A one-hit wonder from the first era of rockabilly performers, Sanford Clark was born October 24, 1935 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After a career in the military, he settled in Phoenix in the early 1950s where he connected with future music star Lee Hazlewood who was, at that time, working at a Phoenix radio station. This led to Sanford Clark recording a song Halzewood had written, “The Fool”, in a style that bridged country, R&B, and the early sounds of rock and roll. The song became a crossover success, reaching the top 5 on the R&B chart, top 10 on the regular singles chart, and top 15 on the country chart. He never had another chart hit, though he continued to record singles throughout the 50s and 60s, often working with Hazlewood and Duane Eddy. Although he gave up a full time music career in the 1970s, his work was not forgotten. “The Fool” would be used in movies including the Oscar winning Dallas Buyers Club, and Keith Richards praised his 1959 single “Son of a Gun” in his 2010 autobiography. Sanford Clark was being treated for cancer when he developed COVID-19 and passed away on July 4, 2021.
