Stone was born in
Stockton, California, United States. His father was a country musician billed as Herman the Hermit. The family moved to
Burbank, and early in his life, he played bass in the
big bands of
Freddie Slack and
Anson Weeks in Southern California, as well as working at local radio stations
KXLA,
KFI,
KFVD,
KFWB, and KFOX-AM 1280 in Long Beach. Starting in 1935, Stone appeared on the Los Angeles–based radio shows
Covered Wagon Jubilee,
Hollywood Barn Dance,
Dinner Bell Roundup, and
Lucky Stars, singing as well as performing comedy routines and acting as host and DJ in the mid-1940s. In 1939, he married his first wife, Dorothy, and they had four children. Stone began working at
Capitol Records in 1946 and became an
A&R man there; among the talents he discovered were
Tennessee Ernie Ford (for whom he acted as manager from 1947 to 1957),
Cathie Taylor,
Molly Bee,
Hank Thompson, and
Stan Freberg. He also worked regularly with
Merle Travis after his relocation from Nashville to Hollywood. Stone was instrumental in helping various young musicians get their start in television, such as guitarist Zane Ashton (aka Bill Aken), who would also write songs for Stone's Central Songs publishing firm. His
Hometown Jamboree premiered as a weekly TV broadcast in December 1949 over KLAC-TV/
KCOP-TV in Los Angeles; in 1953, it moved to
KTLA-TV, where it replaced a competing program hosted by
Spade Cooley and itself ran until cancellation in 1959. Stone's career at Capitol was successful, but he was ultimately better known for his successes in radio. He recorded six albums with a backing band which went under various names, including Cliffie Stone & His Orchestra, Cliffie Stone & His Barn Dance Band, Cliffie Stone & His Hometown Jamboree Gang, Cliffie Stone & His Hepcats, and Cliffie Stone's Country Hombres. His 1955 hit, "The Popcorn Song", peaked at No. 14 on
Billboard magazine's singles chart in 1955. ==Personal life and death ==