dramatically influence his future work. In an effort to help his sister-in-law, Janine, in 1995 Clarke began caring part-time for Janine's son, Blake. Noticing how much Blake enjoyed it when he brought over his guitar, Janine, herself a teacher, suggested that he go to the local nursery schools daycare centers to see if they needed a music specialist. She gave him some Raffi
cassettes and other children's music she used in the classroom. By the end of 1996, Clarke had more work than he could handle. He was making weekly visits to over 20 schools and daycare centers and was being rapidly invited to play at many events and parties throughout Westchester and Rockland
Counties. From 1999 onward, he was the gold standard for children's party entertainment in Westchester having worked for such New York families as the Trumps
and the Tisches
. Soon, the majority of his work was coming from the high-end bedroom communities of Greenwich
, Bedford
, New Canaan
, and Scarsdale
. In 1996, he had surgery on his sinuses to be able to manage his heavy workload (singing four hours a day, five days a week.)
, whom he knew from his brother Marty's late-1980s band The Goatmen, to help him make his first album, Graham & Delores. Recorded at Arrigoni Center, a former Episcopal
church, at Iona College
on a TASCAM
4-track portastudio (borrowed from noted Thomas Merton
scholar Kathleen Deignan
), the album featured a very basic, live acoustic sound
featuring only Clarke and his guitar with no over-dubbing. It was released in 1997 selling out the original run of over 1000 units strictly at his local shows by 1998. Graham & Delores has garnered Clarke worldwide fame and eventually found its way to Argentina
, and later to Japan
, Venezuela
, and South Korea
, to be used as a way to teach English in primary schools. The album's "Apples and Bananas" and "Graham's Dinosaur Song" continue to be live show favorites.
. Again, he went to John Reynolds for production assistance. Reynolds brought him to the (now defunct) Nu Bleu Recording Studio in Garfield, NJ run by Andy Halasz. The instrumentation
expanded well beyond Clarke and his guitar. Reynolds contributed invaluably to this album by providing arrangements and playing every instrument on the album besides Graham's guitar. Songs like "If I Live to Be 100" and "Grandma Can You Jump?" benefitted greatly from Reynolds instrumentation (including playing the drums, which Reynods had never played before) and the recording experience he brought with him from The Goatmen and Every Damn Day. Clarke started to receive airplay on local radio stations, premiering on WPLJ's
"Scott and Todd: The Big Show".
Marshall Topo, with whom he had worked for Carla Henderson's "Your Tiny" videos) in Port Chester, NY. The album's crown jewel, "Fancy Pants", is a paean
to one of Clarke's musical heroes, David Bowie
. But many of Clarke's songs are clearly the product by his local work with groups of children in the Lower Hudson Valley
region of New York and Clarke has said at his live shows that "Jack, Jack, Jackson and Jason" are four actual boys from one of his music classes. Always assuming intelligence on the part of the child, Clarke arranged a version of the Christmas carol
'We Three Kings
" incorporated elements from Mozart's Requiem Mass
, especially the vocal portion of "Lacrimosa dies illa". American Blue also featured Clarke's first a cappella
recording, a reworking of the Georgia Sea Island
folksong "Old Lady Come from Brewster" using only his voice for the "instruments". The album's "Sword and Shield" is noted on the back cover as "for Peg", apparently a dedication to his wife.
New York: A Documentary Film
, Clarke was apparently inspired and wrote the majority of both "Dig Dig Dig (The Croton Aqueduct Song)"
and "Elisha Graves Otis (The Elevator Song)"
in the next 24 hours. Tommy again accompanies him on many of the album's tracks, including Clarke's reworking of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee
". In another nod to his local work, the hyperbolic
"Sue Speigel's Driveway" is apparently based on an actual event at an Armonk music class. Clarke has never performed the dolorous "Angel Parade" in public.
