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Dick Clark?s importance understated
By Ron Wynn
Associate Editor
The bulk of the obits, testimonials and appreciations I?ve seen over the past couple of days regarding iconic TV host/producer Dick Clark, who died Wednesday at 82, have focused on some predictable things. They?ve cited his role as host of ?American Bandstand? from its beginnings as a local Philadelphia show in the ?50s to a network broadcast for nearly three decades. Writers have talked about Clark forging a production empire, winning Emmy awards hosting various editions of ?The Pyramid,? and his creation of alternative TV events like ?The American Music Awards,? ?New Year?s Rockin? Eve,? and ?The Academy of Country Music Awards.?
But what isn?t being as widely touted, except in specific instances, is his impact in helping broaden Black popular music?s popularity and appeal. This can be a thorny subject. While Clark did numerous great things and was a lifelong lover of R&B and jazz, there are some negative things that pop up in this aspect of his career. But his overall positive impact definitely outweighs the trouble spots.
As host of ?American Bandstand,? Clark provided a forum for numerous Black artists to get wider exposure and reach audiences who otherwise would never have known about or heard their music. Chuck Berry, Little Richard, The Supremes, The Isley Brothers, Sam Cooke, James Brown, The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, Chubby Checker, Little Anthony & The Imperials and Aretha Franklin is just a short list of Black artists whose national debuts were on Bandstand. Later such names as Prince, Kurtis Blow and Run-D.M.C. joined the list. Clark was interviewing Black acts on TV long before it was the norm, giving them air time when most of White American radio and television was closed to them.
That doesn?t mean he didn?t sometimes play fast and loose in the business arena. Like many music moguls, Clark wasn?t averse to using his name and influence to get disc jockeys to play certain artists? records. He wasn?t ruined or sullied during the payola scandals like Alan Freed, but he had to publicly acknowledge he had sometimes aired records, on both ?Bandstand? and during his radio shows, from artists whose labels he either owned outright or was a stake holder. That practice was subsequently outlawed.
There are also detractors who claim he didn?t integrate Bandstand as soon as he claimed, and that the climate there wasn?t nearly as open and friendly to Black dancers as he insisted. Author and college professor Matthew Delmont?s new book ?the Nicest Kids in Town: American Bandstand, Rock & Roll and the Struggle for Civil Rights? maintains while there was no specific regulation preventing Black dancers from being on ?Bandstand? when it was in Philadelphia, the imposition of a dress code and other things contributed to an environment that kept the program segregated. This is in direct conflict with statements Clark made over the years. The truth of this remains in doubt, though Delmont interviewed a number of people from the area who insist ?Bandstand? made no attempt to integrate during its Philly days.
But no one disputes that Clark was a pioneer in many areas when it came to Black music. He was among the earliest promoters of integrated rock & roll shows. Clark ignored threats from the Klan and presented Sam Cooke live on national television from Atlanta in 1958. When presenting the ?Motown Cavalcade of Stars? traveling shows in the South, Clark insisted on integrated audiences despite hostile reactions that sometimes resulted in near-violent incidents. Unfortunately, he almost negated that glittering legacy when he tried to debut his own version of ?Soul Train,? ?Soul Unlimited,? on ABC in 1973. The show didn?t last long, but it generated lots of ill will within the Black music community that had previously always been a Clark supporter. Fortunately, he was able to mend fences once the show ended.
Like Ed Sullivan, Clark was a pioneer with a strong personality who sometimes clashed with the artists he was presenting. ?American Bandstand?s? insistence on acts ?lip synching? rather than singing their tunes made them off-limits to some performers. The show began to lose steam in the ?80s, and it wasn?t nearly as welcoming to hip-hop and urban music as it had been to R&B and soul. Some of that was due to the resegregation of the airwaves that began in the ?70s and intensified in the ?80s. ?Bandstand? was a Top 40-driven show, and as Black music began disappearing off the playlists of many pop outlets, the number of Black guests fluctuated.
Still, throughout his life Dick Clark remained a huge fan of Black music. Anyone who only touts his ability to make stars of Frankie Avalon and Fabian, or just remembers him hosting ?Bloopers? and ?Pyramid? while omitting that facet of his life, does a major disservice to his life and importance.
Tags: American Bandstand, American Music Awards, Dick Clark, New Year's Rockin' Eve, Ryan Seacrest, The Pyramid
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