Born and raised in
Portsmouth, Virginia, Clark started out in
vaudeville as a child. Later as a teenager, he became a
big band musician playing for the
Ray McKinley and
Will Bradley bands, among others. Relocating to
California during
World War II, after serving in the armed forces, found employment at
Paramount Pictures where he performed music on many movie soundtracks. He was hired by Welk in 1962 to join his orchestra and his
television show. For six years, he played both the clarinet and
saxophone for a weekly national television audience and on stage when the Musical Family went out on tour. He was replaced by reedman
Dave Edwards before the new TV taping sessions in 1968. After leaving the Welk organization, Clark continued to perform on many more movie soundtracks and with numerous artists such as
Frank Sinatra and
Madonna. ==Personal life==