.) Tommy Clarke once again took over producing and mixing
duties and the album was recorded in Clarke's library in Somers. According to the liner notes
, domestic activity at the household continued through, sometimes during, the recordings leading to some unintentional musical artifacts like the sounds of a dishwasher being loaded during "My Old Kentucky Home
". "King George the Monkey" was the most popular song on the album and is arguably the most well-crafted song of his career. The album also includes songs Clarke had written for his aborted television pilot ("Supermarket," "Learn to Read," "Graham Clarke Show," and "The Oui Song"). Alto
Amy Healey joined Clarke for duets on both "Come on Up Athena" and "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms"
(a song Clarke performed at Healy's wedding two years previous). By 2008, Clarke's complete catalog of songs were picked up by iTunes
, Amazon MP3
, Rhapsody
and other online distributors
.
FiVE's "King George the Monkey" came under considerable scrutiny by political conservatives and liberals alike as being a thinly veiled reference to then-President George W. Bush
's foreign policy
, a claim Clarke has not publicly confirmed nor denied. Bush's approval ratings were riding above 50% when the album was released.
of rock
, pop
, and jazz
songs featuring songs by The Chili Peppers, The Beatles
, The Police
, Nirvana
, Iron and Wine, and others (pending the securing of rights
). Principle recording was completed in September 2008. The title refers not only to the cover arrangements, but also because it is intended to be an album of lullabies
.
with producer Jonathan Katz and provided music for the "Your Tiny" series of videos produced by Carla Henderson for Child Smart. Clarke also looked into landing his own children's television show
. After being approached by a television network
executive mother and an inspiring meeting with Sesame Street's
Gordon
, Clarke began work on a TV pilot with actor-writer Brian Reid and Cannes
award-winning animator Jon Magner (who has worked on all Graham's album covers). But the experience was cut short by sour experiences with personalities in the television industry
and by the economic aftermath
following the September 11 attacks.
Clarke has been a frequent guest on News 12
and other local TV stations. He often appears during special holiday segments, often appearing and singing with children.
television show MADtv
first aired a comedy skit called "Sundays with Graham Clark" which portrayed a children's entertainer (dressed like and singing like Clarke) singing songs promoting atheism
, though Clarke himself has never written children's songs about or publicly advocating atheism.
. Clarke also donates performances annually to The Red Cross
, Kids in Crisis, multiple Junior League
s, as well as many local charities, schools, and libraries.
.
-winning, Oscar-nominated film score composer
Alan Silvestri
.
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, and entertainer
Entertainment
Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
. Active since 1995 and performing frequently in the New York metropolitan area
New York metropolitan area
The New York metropolitan area, also known as Greater New York, or the Tri-State area, is the region that composes of New York City and the surrounding region...
, Clarke is regarded as one of New York's
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
most popular and long-lasting children's entertainers
Children's music
Children's music is used here to refer to music composed and performed for children by adults. In European influenced contexts this means music, usually songs, written specifically for a juvenile audience. The composers are usually adults. Children's music has historically held both entertainment...
and recording artists having played well over 5,000
5000 (number)
5000 is the natural number following 4999 and preceding 5001. Five thousand is the largest isogrammic number in the English language.-Selected numbers in the range 5001–5999:* 5003 – Sophie Germain prime...
musical performance
Musical performance
Musical performance may refer to:* Concert* Performance* Recital* Audition: a performance in front of a panel of judges* Concerto: a virtuoso solo work * Musical technique...
s on the east coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
for both children
Children's music
Children's music is used here to refer to music composed and performed for children by adults. In European influenced contexts this means music, usually songs, written specifically for a juvenile audience. The composers are usually adults. Children's music has historically held both entertainment...
and adults. His style has been described as funny and "off-center". Staunchly independent, he has yet to sign to any label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
and continues to self-publish
Self-publishing
Self-publishing is the publication of any book or other media by the author of the work, without the involvement of an established third-party publisher. The author is responsible and in control of entire process including design , formats, price, distribution, marketing & PR...
his music.
