Deb's Mementos

From her "Teen Beat" and "Tiger Beat" clippings to the contents of Gene's personal notebook, a Byrds poster and a personal snapshot ~ Deb's Gene Clark Mementos are shared with you. As you browse through, everything should be self explanatory. Notebook items date about 1979 and are in Gene's own hand writing. Be sure to read what Deb has written at the bottom of this page too. {The contents of this site are the personal property of Deb Johnson and may not be copied or displayed elsewhere on the internet.}

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No Other

For years, Elvis Presley had been the "King." Rhythm and Blues, Motown and Soul Music had dominated the charts. Groups like: The Chilites, Drifters, Temptations, Smokey Robinson, The Supremes, Fats Domino, and Martha and the Vandellas, just to mention a few. Then the Beatles hit the scene with their 4X4 beat and revolutionized Pop Music.

The music scene was in chaos, but I loved it. Soon after the Beatles stormed America, the British Invasion was on. The Dave Clark Five, The Rolling Stones, Herman's Hermits, The Animals, The Kinks, The Who.... So many new groups were popping up, and the new music brought a welcomed change!

During the invasion, another previously obscure musical style hit the charts. The coffee house folk scene had come above ground. Bob Dylan, Buffy Saint Marie, Judy Collins and Donovan--gave a whole new meaning to the term "ballad."

Then, from out of nowhere, came a little known group called The Byrds. I remember reading an article that claimed the Byrds were America's answer to the British Invasion. The same article mentioned the Byrds were giving folk music a shot in the arm, creating a new sound known as "folk rock." Most importantly, The Byrds had created a completely new unique sound. Unlike the driving 4X4 beat of the Beatles, the Byrds had a refreshing Kriissssshhhhhh sound. Something like a Lear jet soaring overhead at low altitude.

The Byrds came to town on June 10th, 1965, and I went to the local sock-hop at the Rockford College Field House, just to see for myself, what all of the commotion was about. The Byrds arrived on schedule, but their instruments did not. Fortunately, a quick thinking young man in the crowd, who's father just happened to own the largest musical instrument store in town, made a call and within a half hour, the Byrds had everything they needed. Who was the young man, you ask? None other than Rick Nielsen (before the creation of Cheap Trick).

The show began, but immediately crumbled. The Byrds were doubled over in laughter--none of the instruments were in tune. After a brief delay and a few hasty adjustments--the show began again, but this time with a completely different result.

The lights in the field house went out. A single piercing spotlight focused on Gene as his tambourine, held aloft, began to tremble. There wasn't a sound in the huge room, other than the jangling of the tambourine. Then he brought it crashing down, the rest of the bands were bathed in light and they launched into their first song.

At first, no one danced--no one moved. Everyone's focus was on the band. I have seen a lot of bands over the years, but I have yet to see a performance so intense, so sincere, so gut wrenching as to match the BYRDS. They "gave it their all--from the first song to the last."

I never danced that night. My hands remained clinched on the rope in front of the stage. I was hooked. Being a typical fifteen year old, I immediately fell in love with all of the Byrds, but there was something special about Gene Clark. From the moment I saw him bathed in the spotlight with his tambourine held high over his head, until his untimely death--there has been No Other.

The band began to change shortly after their claim to fame and Gene was the first one to split. I thought about him over the years, played my albums until they were white with wear. I could always pick out his voice. When I went through my BAD years, it was his music, his calming voice, his soothing words that seemed to speak directly to me. I know that wasn't the case, but it seemed like he understood what I was going through and was singing just for me.

At first, I'd thought about writing to him, but then who doesn't think about sending a fan letter to their hero? But the Byrds were so popular, I knew he would never receive my letter, so I held off. After he left the Byrds, I wasn't sure how to reach him, but I had plenty of time. Eventually, I would find him--there was always "tomorrow." Years passed.

