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11 years ago
Harold Eugene Clark (November 17, 1944 – May 24, 1991), known professionally as Gene Clark, was an American singer-songwriter and founding member of the folk rock band The Byrds. Clark was The Byrds' dominant songwriter between 1964 and early 1966, penning most of the band's best-known originals from this period, including "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better", "She Don't Care About Time", "Set You Free This Time", and "Eight Miles High". He created a large catalogue of music in several genres, but failed to achieve solo commercial success. Clark was one of the earliest exponents of psychedelic rock, baroque pop, newgrass, country rock and alternative country.Clark was invited to join an established regional folk group, the Surf Riders working out of Kansas City at the Castaways Lounge, owned by Hal Harbaum.[8] On August 12, 1963, he was performing with them when he was discovered by The New Christy Minstrels. They hired him for their ensemble and he recorded two albums with them before leaving in early 1964. After hearing the Beatles, Clark quit the Christys and moved to Los Angeles where he met fellow folkie/Beatles convert Jim (later Roger) McGuinn at the Troubadour Club. In early 1964 they began to assemble a band that would become The Byrds.Gene Clark wrote or co-wrote many of The Byrds' best-known originals from their first three albums, including: "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better", "Set You Free This Time", "Here Without You", "You Won't Have to Cry", "If You're Gone", "The World Turns All Around Her", "She Don't Care About Time" and "Eight Miles High". He and McGuinn also composed "You Showed Me", which was recorded but not released by the Byrds, and became a hit for the Turtles when they recorded it in 1969. He initially played rhythm guitar in the band, but relinquished it to David Crosby and became the Byrd's tambourine and harmonica player. Bassist Chris Hillman noted years later in various interviews remembering Gene: "At one time, he was the power in the Byrds, not McGuinn, not Crosby—it was Gene who would burst through the stage curtain banging on a tambourine, coming on like a young Prince Valiant. A hero, our savior. Few in the audience could take their eyes off this presence. He was the songwriter. He had the "gift" that none of the rest of us had developed yet.... What deep inner part of his soul conjured up songs like "Set You Free This Time," "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better," "I'm Feelin' Higher," "Eight Miles High"? So many great songs! We learned a lot of songwriting from him and in the process learned a little bit about ourselves."A management decision delivered the lead vocal duties to McGuinn for their major singles and Bob Dylan songs. This disappointment, combined with Clark's dislike of traveling (including a chronic fear of flying) and resentment by other band members about the extra income he derived from his songwriting, led to internal squabbling and he left the group in early 1966. He briefly returned to Kansas City before moving back to Los Angeles to form Gene Clark & the Group with Chip Douglas, Joel Larson, and Bill Rhinehart.