1970 to 1988: early years
Graham Clarke was born in Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, New JerseyTeaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
on July 11, 1970. Clarke's parents, Lorain Maria Clarke (née Meola), a homemaker
Homemaker
Homemaking is a mainly American term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping or household management...
, and Thomas Michael "Moose" Clarke, a stockbroker were married in 1960 and had three children before Graham: Thomas in 1961, Dennis in 1962, and Martin in 1965. He spent the first 7 years of his life in a split-level home in Dumont, New Jersey
Dumont, New Jersey
Dumont is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The population was 17,479 at the 2010 Census.Dumont was formed on July 20, 1894, as the Borough of Schraalenburgh from portions of Harrington Township and Palisades Township, at the height of the "Boroughitis" phenomenon then sweeping...
. He was frequently in the room when his older brother Tommy would have guitar lessons
Music lesson
Music lessons are a type of formal instruction in playing a musical instrument or singing. Typically, a student taking music lessons meets a music teacher for one-on-one training sessions ranging from 30 minutes to one hour in length over a period of weeks or years...
with New Jersey musician Bob Berger. Bob noted one time when a screaming Graham had scarlet fever
Scarlet fever
Scarlet fever is a disease caused by exotoxin released by Streptococcus pyogenes. Once a major cause of death, it is now effectively treated with antibiotics...
"That boy's screaming on key! That's a C note.
C (musical note)
C or Do is the first note of the fixed-Do solfège scale. Its enharmonic is B.-Middle C:Middle C is designated C4 in scientific pitch notation because of the note's position as the fourth C key on a standard 88-key piano keyboard...
" Such exposure to music had an obvious influence on him and there is an oft-told family story that claims the first song Graham ever learned to sing was "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard
Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard
"Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" is a song by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon from his 1972 self-titled album.-Lyrical subject:The song is about two boys who have broken a law, although the exact law that has been broken is not stated in the song and has become a matter of some debate...
," a popular song
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
Tommy was learning on the guitar at the time. When he was 7 years old
Age of reason (canon law)
In the Roman Catholic Church, the age of reason, also called the age of discretion, is the age at which children become capable of moral responsibility. On completion of the seventh year a minor is presumed to have the use of reason, but mental retardation or insanity could prevent some...
, his family moved one town over to Oradell
Oradell, New Jersey
Oradell is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,978. The borough's territory includes a dam on the Hackensack River that forms the Oradell Reservoir...
, where he attended St. Joseph Grammar School
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
, and later Bergen Catholic High School
Bergen Catholic High School
Bergen Catholic High School is an all-male Roman Catholic high school in Oradell, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grade...
. Neither school had a music program
Music education
Music education is a field of study associated with the teaching and learning of music. It touches on all domains of learning, including the psychomotor domain , the cognitive domain , and, in particular and significant ways,the affective domain, including music appreciation and sensitivity...
so Graham taught himself
Autodidacticism
Autodidacticism is self-education or self-directed learning. In a sense, autodidacticism is "learning on your own" or "by yourself", and an autodidact is a person who teaches him or herself something. The term has its roots in the Ancient Greek words αὐτός and διδακτικός...
how to play the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
using his brother's old fake book
Fake book
A fake book is a collection of musical lead sheets intended to help a performer quickly learn new songs. Each song in a fake book contains the melody line, basic chords, and lyrics - the minimal information needed by a musician to make an impromptu arrangement of a song, or "fake it."The fake book...
s.
1989 to 1996: Burgeoning musician
Attending Boston CollegeBoston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
in the fall of 1988, Clarke accepted an invitation into the school's undergraduate
Undergraduate education
Undergraduate education is an education level taken prior to gaining a first degree . Hence, in many subjects in many educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a bachelor's degree, such as in the United States, where a university entry level is...
