Clarence Henry was born in New Orleans on March 19, 1937. In 1948 he moved to the Algiers neighborhood, where he resided for the rest of his life.[2] He started learning piano as a child, with Fats Domino and Professor Longhair his main influences. When Henry played in talent shows, he dressed like Longhair and wore a wig with braids on both sides. He joined Bobby Mitchell & the Toppers in 1952, playing piano and trombone, and left when he graduated in 1955 to join saxophonist Eddie Smith's band.[1][3]
Henry used his trademark croak to improvise the song "Ain't Got No Home" one night in 1955. Chess RecordsA&R man Paul Gayten heard the song, and had Henry record it in Cosimo Matassa's studio in September 1956. Initially promoted by local DJ Poppa Stoppa, the song eventually rose to number 3 on the national R&B chart and number 20 on the US pop chart.[4] The gimmick earned Henry his nickname of 'Frogman' and jump-started a career that endured until his death.[1]
He opened 18 concerts for the Beatles across the US and Canada in 1964, but his main source of income came from New Orleans's Bourbon Street strip, where he played for 19 years.[1]
Private life and death
Henry was married seven times, with all his marriages ending in divorce.[2] He had ten children.[6]
He died in New Orleans on April 7, 2024, at the age of 87, from complications after surgery.[6] Henry continued to perform into his last years and had been scheduled to appear at the 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival later that month.[2][7][8]
Honors
Henry's pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. In April 2007, Henry was honored for his contributions to Louisiana music with induction into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
Henry's original song was later featured on the soundtrack of the 1982 film Diner. It is also heard in a scene where Shrevie (Daniel Stern) is listening to it on his car radio and singing along.
"Ain't Got No Home" achieved fresh notoriety in the 1990s through its use as the "Homeless Update" theme music on The Rush Limbaugh Show, and was used as recently as December 7, 2017. Henry credited Limbaugh with boosting his royalties and performed on a Caribbean cruise with him.[10]
The song also appears in the 1995 movie Casino, playing in the background as Joe Pesci asks Robert De Niro for a 50K chip marker. Jimmy Buffett referenced Henry in his song "Saxophones".[11] Henry made a cameo appearance on the third season opening episode of the HBO series Treme.
