Stanley Clarke

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.

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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.

From Stanley Clarke on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Member of

Discography

Albums 27
Singles 4
Live 10
Compilations 12
Other 4

Links

Parent

Also known as

Stan Clarke · Stanley Clark · スタンリー・クラーク

Tags

  • american

Identifiers

ISNI
0000000121489915
IPI
00062114614

Data from MusicBrainz, saved 12 Nov 2026. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, covers from the Cover Art Archive and Apple Music.