A Brief by Doug Draper
If you are a fan of Bruce Springsteen and have ever had the thrill of seeing him and his E Street Band on stage, you had to be blown away by ‘the Big Man’.
Clarence Clemons blows that big horn for Springsteen during the Born to Run days.
The Big Man was Clarence Clemons, Springsteen’s sax player and his close friend for nearly 40 years, who died at age 69 this June 18 following a stroke.
I have had the fortune of seeing Springsteen and his band in concert three times, and one of the things that struck me was that Springsteen never put himself out in front of his band. His band mates like Clarence were always standing right there with him, on the frontline.
Clemons came to be known to millions around the world as the Big Man because ‘the Boss’ always showed that kind of generosity to the musicians that helped make him one of the last great rock and roll stars.
About a year and a half ago, Springsteen’s E Street Band lost organ player Dan Federici to cancer and that was a tragic enough blow to this legendary ensemble. But the loss of Clarence Clemons at age 69 may have Springsteen wonder if he can ever take the band out on the road again without it looking and sounding like a ghost of its former high-octane self.
It is impossible to believe that anyone else could ever step in and play those sax lines on such Springsteen classics as Jungleland and Born to Run with as much passion and gusto as Clarence Clemons.
On his website this June 18, Springsteen summed it up this way; “His loss is immeasurable.”
Take out your old Born To Run album and give it another spin for Clarence.
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