Clarence Clemons – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clarence Clemons (born January 11, 1942 in Norfolk, Virginia) is an American musician, best known as the saxophonist in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band.Known as “The Big Man”, Clemons has been playing with Springsteen since 1973; his sax parts are an easily recognized feature of the E Street sound, with the most famous being his long, elegiac solo during the song “Jungleland.” With the band Clemons plays mostly tenor saxophone, but has also occasionally played soprano and baritone saxophone. He also plays various percussion instruments during songs that do not have a saxophone part.
In addition, Clemons has a larger-than-life persona within the band; he serves as a visual foil to Springsteen during concerts (as well as on the Born to Run foldout album cover) and as the crowd favorite is always the last player mentioned during band introductions, usually after a lavish, over-the-top build-up from Springsteen. His arrival into the band is celebrated by Springsteen in the song “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”; many spoken introductions or interludes during Springsteen shows have also delivered tall, sometimes supernatural tales regarding Clemons’ initial appearance to Springsteen.
