Chris Clark

Christine Elizabeth Clark was born in Santa Cruz County, California and early in life wished to become a blues singer. In 1963 she went to work for Motown Records in Detroit for 2 years before making a demo recording. Though her talent was undeniable, Chris was a blue-eyed blonde who resembled Kim Novak. Since the label was founded on the strength of black artists like Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Brenda Holloway, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, it is said Motown just "didn't know what to do with her." In 1965, she recorded "Do Right Baby, Do Right" and when the song was released, made history being one of the first white artists to have single record released by Motown under their V.I.P. label. An article was written for Ebony Magazine in 1966 about "The Motown Sound" and a photo of Chris appeared in the magazine... a real surprise to many who simply assumed Chris was a black singer. Her voice and persona now compared to Dusty Springfield, her next single was "Loves Gone Bad", written by the legendary team of Holland, Dozier, Holland. The song, powerful and almost raw in its delivery by Motown standards, hit the rhythm and blues charts and became a large-scale hit, reaching #41 on the R & B charts in the U.S. In 1967, her album "Soul Sounds" was released on the Motown label itself and today is viewed as a rare vinyl collectible. Two more single recordings were released from that album: "From Head to Toe" and "I Want to Go Back There Again." A new lushly-orchestrated ballad "If You Should Walk Away" (written by Berry Gordy himself) was destined to become her next hit single, but was never released. A more mainstream, pop-oriented album called "C.C. Rides Again" was released by Motown on a newly created "rock" label called "Weed", but was never promoted and failed to garner much on-air play. It remains the only album released on that label. Chris Clark's recordings of the 1960s went on to become bigger hits in Europe over the next decade in underground disco clubs. The "Northern Soul" movement, particularly in England and the Netherlands in the 1970s, came to appreciate the lesser known, more "gritty" Motown recordings, as opposed to the larger production styled singles made for "top 40" music radio stations. Chris Clark traveled to Europe to perform in nightclubs, especially in England, where her recordings are regarded as a staple of the "Northern Soul" catalog. Already familiar with song and story writing, Chris was asked by Motown founder, Berry Gordy, to help develop a screenplay for a Motown feature film called "Lady Sings the Blues" (1972) starring Diana Ross in a brilliant performance. Co-written with Terence McCloy and Suzanne De Passe, she received an Oscar nomination for the intensely dramatic script... her name being announced by actor Jack Lemmon. In 1982 she married Ernest Tidyman, the man who created the character "Shaft" in his novel and screenplay. He also won the Oscar for his screenplay for "The French Connection" (1971). Sadly, after only 2 years of marriage, Tidyman died of a perforated ulcer. Chris would never remarry. Chris was hired as Motown's video editor and later served as Vice President of Creative Development for Motown Films in Los Angeles. Over the years Chris produced several more projects in Los Angeles before finally moving to Arizona where her hobby of photography developed into a passion and profession. In 1990, she spent 6 weeks in Africa photographing and interviewing the people and culture of the continent. Those images are among her most dramatic and beautiful. Today, she creates photo-montage artwork from the classic Motown acts she took years before, as well as her African-themed works and has them reproduced on canvas. She has had numerous commissions of her works and has enjoyed several one-man shows in recent years. Her artworks are featured in the lobby at performances of the famed "Motown: The Musical." In 2007 she was interviewed by the San Franciso Chronicle in an article entitled "Chris Clark: An Unsung Soul Singer Resurfaces." In 2010, Daeida Magazine did a feature cover story on Chris. In 2015, she recorded the original song "The Ghosts of San Francisco" for the motion picture "When the World Came to San Francisco." The song, with music by John Thomas Bullock and lyrics by R. Christian Anderson, was written especially for her. The music video was chosen as an "official selection" at the 2016 New York Jazz Film Festival and ultimately won the "Mixed Jazz Genre Film Award." Chris shared the award with director R. Christian Anderson.