Honors Program
Honors student
An honors student is a person recognized for achieving high grades or high marks in their course work.Honors students may refer to# Students recognized for their academic achievement on lists published periodically throughout the school year, known as honor rolls, varying from school to school, and...
. In addition to performing solo at bars, clubs and street performances at subway stations
Park Street (MBTA station)
Park Street is a rapid transit and light rail station of the MBTA subway system in Downtown Boston. One of the four subway hub stations, Park Street is a transfer point between the Green and Red Lines. Park Street is the fourth-busiest station in the MBTA network, with an average of 19,836 entries...
(without a license), he also acted at the Robsham Theater and wrote original sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
for the campus coffeehouse
Coffeehouse
A coffeehouse or coffee shop is an establishment which primarily serves prepared coffee or other hot beverages. It shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant, but it is different from a cafeteria. As the name suggests, coffeehouses focus on...
. He also traveled with conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
Alexander Peloquin and the Boston College Chorale singing as a bass
Bass (voice type)
A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
, baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
, and tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
. In 1991 Graham met his future wife, Peggy Clarke (née Amlung), who was a graduate student
Postgraduate education
Postgraduate education involves learning and studying for degrees or other qualifications for which a first or Bachelor's degree generally is required, and is normally considered to be part of higher education...
in the BC theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
department.
After graduation in 1992, Clarke moved to New Rochelle
New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state.The town was settled by refugee Huguenots in 1688 who were fleeing persecution in France...
in the affluent Westchester
Westchester
Westchester may refer to:*Westchester, Connecticut*Westchester, Florida*Westchester, Illinois*Westchester, Indiana*Westchester, Los Angeles, California*Westchester County, New York*The Westchester, a shopping mall in White Plains, New York...
suburbs of 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...
. In September he took a job working as an English teacher at Evander Childs High School in the Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
. In 1994, he left teaching and entered the philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
program at Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
, a move that would dramatically influence his future work. In an effort to help his sister-in-law, Janine, in 1995 Clarke began caring part-time for Janine's son, Blake. Noticing how much Blake enjoyed it when he brought over his guitar, Janine, herself a teacher, suggested that he go to the local nursery schools daycare centers to see if they needed a music specialist. She gave him some Raffi
Raffi (musician)
Raffi Cavoukian, CM, OBC , better known by his stage name Raffi, is a Canadian-Armenian singer-songwriter, author, essayist and lecturer...
cassettes and other children's music she used in the classroom. By the end of 1996, Clarke had more work than he could handle. He was making weekly visits to over 20 schools and daycare centers and was being rapidly invited to play at many events and parties throughout Westchester and Rockland
Rockland County, New York
Rockland County is a suburban county 15 miles to the northwest of Manhattan and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, in the U.S. state of New York. It is the southernmost county in New York west of the Hudson River, and the smallest county in New York outside of New York City. The...
Counties. From 1999 onward, he was the gold standard for children's party entertainment in Westchester having worked for such New York families as the Trumps
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
and the Tisches
Laurence Tisch
Laurence Alan "Larry" Tisch was an American businessman, Wall Street investor and self-made billionaire. He was the CEO of CBS television network from 1986 to 1995...
. Soon, the majority of his work was coming from the high-end bedroom communities of Greenwich
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
, Bedford
Bedford (town), New York
Bedford is a town in Westchester County, New York, USA. The population was 17,335 at the 2010 census.The Town of Bedford is located in the northeastern part of Westchester County, and contains the three hamlets of Bedford Hills, Bedford Village, and Katonah...
, New Canaan
New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, northeast of Stamford, on the Fivemile River. The population was 19,738 according to the 2010 census.The town is one of the most affluent communities in the United States...
, and Scarsdale
Scarsdale
Scarsdale could be*Scarsdale, New York, a village and town in Westchester County, New York, United States, for which The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet is named...
. In 1996, he had surgery on his sinuses to be able to manage his heavy workload (singing four hours a day, five days a week.)
