Rudy Clark
Background information
Birth nameRudolph Clark[1]
Born(1935-10-29)October 29, 1935
New York, U.S.
DiedSeptember 3, 2020(2020-09-03) (aged 84)
Florida, U.S.
GenresPop
Occupation(s)Songwriter

Rudolph Clark (October 29, 1935 – September 3, 2020)[2] was an American songwriter credited with hit songs such as "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody", "Got My Mind Set on You", "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)", and "Good Lovin'" (written with Artie Resnick). He was most active from the early 1960s through the early 1970s. He has more than 250 copyrights listed by BMI.

Background

While working as a mailman in New York City in 1961, Clark wrote songs, and discovered singer James Ray in a small nightclub. Clark's songs won the interest of Gerry Granahan of Caprice Records, and Clark suggested that Ray record them.[3] As a result, Ray recorded Clark's song "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody", which became a pop and R&B hit in 1962 and was later a hit for Freddie and the Dreamers. Ray also recorded "Got My Mind Set on You", which became a No. 1 US and No. 2 UK hit for George Harrison in 1987, and was a No. 1 hit in 18 countries.

Clark was a close friend of singer Bobby Darin, who owned TM Music/Trio, the music company that employed Clark. Clark and Darin collaborated on several hits, including "Do the Monkey".

Clark wrote the Top 10 pop classic "It's in His Kiss (The Shoop Shoop Song)", first recorded by Merry Clayton and then by Betty Everett in 1964. The song was frequently revisited by other artists, most notably in the version that became a worldwide hit for Cher in 1991. With Arthur Resnick, Clark co-wrote "Good Lovin'", recorded by The Olympics in 1965 and then remade as a #1 hit by the Young Rascals the following year. Other Clark compositions include "Fool, Fool, Fool", recorded in 1964 by Little Joey & the Flips and then covered by Roosevelt Grier, the A-Cads, and Ray Brown & the Whispers, with the last two representations reaching #1 in South Africa and Australia respectively. His song "Waddle, Waddle" featured in the film Hairspray.

Clark composed "All Strung Out Over You" which was recorded by The Chambers Brothers, and was released on Columbia 4-43957 on December 19, 1966.[4][5] It became a regional hit for the group, and by January 11, 1967, it was at #34 on the WMCA chart.[6][7]

Clark was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for his lead contribution in writing the 1972 Top Five hit "Everybody Plays the Fool" by the Main Ingredient. Beyond pop hits, Clark wrote several songs for the early 1970s Harlem Globetrotters cartoon series.

Besides being heard on oldies radio, Clark's material has also found its way to the Broadway theatre, making reference to André DeShields' Haarlem Nocturne (1984) and Marion J. Caffey's Street Corner Symphony (1997).

Chart hits written

Year Song[8] Original artist[8] Co-writer(s) with Clark[8] US Pop
[9]		 US
R&B
[10]		 UK
[11]		 Other charting versions[8]
1961 "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody" James Ray 22 10 — 1963: Freddie and the Dreamers, #3 UK
1965: Maxine Brown, #63 US pop
1962 "Itty Bitty Pieces" James Ray 41 — —
"Got My Mind Set On You" James Ray — — — 1987: George Harrison, #1 US pop, #2 UK
"Waddle, Waddle" The Bracelets 113 — —
1963 "Do the Monkey" King Curtis Bobby Darin 92 — —
"Shirl Girl" Wayne Newton Bobby Darin 58 — —
"The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" Merry Clayton — — — 1964: Betty Everett, #6 US pop, #1 R&B, #34 UK (1968)
1975: Linda Lewis, #107 US pop, #97 R&B. #6 UK
1977: Kate Taylor, #49 US pop
1990: Cher, #33 US pop, #1 UK
1964 "Beg Me" Chuck Jackson 45 5 —
"What Can a Man Do?" Ben E. King 113 39 —
"Do It Right" Brook Benton 67 33 —
1965 "Why Don't You Let Yourself Go" Mary Wells 107 — —
"Good Lovin'" The Olympics Artie Resnick 81 — — 1966: The Young Rascals, #1 US pop
1967 "You Can't Stand Alone" Wilson Pickett 70 26 —
1968 "A Woman With the Blues" The Lamp Sisters — 20 —
1971 "You Shouldn't Have Set My Soul on Fire" Inez Foxx — 50 —
1972 "Everybody Plays the Fool" The Main Ingredient J. R. Bailey, Ken Williams 3 2 52 1991: Aaron Neville, #8 US pop
1973 "After Hours" J. R. Bailey J. R. Bailey, Ken Williams — 29 —
1975 "Seven Lonely Nights" The Four Tops J. R. Bailey, Ken Williams 71 13 —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

References

  1. ↑ Library of Congress, Catalog of Copyright Entries, 1962, "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody"
  2. ↑ "More music deaths", The Vinyl Word, 16 September 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2020
  3. ↑ James Ray, Way Back Attack. Retrieved September 30, 2020
  4. ↑ Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series – Music, Current and Renewal Registrations, January-June, 1967 A Page 12
  5. ↑ 45Cat – The Chambers Brothers – Discography, The Chambers Brothers, A: All Strung Out Over You, B: Falling In Love
  6. ↑ musicradio77.com – WMCA Fabulous 57 Survey for January 11, 1967
  7. ↑ Billboard, January 28, 1967 – Page 58 Breakout Singles
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Songs written by Rudy Clark". MusicVF.com. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  9. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2003). Top Pop Singles 1955–2002 (1st ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
  10. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–1995. Record Research. ISBN 0-89820-115-2.
  11. ↑ Betts, Graham (2004). Complete UK Hit Singles 1952–2004 (1st ed.). London: Collins. ISBN 0-00-717931-6.
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