Person · Male
Stanley Clarke
- From
- Philadelphia, United States
- Since
- 1951–present
- Releases
- 57
- jazz
- jazz fusion
- contemporary jazz
- funk
- jazz rock
- jazz-funk
- rock
- smooth jazz
About
Stanley Clarke (born June 30, 1951) is an American bassist, composer and founding member of Return to Forever, one of the first jazz fusion bands. Clarke gave the bass guitar a prominence it lacked in jazz-related music. He is the first jazz-fusion bassist to headline tours, sell out shows worldwide and have recordings attain Gold certification.
Read more
Clarke is the recipient of five Grammy Awards, with fifteen nominations, three as a solo artist, one with the Stanley Clarke Band, and one with Return to Forever. Clarke was selected to become a 2022 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship. A Stanley Clarke electric bass is permanently on display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.
Clarke has composed many TV and film scores, beginning with one episode of Pee-wee's Playhouse in 1987 for which he received a Daytime Emmy nomination in 1988. Notable film scores by Clarke include Boyz n the Hood (1991), Passenger 57 (1992), The Book of Love (2016) and Halston (2019). His television work includes music for episodes of Tales from the Crypt, Hull High and Knightwatch.
Member of
-
Animal Logic bass guitar
-
Trio! bass
-
Bobby Lyle Trio double bass
-
The Clarke/Duke Project eponymous
-
The Stanley Clarke Band eponymous
-
The Stanley Clarke Trio eponymous
-
Vertú bass guitar
-
Echoes of an Era bass
-
Return to Forever double bass
Discography
Albums
-
Children of Forever Apple Music
-
Stanley Clarke Apple Music
-
Journey to Love Apple Music
-
School Days Apple Music
-
Modern Man Apple Music
-
I Wanna Play for You Apple Music
-
Rocks, Pebbles and Sand Apple Music
-
The Clarke / Duke Project Apple Music
-
The Griffith Park Collection
-
Let Me Know You Apple Music
-
The Clarke / Duke Project II
-
Time Exposure Apple Music
-
Find Out!
-
Hideaway Apple Music
-
Shieldstone
-
If This Bass Could Only Talk Apple Music
-
3
-
East River Drive Apple Music
-
The Rite of Strings
-
McCoy Tyner with Stanley Clarke and Al Foster
-
Jazz Straight Up
-
Standards
-
1, 2, to the Bass Apple Music
-
Jazz Standards
-
The Toys Of Men Apple Music
-
The Stanley Clarke Band featuring Hiromi with Ruslan & Ronald Bruner, Jr.
-
D-Stringz
Singles
Live
Compilations
-
The Essential Stanley Clarke Apple Music
-
The Complete 1970s Epic Albums Collection
-
Rocks, Pebbles And Sand / Let Me Know You
-
The Clarke/Duke Project - Volumes I, II & III
-
Modern Man / I Wanna Play for You
-
Original Album Classics
-
Bass Days
-
Best: Hot Fun
-
This Is Jazz 41
-
The Bass-ic Collection Apple Music
-
At the Movies Apple Music
-
The Collection
Links
Listen
Official
Concerts
Buy
Parent
Also known as
Stan Clarke · Stanley Clark · スタンリー・クラーク
Tags
- american
Identifiers
- MusicBrainz
- 5ab6ca23-9e17-43f2-ad92-869d28bdbf11
- ISNI
- 0000000121489915
- IPI
- 00062114614
Data from MusicBrainz, saved 12 Nov 2026. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, covers from the Cover Art Archive and Apple Music.