1997 to present: recording artist
Graham & Delores
In 1996 Clarke approached John ReynoldsJohn Reynolds (American musician)
John Reynolds is an American musician, songwriter, and music producer known mostly for his work with Marty Clarke in the late-80s band , , and children's musician Graham Clarke. He also created and manages .-References:...
, whom he knew from his brother Marty's late-1980s band The Goatmen, to help him make his first album, Graham & Delores. Recorded at Arrigoni Center, a former Episcopal
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
church, at Iona College
Iona College (New York)
Iona College is located in New Rochelle, New York, 20 miles north of Manhattan in suburban Westchester County. The college occupies 35 acres on North Ave. The college also operates a Graduate Center in Pearl River, Rockland County, New York....
on a TASCAM
TASCAM
TASCAM is the professional audio division of TEAC Corporation, headquartered in Montebello, California. Tascam is credited as the inventor of the Portastudio, the first cassette-based multi-track home studio recorders. Tascam also introduced the first low-cost mass produced multitrack recorders...
4-track portastudio (borrowed from noted Thomas Merton
Thomas Merton
Thomas Merton, O.C.S.O. was a 20th century Anglo-American Catholic writer and mystic. A Trappist monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani, Kentucky, he was a poet, social activist, and student of comparative religion...
scholar Kathleen Deignan
Kathleen P. Deignan
Kathleen P. Deignan, C.N.D., , is an Irish-American theologian, author and sacred song writer who has been engaged in the ministry of liturgical musicianship for over forty years...
), the album featured a very basic, live acoustic sound
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
featuring only Clarke and his guitar with no over-dubbing. It was released in 1997 selling out the original run of over 1000 units strictly at his local shows by 1998. Graham & Delores has garnered Clarke worldwide fame and eventually found its way to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, and later to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, to be used as a way to teach English in primary schools. The album's "Apples and Bananas" and "Graham's Dinosaur Song" continue to be live show favorites.
Graham & Cinnamon
Branching out in 1999, Clarke followed up with a second album Graham & Cinnamon which featured a much more studio produced soundRecording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
. Again, he went to John Reynolds for production assistance. Reynolds brought him to the (now defunct) Nu Bleu Recording Studio in Garfield, NJ run by Andy Halasz. The instrumentation
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
expanded well beyond Clarke and his guitar. Reynolds contributed invaluably to this album by providing arrangements and playing every instrument on the album besides Graham's guitar. Songs like "If I Live to Be 100" and "Grandma Can You Jump?" benefitted greatly from Reynolds instrumentation (including playing the drums, which Reynods had never played before) and the recording experience he brought with him from The Goatmen and Every Damn Day. Clarke started to receive airplay on local radio stations, premiering on WPLJ's
WPLJ
WPLJ is a radio station in New York City owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media. WPLJ shares studio facilities with sister station WABC inside 2 Penn Plaza in midtown Manhattan, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building. The station currently plays a Hot Adult...
"Scott and Todd: The Big Show".
American Blue
Released in June 2001, American Blue again saw Clarke moving further out of his one-man-one-guitar recordings. This time he brought on his brother Tommy Clarke to help produce. They recorded over a weekend at the studio of Jazz-o-lution bassist'sBassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Marshall Topo, with whom he had worked for Carla Henderson's "Your Tiny" videos) in Port Chester, NY. The album's crown jewel, "Fancy Pants", is a paean
Paean
A paean is a song or lyric poem expressing triumph or thanksgiving. In classical antiquity, it is usually performed by a chorus, but some examples seem intended for an individual voice...
to one of Clarke's musical heroes, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
. But many of Clarke's songs are clearly the product by his local work with groups of children in the Lower Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
region of New York and Clarke has said at his live shows that "Jack, Jack, Jackson and Jason" are four actual boys from one of his music classes. Always assuming intelligence on the part of the child, Clarke arranged a version of the Christmas carol
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
'We Three Kings
We Three Kings
"We Three Kings", also known as "We Three Kings of Orient Are" or "The Quest of the Magi", is a Christmas carol written by the Reverend John Henry Hopkins, Jr., who wrote both the lyrics and the music. It is suggested to have been written in 1857 but did not appear in print until his Carols, Hymns...
