Louis Clark

Clark started out as a bass guitarist for Birmingham band The Buccaneers, who later became Monopoly and eventually The Raymond Froggatt Band.

• Landscape — yes • Name — Louis Clark • Born — 27 February 1947 • Origin — Kempston, Bedfordshire, England • Died — 13 February 2021 • Place of death — Elyria, Ohio, U.S. • Occupation — Musician • Years Active — 1974–2021 • Instrument — Keyboards

• Illustration — Clark in 2018 at the soundcheck of The Orchestra Clark was the conductor and arranger of the orchestra and choir hired to back Electric Light Orchestra's sound, introduced on their album Eldorado in 1974. He assisted Jeff Lynne and Richard Tandy in writing the string arrangements for the studio albums Eldorado, Face the Music, A New World Record, Out of the Blue, Discovery and Xanadu. He later played synthesizers for ELO during their Time tour. In 1983 he returned to arranging and conducting the strings on the Secret Messages album, and in 1986 he played keyboards again with the band on their small number of live dates. Clark was likewise an affiliate of the ELO spinoff band ELO Part II for much of its lifespan, contributing string arrangements to both of the group's studio albums during the 1990s and participating in its live performances as a keyboardist and orchestral conductor. Upon Part II's rebranding as The Orchestra in 2000, Clark (now a full-time member) remained with the group, his involvement continuing until his death in 2021. His son, Louis Clark Jr., continues to perform with The Orchestra into the present day.

In 1977, Clark arranged the music of Renaissance for their Albert Hall concert with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) and two songs on Annie Haslam's debut solo album Annie in Wonderland. In the early 1980s, he conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on a series of records under the title Hooked on Classics. In 1985, he again worked with Renaissance singer Annie Haslam and the band's lyricist Betty Thatcher with the RPO to produce the album Still Life. In 1982, he released the album The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Plays the Queen Collection, recorded by the Solid Rock Foundation. In 1983, he released the album The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Plays Beatles Collection, recorded by the Solid Rock Foundation, at the 20th Concerto Anniversary of The Beatles, having as guest artists Joan Collins, Elena Duran, Honor Hefferman and Roy Wood.

In 2011 Louis Clark was made president of the English Pops Orchestra, and returned to performing Hooked on Classics 'LIVE' with the EPO using many of the players that recorded the original albums.

From the late 70's and through the 80's Clark composed library music for the production company Bruton Music. Some of the music was, and sometimes still is, used for television, TV commercials (Cadbury's Flake, Nescafe) and radio (jingles for LBC). In 1980 he arranged the strings for the songs in the film The Apple, a musical that was critically derided as one of the worst films ever made but has since gained cult status.

Louis Clark died on 13 February 2021 in Elyria, Ohio, fourteen days short from his 74th birthday. His death at the age of 73 was announced by his wife, Gloria, on his Facebook page. No cause of death was revealed, but he had been ill for months and had suffered from kidney issues. In her post announcing his death, his wife Gloria wrote, "He passed very peacefully surrounded by love. This morning he watched Premier League soccer and listened to The Beatles, two things he loved. This afternoon I told him I loved him, he said I love you too, and we kissed. He was gone five minutes later. We love this man forever and always. He was a good man, loved by many and will be greatly missed by all. We want to thank family, friends and fans who have always loved and supported him."

Besides ELO and its successor bands, Louis Clark worked as an arranger for many other rock and pop artists: With Roy Orbison • Mystery Girl (Virgin Records, 1989) With Ozzy Osbourne • Diary of a Madman (Jet Records, 1981) • Bark at the Moon (Epic Records & Columbia Records, 1983) With Roy Wood • Starting Up (Legacy Records, 1987) With Kelly Groucutt • Kelly (RCA Records, 1982) With America • Your Move (Capitol Records, 1983) With Kiki Dee • How Much Fun (co-arranged with Richard Tandy) With Carl Wayne • Deeper than Love (Jet Records, 1982) • Midnight Blue (Jet Records, 1982) With Juan Martin • Serenade, Love Theme From The Thorn Birds (WEA Records, 1984) With Asia • Astra (Geffen Records, 1985) With Mike Berry • I'm a Rocker (Scramble Records, 1977) With Simone • Flattery (Spiral Records, 1977) With Annie Haslam • Annie in Wonderland (Warner Bros. Records, 1977) With Renaissance • A Song for All Seasons (1978) • Live at the Royal Albert Hall (King Biscuit Flower Hour Records, 1997) With City Boy • Book Early (Vertigo Records, 1978) • The Day the Earth Caught Fire (Vertigo Records, 1979) Among others are UB40, Jon Spencer, Iris Williams and more recently Air Supply.

Louis Clark is recorded with the occupation bandleader. Recorded as conductor, composer, musician and bandleader.