Zeke Clements
Induction Year: 1971
Birth Name: ZekeClements
Birth Date: September 06, 1911
Place of Birth: Empire, AL
Deceased: June 04, 1994
Biography
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Discography / Career Highlights
Late 1920s-first performed on Chicago's National Barn Dance
1931-left the Oklahoma Cowboys (which he joined soon after he joined the National Barn Dance) and got a daily morning show on WSM in Nashville
1933-first appeared on the Grand Ole Opry as a regular with The Bronco Busters
1937-discovered by Walt Disney during an appearance in Hollywood, CA, and signed on to do the voice for "Bashful" in the animated feature "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"
1937-1938-started seriously writing songs
1939-brought his songs to Nashville to show songwriter\publisher Fred Rose
Early 1940s--toured Army camps doing USO shows during W.W.II and wrote his first hit song "Smoke on the Water"
1944-"Smoke on the Water" became the top country song of the year, recorded by Red Foley
1945--ounded Liberty Records in Los Angeles to distribute the records of Nashville artists such as The John Daniel Quartet, Paul Howard and himself (sold the label 2 years later)
1947-joined the cast of The Louisiana Hayride on KWKH in Shreveport
Catalog Highlights:
"Smoke on the Water" - Co-writer: E. Nunn, Artists: Red Foley, Bob Wills, Boyd Heath
"Brown's Ferry Boogie"
"Live and Learn"
"I Dreamed I Spent Christmas in Heaven"
"Just a Little Lovin' (Will Go a Long, Long Way)" - Co-writer: Eddy Arnold, Artists: Eddy Arnold, Eddie Fisher, Ray Charles, Jim Nabors, Bob Crosby, Billy Byrd
"Shades of Summer"
"Back Off"
"There's Poison in Your Heart" - Artists: Kitty Wells
"Why Should I Cry?" - Artists: Eddy Arnold
"Anytime" - Artists: Eddy Arnold
"Somebody's Been Beating My Time" - Artists: Eddy Arnold