JilesBeam Music and Studio

A Brief Biography of
Cliff Crofford

Cliff Crofford was born on a farm in Rochester, Texas in 1929. He moved to San Diego, California is 1942, lived there for three years, and returned to Rochester to complete high school. His first performance was for a talent show in Rochester when he was five years old. He won first prize—a bag of groceries! Cliff returned to San Diego after graduating high school and attended Riverside City College.

In 1949, on his way to a vacation in Reno via Highway 99, Cliff stopped in Bakersfield to meet someone a friend had referred him to—Bill Woods. Cliff and Bill hit it off so well that he moved to Bakersfield and joined Bill Woods’ band. His first job with Bill was playing trumpet at Café 99 in McFarland. They also had a radio show five days per week on KAFY 500 AM. He never made it to Reno that year.

Bands:
Orange Blossom Playboys (with Bill Woods)
Jimmy Thomason Band
Beardsley Ball Room

Clubs:
Blackboard
in Bakersfield (1950)
Clover Club
in Bakersfield (1950)
Lucky Spot
in East Bakersfield
(1950 – 1959)
Foothill Club
in Long Beach (1959 – 1982)
Palamino Club
in North Hollywood (1962)

Radio:
Radio KAFY
with Jimmy Thomason (1950)
Tours:
Johnny Cash Tour
through the Midwest

Television:
Kero “Afternoon Show” (1953)
“Jimmy Thomason Show” Channel 29 (1953)
Worked with Cousin Herb on Kero TV
Co-hosted show with Billy Mize on channel 29 using the Blackboard Band, headed by Buck Owens (1955)
Joined the Town Hall Party Show in Compton, CA, LA television, a three-hour show (1957-1960)
The Cal Worthington Show, channel 11, Los Angeles

Recordings:
First recordings on modern records Bill Woods Band, two sides (1949)
Talley Records: eight or ten sides (1955)
Sundown Records: duet with Billy Mize, four sides (1959)
Dore Records: duet with Billy Mize, four sides (1959)
Challenge Records: duet with Billy Mize, four sides (1960)
Liberty Records: duet with Billy Mize, two sides (1962)
Recorded “A Cricket” three sides (1962)
Dot Records: four sides (1969)

Movies Appeared in:
“Every Which Way But Loose” (starring Clint Eastwood)
“Any Which Way You Can” (starring Clint Eastwood)

Movies Performed In:
Vocals for “Monkey See Monkey Do” on sound track for “Every Which Way But Loose”
Played trumpet for instrumental on sound track for “Honky Tonk Man”

Movie Songs:
“Any Which Way You Can” (starring Clint Eastwood)
“Send Me Down to Tucson” Mel Tillis
“Whiskey Heaven” Fats Domino
“Orangutan Hall of Fame”
“Every Which Way You Can” (starring Clint Eastwood)
“Hard to Say No to a Truck Driving Man” Penny DeHaven
“Bronco Billy” (starring Clint Eastwood)
“Bayou Lullaby” Penny DeHaven
“Bar Room Buddies” Clint Eastwood and Merle Haggard
“Stardust Cowboys” Rangemen
“Smokey and the Bandit II” Burt Reynolds
“Charlotte’s Web” Statler Bros
“Concrete Cowboy” Roy Rogers and Sons of the Pioneers
“Honky Tonk Man” (starring Clint Eastwood)
“Three Fiddles Play” Ray Price
“Cannon Ball Run” (starring Burt Reynolds)
“Beauty’s Theme” Farrah Faucett
“Sharkey’s Machine” (starring Burt Reynolds)
“Before You” Sarah Vaughn and Joe Williams
“Let’s Keep Dancin’” Peggy Lee
“Eight to Five I Lose” Joe Williams
“The Other Man” Vicky Lawrence
“That Old Outlaw—Time” Bob Nolan
“The Sunset Trail” Rex Allan
“Cotton Patch Blues” John Andrews
“When the Blues Come (Around I’ll Be Gone)” Linda Hopkins
“Jinxed” (starring Bette Midler and Rip Torn)
“Answer to a Cowgirl’s Dream” Bette Midler

Songs Recorded by Other Artists:
“Hate Myself for Loving You” Faron Young
“Another Love Has Ended” Bobby Bare
“What a Lonesome Life it’s Been” Skeets McDonald
“Class of 1959” Bob Luman
“Stand Up” Freddy Hart
“Stand Up” Ferlin Huskey
“Johnny and Joann” Bobby Vee
“1963” Bobby Vee
“Chip Chip” Gene McDaniels
“That’s the Reason You See Me (The Way I Am)” Johnny Barnette
“Old Rivers” Walter Brennan
“Houdini” Walter Brennan
“Old Kelly Place” Walter Brennan
“Old Rivers Trunk” Walter Brennan
“Old Drop Ears” Walter Brennan
“Henry Had a Merry Christmas” Walter Brennan
“A Goodyear for Santa Clause” Walter Brennan
“White Christmas” with Irvin Berlin Walter Brennan
“Po’ Boy” Ralph Emery
“Cotton Picker” Egar Buchanan
“Let Me Tell Your Fortune” Gary Lewis
“The Best Man” Gary Lewis
“Uncle Tom Got Caught” Wynn Stewart
“Melody” Cher
“Send the Man Over” Cher
“Texas State of Mind”
Shelly West and David Frizzell
“Someone’s Been Sleepin’ In (Our Bed)”
Shelly West
“Living Her Life in a Song” Ray Price
“Willie Write Me a Song” Ray Price

Awards:
“Old Rivers” BMI #1
“Chip Chip” BMI #3
“Send Me Down to Tucson” BMI #1
“Bar Room Buddies” BMI #1
“Texas State of Mind” BMI #2
“Charlotte’s Web” BMI #1

* Cliff played a role in forming the Academy of Country Music and was a member of the Board of Directors in 1968 (one of the first directors)
*nominated most promising male vocalist in 1968
*nominated for bass player of the year in 1968

Cliff currently resides in Ontario, California with his wife, Maxine (They’ve been married since 1951). Together they have one son, David, and two granddaughters, Daniel and Betty. They have five great-grandchildren-- Kristin, Samanta, Jamie, Mandy and Trevor.
* Cliff played a role in forming the Academy of Country Music and was a member of the Board of Directors in 1968 (one of the first directors)
*nominated most promising male vocalist in 1968
*nominated for bass player of the year in 1968