" incorporated elements from Mozart's Requiem Mass
Requiem (Mozart)
The Requiem Mass in D minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was composed in Vienna in 1791 and left unfinished at the composer's death. A completion by Franz Xaver Süssmayr was delivered to Count Franz von Walsegg, who had anonymously commissioned the piece for a requiem Mass to commemorate the...
, especially the vocal portion of "Lacrimosa dies illa". American Blue also featured Clarke's first a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
recording, a reworking of the Georgia Sea Island
Sea Islands
The Sea Islands are a chain of tidal and barrier islands on the Atlantic Ocean coast of the United States. They number over 100, and are located between the mouths of the Santee and St. Johns Rivers along the coast of the U.S...
folksong "Old Lady Come from Brewster" using only his voice for the "instruments". The album's "Sword and Shield" is noted on the back cover as "for Peg", apparently a dedication to his wife.
Acoustic NY
After the September 11 attacks in 2001, Clarke again called on his brother Tommy to help produce an album devoted entirely to New York. Recorded at Tommy's home in Cambridge, Acoustic New York was released on the one-year anniversary of the 9-11 attacks. After seeing Ric Burns'Ric Burns
Ric Burns is an American documentary filmmaker and writer. He has written, directed and produced historical documentaries for nearly 20 years, beginning with his collaboration on the celebrated PBS series The Civil War , which he produced with his older brother Ken Burns and wrote with Geoffrey C...
New York: A Documentary Film
New York: A Documentary Film
New York: A Documentary Film is an eight-part, 17½ hour, American documentary film on the history of New York City. It was directed by Ric Burns and originally aired in the U.S. on PBS. The film was a co-production of Thirteen New York and WGBH Boston....
, Clarke was apparently inspired and wrote the majority of both "Dig Dig Dig (The Croton Aqueduct Song)"
Croton Aqueduct
The Croton Aqueduct or Old Croton Aqueduct was a large and complex water distribution system constructed for New York City between 1837 and 1842...
and "Elisha Graves Otis (The Elevator Song)"
Elisha Otis
Elisha Graves Otis was an American industrialist, founder of the Otis Elevator Company, and inventor of a safety device that prevents elevators from falling if the hoisting cable fails. He worked on this device while living in Yonkers, New York in 1852, and had a finished product in...
in the next 24 hours. Tommy again accompanies him on many of the album's tracks, including Clarke's reworking of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee
My Country, 'Tis of Thee
"My Country, 'Tis of Thee", also known as "America", is an American patriotic song, whose lyrics were written by Samuel Francis Smith. The melody derived from Muzio Clementi's Symphony No. 3, and is shared with "God Save the Queen," used by many members of the Commonwealth of Nations...
". In another nod to his local work, the hyperbolic
Hyperbole
Hyperbole is the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is not meant to be taken literally....
"Sue Speigel's Driveway" is apparently based on an actual event at an Armonk music class. Clarke has never performed the dolorous "Angel Parade" in public.
FiVE
In 2004, Clarke released what was to be his most popular and best-selling album to date, FiVE. (The title refers to it being Clarke's fifth album and is not a reference to The Dave Clark FiveThe Dave Clark Five
The Dave Clark Five were an English pop rock group. Their single "Glad All Over" knocked The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" off the top of the UK singles charts in January 1964: it eventually peaked at No.6 in the United States in April 1964.They were the second group of the British Invasion,...
