The youngest of eight children, hard bop pianist Sonny Clark was born on July 21, 1931 near the town of Herminie, Pennsylvania east of Pittsburgh. His father, a coal miner, died just two weeks after Sonny arrived. He never achieved widespread commercial success, but his playing was known and respected by those in the jazz world.

Already an accomplished keyboard man, Clark traveled to California at the age of 20 to visit a relative and ended up staying there, working first with Wardell Gray and then with Oscar Pettiford. At the age of 22 he was hired by clarinetist Buddy DeFranco and toured with him for three years before returning to southern California in 1956. While there he recorded three albums as a member of Howard Rumsey’s Lighthouse All-Stars.

In 1957 Clark was in New York City and working as the accompanist for singer Dinah Washington. He remained on the east coast for the remainder of his career recording as a sideman for Curtis Fuller, Jackie McLean, Dexter Gordon, Hank Mobley and Stanley Turrentine. He made his first record as a leader, “Dial ‘S’ for Sonny,” with Blue Note Records in 1957.

Clark struggled with drug addiction throughout his short life. On January 11th and 12th, 1963 Sonny Clark played gigs at Junior’s Bar in the Alvin Hotel at 52nd Street and Broadway in New York. The next day he was dead at the age of 31 from what was initially reported as a heart attack, but was more likely a heroin overdose.

Here is a link to the title track from his 1958 record “Sonny’s Crib.” Along with Clark, the record features performances by trumpeter Donald Byrd, trombonist Curtis Fuller and John Coltrane on tenor saxophone:

"SONNY'S CRIB"