Clinton was born in
Brooklyn, New York, United States. He became a versatile musician, playing trumpet,
trombone, and
clarinet. While in his twenties, he became a prolific arranger for dance orchestras; bandleaders
Tommy Dorsey,
Jimmy Dorsey,
Glen Gray,
Louis Armstrong, and
Bunny Berigan all used Larry Clinton charts. His first stint as a bandleader was from 1937 to 1941, and he recorded a string of hits for
RCA Victor. The Clinton band's repertoire was split between pop tunes of the day ("I Double Dare You", "Summer Souvenirs", "Deep Purple"); ambitious instrumentals penned by Clinton like "Satan Takes a Holiday" (recorded by
Tommy Dorsey), "The Big Dipper", "Midnight in the Madhouse", and the most popular, "A Study in Brown", which begat four sequels in different "colors"; and swing adaptations of classical compositions. This last category swept the industry, and orchestras everywhere were "swinging the classics" by adding pop lyrics to melodies by
Debussy and
Tchaikovsky. His arrangement and adaptation of Debussy's "Reverie", with vocalist
Bea Wain, was particularly popular. Entitled "My Reverie", his version peaked at No. 1 on
Billboard's Record Buying Guide in 1938. "Abba Dabba" was based on Tchaikovsky's "Arabian Dance" from
The Nutcracker; "Martha", with new pop-ballad lyrics sung by Wain, was adapted from the
Friedrich von Flotow opera. Clinton was the first to record and release the standard "
Heart and Soul" featuring
Bea Wain on vocals in 1939. The single reached no. 1. His classic composition "The Dipsy Doodle" became his theme song and was widely covered by other bands and singers.
Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra were the first to record it (in 1937, with
Edythe Wright as vocalist). ==Appearances in film==