Mike Clifford

Mike Clifford (born November 5, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his 1962 pop hit “Close to Cathy,” which reached #12 on the US Top 40 Singles chart.^[1]

Early life

Clifford was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of professional trumpet player Cal Clifford.^[2] He began performing at school and community events before appearing in Los Angeles nightclubs as a teenager.^[3]

In 1959, Clifford signed with Liberty Records and recorded his debut single, “Should I,” written and produced by Mark McIntyre.^[4] The track included backing vocals by the duo Patience and Prudence, and featured guitarist Eddie Cochran.^[5][6]

Clifford later signed with Columbia Records under the management of Helen Noga, who also managed Johnny Mathis.^[3][7][8]

Initial success

Clifford's early releases for Columbia garnered limited commercial attention,^[3][7] however his single "Bombay" was well received in Venezuela, which was an early indication of his international appeal.^[3]

In July 1962, he signed with United Artists Records.^[9] Under producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Clifford recorded several tracks, including "Close To Cathy",^[9][10] written by Earl Shuman and composed by Bob Goodman.^[11][12] The singled reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1962 and remained on the chart for 12 weeks,^[13] selling one million copies worldwide.^[3] Later that year, "What To Do With Laurie" peaked at number 67, followed by "One Boy Too Late", which became his final entry on the chart, in May 1963.

In 1965, United Artists released Clifford's debut album, For The Love Of Mike, which was highlighted in the February 13, 1965, issue of Billboard.^[14]

Clifford appeared and sang on episodes of American Bandstand,^[15] Where the Action Is,^[16] and The Ed Sullivan Show^[17].

Acting

In the 1960s and 1970s, Clifford also pursued acting alongside his music career. He appeared in the 1965 science fiction musical Village of the Giants.^[3] From 1972 to 1974, he appeared in the US national tour of Grease performing the duel role of Johnny Casino/Teen Angel.^[9][18] In 1975, he played Motel the tailor in the Broadway Sacramento production of Fiddler On the Roof opposite tenor Jan Peerce.^[19]

In 1963, Clifford and singer Lu Ann Simms were hired as stand-ins for Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello during production of the film Beach Party.^[20] The two later recorded a new version of the Beach Party album in 1975, released as Summer Fun through the Columbia House mail order division.^[21]

In 1976, he co-starred with Line Renaud in Paris Line at the Casino de Paris, with a cast album of the show issued in France that included several of his solo numbers.^[22] He later voiced characters for the 1978 animated film The Lord Of The Rings.^[23]

Clifford's commercial appearances included advertisements Black Cow and Slo Poke candies, Ortho Mattress, and MJB coffee.^[24]

Clifford also recorded songs for several films and television productions, including:^[25]

• "Joanna" for the television series Peter Gunn (1961)^[3]
• "At Last" for the United Artists release The Last Time I Saw Archie (1961)^[26]
• "It Had Better Be Tonight" for the Mirisch-G&E Production The Pink Panther (1963)^[27]
• "Barbara's Theme" for the film Diary of a Bachelor (1964)^[28]
• "How to Murder Your Wife" and "Here's to My Lover" for the film How to Murder Your Wife (1965)^[29]
• "Magic Night" for the soundtrack of Mondo Hollywood (1967)^[30]
• "It's a Dream Away" for the American International Pictures film The Glass Sphinx (1967)^[3][23]
• The theme for the film Those Fantastic Flying Fools (1967)^[31]
• "The Golden Breed" for the Hollywood International Production film The Golden Breed (1968)^[32]
• "Mary Jane", the title song for the American International Pictures film Mary Jane (1968)^[28]
• "You Say Love" for the Trans-American film Dagmar's Hot Pants, Inc. (1971)^[33]
• "The Morning After", the theme for Necromancy (1972), a Cinerama–Zenith International Production^[34]
• "Love Will Keep Us Together" for the film Sextette (1978)^[35]

Touring

In 1964 and 1965, Clifford toured over 100 cities as part of the Dick Clark Caravan of Stars.^[36][37] He performed in Canada, France, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Mexico.^[3]

In 1967, Clifford began a two-week engagement at the Ye Little Club in Beverly Hills, California,^[38] which was later extended indefinitely.^[39] Clifford subsequently performed at venues include the Elegante Club in Brooklyn, New York, where he appeared with comedian Totie Fields.^[40]

Later in his career, Clifford toured with his singing partner, vocalist Sandy Zacky.^[40] The two released a collaborative album in 2007 titled Love Is Everything.^[41] He recorded a version of "Mack The Knife" in 2010 for Hired Gun Records.^[42] In 2017, Clifford released new recordings of "What a Wonderful World" in both dance^[43] and ballad versions,^[44] the latter featuring pianist Ben DiTosti.^[44] That same year, he produced a video performance of Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song", arranged by DiTosti and co-produced by Maurice Gainen for his label, Grover Stew Music.^[45]

In 2019, marking the 50th anniversary of Judy Garland's death, Clifford recorded a version of "Over The Rainbow", accompanied by a music video.^[46] He followed this with a 2021 release of "Ave Maria", sung in Latin, arranged by DiTosti.^[47]

Discography

References

External links

• Mike Clifford at IMDb
• Mike Clifford's comprehensive discography