I lost my cousin in a tragic car accident in 1979, and realized that Youth was no guarantee--if there is something you want to do, you had better do it--while you can.

I took on the task of finding Gene Clark in earnest. I hadn't heard a word about him, nor a song by him a long while, but that didn't stop me. I went to the library every Saturday, combing through phone books from the East Coast to the West, North to South. I wrote to every Gene Clark, G. Clark, U. Clark, I could find. I wrote to record companies, agencies, etc., and included s.a.s.e.'s with every letter. Oddly enough, many of the Gene Clark's answered my letters--but unfortunately they were not the man I was seeking. My intense search went on for two years.

One day, in 1981, a dear friend suggested I take a vacation with her to beautiful downtown Burbank, California. We stayed with her brother (a director) and her sister-in-law (an actress). They were only a few miles from the infamous Palomino Club, which Pam and I indulged in on a couple of occasions. I was almost positive, with my Polly Anna mind frame, that Gene would just pop in one night while we were there. It didn't happen.

One afternoon, Pam's brother overheard us talking about Gene, and he wanted to know who I was so interested in. After several minutes of prodding, I told him I was looking for an old "Rock Star." He mentioned Gene's name to his wife and within minutes she was on the phone--something about a union that all actors, actresses, and musicians belonged to. A few calls later, she had Gene's agent and lawyer's names and address. His lawyer said Gene was living in Hawaii at the time, but if I wanted to send a letter to Gene, he would be more than happy to forward it.

I came home, sent Gene a birthday card c/o his lawyer. That was in November of 1981. December 1st, I got the shock of my life when the phone rang shortly after 11 pm. A man with a British accent asked for me by name, and asked that I not hang up on him until he could explain why he was calling. He suggested I take a seat. I could hear a guitar softly strumming in the background, thought it was probably a prank call, but took a seat as he'd suggested. He said that a friend of his had received a letter from me and wanted to talk to me--but was too shy to call on his own. The man finally said, if what I had written in my letter was true, I was about to talk to my hero...and handed the phone to Gene.

"Hi, this is Gene Clark." I couldn't believe my ears. His voice was so smooth and soft. We talked for about twenty minutes. I couldn't believe he had gone through the trouble to call me, I had not included my phone number--he had to go through directory assistance. He was calling from Hawaii, and gave me an address to write to him. He called a short time later to tell me he had moved back to the states and was living in Santa Rosa, Ca. He gave me a phone number that time.

I didn't want to be a pest, I think I only called his number once, but he remained in touch for about six months--then just drifted away.

I met Michael Clarke in July of 1989 and we became close friends until his death. He was so sweet, but he understood that "Gene" was my hero. However, he was generous with information and stories of the early days with the Byrds and he gave me information that eventually led me to Gene's family.

There are a lot of discrepancies about Gene--but I think most of them have been corrected. He was not the eldest of 13 children--his beautiful sister, Bonita, was the first born. Gene initially lied about his age because the New Christie Minstrels performed in bars and he had to be 21. He was born on November 17th, 1944. He was named after his uncle: Harold Clark, who was killed in W.W.II.

Thanks to Michael, I was able to contact Gene's family in 1992. Contrary the old teen magazines, Gene grew up in Kansas, not Missouri. Granted he was born in Tipton, and is buried there, but he lived most of his early life in Kansas.

Gene's family are beautiful people. Plain and simple, I don't think they ever took his fame to heart...he was just a son, a big brother, an uncle. They were so receptive and loving. Oddly enough, after coming in to contact with Gene's mother, I found I had fallen in love with Gene's voice long before he became a Byrd. His sweet voice was the solo in the New Christie Minstrel's song, "Today."

As of this writing, Gene's father, Kelly SR. and his beautiful mother, Jeanne have passed on. I can only hope they are together now. I am not a religious person, but I would like to believe that the circle will not be broken. I hope that Gene's siblings will remain close and remain as loving as they were when I met them. They are beautiful people.

Deb Johnson

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