.) Tommy Clarke once again took over producing and mixing
Audio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
duties and the album was recorded in Clarke's library in Somers. According to the liner notes
Liner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
, domestic activity at the household continued through, sometimes during, the recordings leading to some unintentional musical artifacts like the sounds of a dishwasher being loaded during "My Old Kentucky Home
My Old Kentucky Home
"My Old Kentucky Home" is a minstrel song by Stephen Foster , probably composed in 1852. It was published as "My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night" in January 1853 by Firth, Pond, & Co. of New York...
". "King George the Monkey" was the most popular song on the album and is arguably the most well-crafted song of his career. The album also includes songs Clarke had written for his aborted television pilot ("Supermarket," "Learn to Read," "Graham Clarke Show," and "The Oui Song"). Alto
Alto
Alto is a musical term, derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" in Italian, that has several possible interpretations.When designating instruments, "alto" frequently refers to a member of an instrumental family that has the second highest range, below that of the treble or soprano. Hence,...
Amy Healey joined Clarke for duets on both "Come on Up Athena" and "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms"
Anthony Johnson Showalter
Reverend Anthony Johnson Showalter was an American gospel music composer, teacher and publisher. He was born May 1, 1858 in Cherry Grove, Virginia. Showalter was trained in the Ruebush-Kieffer School of Music and was teaching in singing schools by age fourteen. In 1884, he formed the Showalter...
(a song Clarke performed at Healy's wedding two years previous). By 2008, Clarke's complete catalog of songs were picked up by iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
, Amazon MP3
Amazon MP3
Amazon MP3 is an online music store owned and operated by Amazon.com. Launched in public beta on September 25, 2007, in January 2008 it became the first music store to sell music without digital rights management from the four major music labels , as well as many independents...
, Rhapsody
Rhapsody (online music service)
Rhapsody is an online music store subscription service, launched in December 2001, and available in the United States only. On April 6, 2010, Rhapsody officially declared its independence from RealNetworks. Downloaded files come with restrictions on their use, enforced by Helix, Rhapsody's version...
and other online distributors
Online music store
An online music store is an online business which sells audio files, usually music, on a per-song and/or subscription basis. It may be differentiated from music streaming services in that the music store offers the actual music file, while streaming services offer partial or full listening without...
.
Controversy
FiVE's "King George the Monkey" came under considerable scrutiny by political conservatives and liberals alike as being a thinly veiled reference to then-President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's foreign policy
Foreign policy
A country's foreign policy, also called the foreign relations policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within international relations milieu. The approaches are strategically employed to interact with other countries...
, a claim Clarke has not publicly confirmed nor denied. Bush's approval ratings were riding above 50% when the album was released.
Hogging the Covers
Expected in 2010, Clarke returns with his first album in 5 years. The album reportedly will feature only Clarke and his guitar and will be a compilation of original cover arrangementsCover 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 rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
songs featuring songs by The Chili Peppers, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
, Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, Iron and Wine, and others (pending the securing of rights
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
). Principle recording was completed in September 2008. The title refers not only to the cover arrangements, but also because it is intended to be an album of lullabies
Lullaby
A lullaby is a soothing song, usually sung to young children before they go to sleep, with the intention of speeding that process. As a result they are often simple and repetitive. Lullabies can be found in every culture and since the ancient period....
.
Television and video
It was during the production of American Blue that Clarke started to branch into children's video. He made the "Quills Up!" video for the American Association of Poison Control CentersAmerican Association of Poison Control Centers
The American Association of Poison Control Centers is a private non-governmental, non-profit association representing the poison control center network of the United States and their staff and affiliated toxicologists...
with producer Jonathan Katz and provided music for the "Your Tiny" series of videos produced by Carla Henderson for Child Smart. Clarke also looked into landing his own children's television show
Children's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
. After being approached by a television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
executive mother and an inspiring meeting with Sesame Street's
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
Gordon
Roscoe Orman
Roscoe Hunter Orman is an American actor who plays Gordon Robinson on the television program Sesame Street. Orman joined the show in 1973, taking over as the third actor to play Gordon on the show...
, Clarke began work on a TV pilot with actor-writer Brian Reid and Cannes
Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is a global event for those working in advertising and related fields. The seven-day festival, incorporating the awarding of the Lions awards, is held yearly at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France...
award-winning animator Jon Magner (who has worked on all Graham's album covers). But the experience was cut short by sour experiences with personalities in the television industry
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and by the economic aftermath
Economic effects arising from the September 11 attacks
Major economic effects arose from the September 11 attacks, with initial shock causing global stock markets to drop sharply. The attacks themselves caused approximately $40 billion in insurance losses, making it one of the largest insured events ever....
following the September 11 attacks.
Clarke has been a frequent guest on News 12
News 12 Networks
News 12 Networks comprises seven regional cable news television channels in the New York metropolitan area. The channels offer local news 24-hours a day and reach approximately 3.8 million television households in the tri-state area...
and other local TV stations. He often appears during special holiday segments, often appearing and singing with children.
MADtv parody
In 2001, not long after the release of Acoustic New York, the sketch comedySketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
television show MADtv
MADtv
MADtv is an American sketch comedy television series. It licensed the name and logo of Mad, but otherwise had no connection with the humor magazine outside the animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts and images of Alfred E. Neuman that the show featured during the late 1990s. Its first...
first aired a comedy skit called "Sundays with Graham Clark" which portrayed a children's entertainer (dressed like and singing like Clarke) singing songs promoting atheism
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
, though Clarke himself has never written children's songs about or publicly advocating atheism.
Charity work
Clarke has done benefits for many charities including the 2004 Tsunami victims and Widows of 9-11. Most recently he enjoyed a 15-month-long weekly performance at Blythedale Children's HospitalBlythedale Children's Hospital
Blythedale Children's Hospital is a children's hospital in Valhalla, New York, United States. It is the only independent children's hospital in New York State. The hospital cares for children with chronic diseases and those who have birth defects, have been in accidents, paralysis, cancer and other...
. Clarke also donates performances annually to The Red Cross
International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. States parties to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005, have given the ICRC a mandate to protect the victims of international and...
, Kids in Crisis, multiple Junior League
Junior League
The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. is a non-profit organization of 292 Junior Leagues in Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom and the United States. Junior Leagues are educational and charitable women's organizations aimed at improving their communities through volunteerism and...
s, as well as many local charities, schools, and libraries.
Guitars
Clarke plays Ovation guitars almost exclusively. He owns four: "Delores", "Cinnamon", "Bluebell", and "Blondie". He was given a 1986 Collector's Edition by his brother Tommy. Although he records with it (reportedly Hogging the Covers was performed entirely with it), Graham has yet to name it or even play it in public.Religious Beliefs
Clarke was raised Roman Catholic, but left the faith by his time at Boston College. Though technically not a member, he does frequently attend services and perform at the Unitarian Universalists where his wife is an intern minister.Personal life
Graham has been married to his wife Peggy since May 28, 1994. They live in Somers, NY. He also sees his family frequently and all four brothers make an annual trip to a different city to watch a live professional hockey game. He is a dog lover and has owned dogs his entire adult life, often including them in his songs ("Come on Up, Athena", "Man in the Moon"). He frequently practices guitar at StarbucksStarbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
.
Relatives
Clarke is first cousin to Grammy AwardGrammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning, Oscar-nominated film score composer
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
Alan Silvestri
Alan Silvestri
Alan Anthony Silvestri is an American film composer and conductor.-Career:Silvestri is best known for his collaborations with director Robert Zemeckis, having scored Romancing the Stone , the Back to the Future trilogy , Who Framed Roger Rabbit , Death Becomes Her , Forrest Gump , Contact ,...
.
Discography
- Graham & Delores (1997)
- Graham & Cinnamon (1999)
- American Blue (2001)
- Acoustic New York (2003)
- Five (2005)